Our Story

The First Generation

By Dennis Groth

Before Oakville became an appellation, before we made the first 100-point wine in Napa, our vineyard was born out of a family dream, the friendship of neighbors and a huge leap of faith.

“You want to grow great Cabernet Sauvignon?” Ren Harris asked us. “This is the place to do it.” Judy and I surveyed the old farm: Dilapidated dairy barns sagged behind rows of frost-bitten Napa Gamay vines bordering Oakville Cross Road. Back in 1981, just a handful of winegrowers in this part of Napa Valley understood what a magical place Oakville was for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. Ren, our excited Realtor, happened to be one of them. We looked again, a little more closely, at this 121-acre stretch of valley floor dotted with majestic oaks and edged by rolling hills. We wanted a piece of land where we could grow Cabernet Sauvignon we could be proud of, like the beautiful Bordeaux wines we loved. Could we envision it … here? Judy and I looked at each other, taking a deep breath before nodding back — yes, here.

In 1982, we purchased a second parcel, 44 acres in what is now the Oak Knoll District just south of Yountville. It was the perfect spot for growing Merlot and, as we later learned, Chardonnay. As CFO of the tech start-up Atari, my job had really taken off with their launch of the world’s first video console, and our dream to go all-in as family winegrowers became possible. After a year of selling our fruit to our neighbors, we decided to make a bit of Cabernet of our own. Nils Venge had been making wine at Villa Mt. Eden just next door for the past decade, so we asked him if he’d consider working with us.

Nils walked us back into our vineyard and pointed to a couple of western blocks along Conn Creek in a little grove of trees. “That’s the Sweet Spot,” he said. “That can make us world-class wine.” We entrusted him with making our very first vintage, and he was right. Our 1982, the precursor to our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, ended up being remarkable. The wine caught the attention of wine writer Jerry Mead, who even before he tasted it remarked, “God, a teetotaler should buy this wine just to smell it.”

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Going All-In

In 1985, we made our Oakville vineyard our family home. While Atari’s business began to wane, our belief in our vineyards continued to grow. Judy and I took the leap and went all-in without a backup plan. We put all our eggs in one basket and decided we’d watch that basket very, very carefully — turning our dream into our life’s work, fully invested in every aspect of our farming and winemaking. We were rewarded with an unparalleled vintage, one that, three years later, became our 100-point Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Michael Weis joined us in 1994, and for 26 years, he put his heart and soul into growing and making our wines. Michael truly listened to what the vineyard wanted to be, and he carefully replanted our estate vines, block by block, making the quality of our fruit what it is today. Over the past four decades, we’ve held strong to our focus, grateful to make beautiful wines we love, live in a place we believe in, and work alongside talented and dedicated people.

— Dennis Groth

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Groth Vineyards and Winery - Generational Business - Dennis and Suzanne Groth tasting wine

Groth Vineyards and Winery - Generational Business - Groths Inspecting Vines

Groth Vineyards and Winery - Family - Dennis and Judy Groth

The Second Generation and Beyond

By Suzanne Groth

It’s exciting to lead Groth into its next generation as our shared belief, curiosity and dedication drive us to continually evolve.

Wine has always played a role in my life; it’s intertwined in every memory. I was about eight or nine when we first visited our Oakville vineyard. My parents had wanted to buy a vineyard for a while; wine had always been a love of theirs. There were weekends when my mom would pack the Ford station wagon full of groceries, dogs and us kids. Once my dad got off work, we’d head two hours north from Santa Clara Valley to search for a property. That weekend we found our Oakville vineyard, I remember very well. Ren Harris, our Realtor and future neighbor, met us in his open-air Jeep. We piled in for what we kids thought was a grand adventure.

We moved to the vineyard full time just as I was starting high school. It was a big transition, going from suburban San Jose to a farm in Oakville, the workings of the vineyard becoming a part of our everyday life. After high school, I went off to college to study art, a passion instilled in me by my mother, and I was inspired to become a painter. During summer breaks, I’d come back to work at the winery, and I began painting the breathtaking beauty all around me.

I eventually decided to make wine my career. Taking a job outside of the family business with The Henry Wine Group, I sold fine wine to restaurants and wine shops in the Bay Area. Selling other people’s wines opened my eyes to the challenges of running a winery and made me realize how special Groth Vineyards & Winery was. I returned to the family business in 1998, working in everything from sales to public relations to marketing, and, in 2017, took the helm as Dad became Chairman of the Board.

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Groth Vineyards and Winery - Family - Suzanne Groth

Looking Ahead

Our best is yet to come. Forging ahead, I hired Ted Henry to join us in 2021. As only our fourth winemaker in more than four decades, Ted maintains our seamless continuum from vine to bottle while introducing new technologies and techniques that allow us to be even more responsive with our farming and more precise with our winemaking.

I’m honored to carry on the vision that my parents began in 1981. My father still lives at our Oakville Estate, and my family lives in our Hillview Vineyard, a few miles down the road in the Oak Knoll District. Experiencing the cycle of each vintage and raising my children here, I hope they love it so much that they’ll want to carry on the family business after me. I couldn’t ask for anything more than for Groth to continue to make beautiful, elegant wines of place — wines that excite people. What a wonderful thing, to continue doing what we love and sharing it with others, for another 40 years.

— Suzanne Groth

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