Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2016

Perhaps no winery is more synonymous with an AVA than Groth is with Oakville. Their 1985 Reserve Cabernet holds the distinction of being Robert Parker’s first ever 100-point score given to a domestic wine. But that was just the beginning.

Since then, they would appear on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list eight times, including with their 2016 Reserve Cabernet– an absolute dynamite bottle of wine that landed on #4 in Wine Spectator’s Best of 2019 list. As you can imagine, I had to fight tooth and nail to get the wine– then even harder to get the price.

Vinous called Nap’s 2016 vintage, “extraordinary”, and made this bold prediction: “2016 is a captivating vintage from top to bottom, with a bevy of stunning wines for every palate and budget, as well as a number of bottles that are destined to become icons.”

This wine is one of those icons they were referring to. It’s flawless, perfect Oakville Cabernet with the bones to be good for half a century.