Open: 10:00am-4:00pm
Appt required? Yes
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012
Directions:
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Tasting:
Since befriending Susan Erlich, whose family sells their fruit to Groth (among other places), I had been intending to make a visit to Groth’s distinct pink tasting room. We worked it in last August.
Our stand-up tasting was conducted at a small side bar, with just me, Stephanie and our hostess. She was very friendly and started us with the 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, a smooth-drinking fruit-forward wine. Not a bad start! We moved next to the 2010 Carneros Chardonnay, a wine I thought was just okay.
Enough with the whites…bring on the reds! On our menu today were 3 Cabernets. First up was the 2004 Groth Cabernet, a wine drinking pretty well in the summer of 2012. We followed that with the same wine, just 5 years younger. The 2009 Groth Cabernet was much tighter, with a higher percentage of Merlot (20%). I definitely preferred the 2004, and it spoke well to the ability to age Groth wines. I didn’t love either wine, but at $50 for the current vintage, it’s not terribly priced. We closed out the Cabernets with the 2008 Reserve Cab. This was a step up in quality, but it was a bigger step up in price ($125). Not a $125 Cab, but enjoyable for a tasting.
We closed out the tasting and decided not to take any wine with us. The wines were just so-so (great fruit, though, Erlichs!), but our hostess was friendly and did not pressure us to buy wine. In fact, she noted that we could get all of the wines at Binny’s in Chicago. We were in and out in about 20 minutes, so we had some time to fill…off to Goosecross!
Our stand-up tasting was conducted at a small side bar, with just me, Stephanie and our hostess. She was very friendly and started us with the 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, a smooth-drinking fruit-forward wine. Not a bad start! We moved next to the 2010 Carneros Chardonnay, a wine I thought was just okay.
We closed out the tasting and decided not to take any wine with us. The wines were just so-so (great fruit, though, Erlichs!), but our hostess was friendly and did not pressure us to buy wine. In fact, she noted that we could get all of the wines at Binny’s in Chicago. We were in and out in about 20 minutes, so we had some time to fill…off to Goosecross!
Recommended wine: Wines were good, not great. No standouts.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 3.75 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 3.75 |
 OVERALL | 4.00 | ||
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