Why it matters
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 and vineyards
Where the wines begin
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.
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.
In the cellar
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 to know
The range in view
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.