The 2017 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville) is a gorgeous wine. Pliant and racy in the glass with striking depth, it offers terrific richness and intensity. The 2017 benefits from some lots that might have otherwise gone into the Reserve. Super-ripe dark red cherry, pomegranate, mint, cinnamon and rose petal all add nuance, but it is the wine's balance and overall sense of harmony that stand out the most. This flamboyant Cabernet is a real overachiever.

Fresh and forward, with a succulent feel to its cherry, plum and cassis notes, backed by a red licoricecoated finish. A hint of warm stone on the finish keeps this honest. Very solid for the vintage. -- Non-blind Groth Cabernet vertical (August 2024). Drink now through 2034. 25,000 cases made.