Germany · Rheinhessen

Estate Groh

Bechtheim producer with limestone soils, a Chardonnay flagship and dry Grauburgunder made in steel with lees ageing.

The producer

Estate Groh works in Bechtheim, in southern Wonnegau in Rheinhessen, on predominantly limestone soils. Chardonnay is the flagship grape, while the vineyards also carry Grauburgunder, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The cellar combines low temperature stainless steel fermentation with traditional oak barrels, and vinification uses no animal products. Groh Organic Grauburgunder Trocken is hand harvested and rests on its lees after fermentation.

Known for

Chardonnay and limestone Rheinhessen wines

Notable facts

The story

From Coal To Wine

In the 1930s, Heinrich Groh was known chiefly as a coal merchant. He then moved into wine, changing his working life from coal trading to the wine business. The family history describes him as the firm's founder and says he quickly made a name as a good seller in the wine trade. He was working with a new product and a new customer base, while the first Groh vineyards gave the family a physical base for wine. The business later reached a fourth generation under Axel Groh.

From the atlas

Estate Groh

Bechtheim producer in southern Wonnegau, with limestone vineyards, a Chardonnay flagship and dry Grauburgunder made with steel and lees ageing.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
RegionRheinhessen, Germany
VillageBechtheim
Main grapesChardonnay, Grauburgunder, Riesling and Pinot varieties
Signature wineGroh Organic Grauburgunder Trocken 2024
Defining featureLimestone soils, Chardonnay flagship and animal free vinification

The Producer

Chardonnay is Groh's flagship grape. The producer is based in Bechtheim, a village in southern Wonnegau in Rheinhessen, and works with a broad range of white and red grape varieties. Axel Groh manages the winery in its fourth generation.

Groh combines low temperature stainless steel fermentation with fermentation in traditional oak barrels. Vinification uses no animal products. Chardonnay receives selective hand harvest, skin contact, spontaneous fermentation and maturation in wood.

Place

Bechtheim lies in the southern part of Wonnegau, within Rheinhessen. The village is home to a producer whose vineyards carry both white and red grape varieties, giving the range a wider shape than a single variety estate.

Soil And Site

The vineyards are predominantly limestone. Limestone commonly drains excess water while holding some moisture, helping vines keep a steady water supply through ripening. The ground is described as well suited to Pinot varieties, and Groh grows Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Story

Axel Groh manages the winery in its fourth generation. In the 1980s, Groh became one of Germany's early adopters of white wines matured in barriques. White wine has therefore held a defined place in the cellar for decades, alongside the producer's current Chardonnay work.

Vineyards And Cellar

Groh farms 12 hectares and produces approximately 100,000 bottles each year. The plantings include Riesling, Müller Thurgau, Silvaner, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Kerner, Huxelrebe, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Regent, Dornfelder, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The cellar pairs low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with traditional oak barrels. Chardonnay grapes are selectively hand picked, given time on their skins before fermentation, fermented with ambient yeasts and matured in wood. Chardonnay is aged in small wood, large wood and steel tanks, giving the grape several distinct vessel treatments within the range.

Wines

Groh's range moves across white and red varieties. White wines include Grauburgunder, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Red wines include Pinot Noir, Regent, Dornfelder, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Groh Organic Grauburgunder Trocken 2024 is a dry white made from Grauburgunder. The name states both the grape and the dry style, while the wider range extends into aromatic white varieties and fuller red wines.

In The Glass

Groh Organic Grauburgunder is floral and fruity, with melon, ripe yellow pear, fresh citrus and peppery spice. The palate has a slightly oily feel, with notable depth and breadth. The wine's fruit and spice sit inside a fresh, rounded mouthfeel.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Groh Organic Grauburgunder Trocken 2024 first. The grapes are hand harvested, fermented in stainless steel and rested for four months on the lees. Lees are the yeast solids left after fermentation, and time on them can add creaminess and softer texture while steel keeps the cellar method free from oak flavour. This bottle puts hand harvest, stainless steel and lees ageing into one dry white.

Anecdote

In the 1930s, Heinrich Groh was known chiefly as a coal merchant. He then moved into wine, changing his working life from coal trading to the wine business. The family history describes him as the firm's founder and says he quickly made a name as a good seller in the wine trade. He was working with a new product and a new customer base, while the first Groh vineyards gave the family a physical base for wine. The business later reached a fourth generation under Axel Groh.

Final Word

Groh is a Bechtheim producer with limestone ground, a broad planting of white and red grapes, and Chardonnay as its flagship variety.

Sources

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