Groom Wines
A Family Estate, at Groom Wines
Groom Wines is a true family venture, founded by Daryl Groom and his wife Lisa, along with Lisa’s sister and late brother-in-law, Jeanette and David Marschall. With 30+ years of winemaking experience and prestigious international acclaim, Daryl is at the heart of this winery. He has earned eight “Winemaker of the Year” honors, and he was recently named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Wine Industry. His impressive résumé includes a stint as Senior Winemaker at iconic Penfolds.
Labor of Love Wines
“We focus on what we believe we can do best and what we like to drink,” says Daryl. “We only produce three wine varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Shiraz. We are 100% estate, meaning all the wines come from vineyards that we own.” Groom Wines’ estate vineyard in the Barossa Valley, the source for their Zinfandel and Shiraz, is located next to Penfolds’ famed Kalimna Vineyard. It even has some of the old Grange cuttings delivered by "naughty fairies in the night,” Daryl jokes. “2019 was a really high-quality vintage but sadly it had very, very low yields caused by dry conditions during the growing season and severe frost in November. But, because of the low yields and the very small berries, our 2019 Zinfandel is arguably the best we have made. It is certainly the plushest and richest.”
Groom Sauvignon Blanc hails from the winery’s other estate which is in the Adelaide Hills. “This was an old apple orchard, planted mostly to Pink Lady,” notes Daryl. “Though almost all the trees are gone, Lisa swears you can taste apples in the wine.” To capture all the flavors, the fermentation for this lovely white was kept very cool, and it was made with no oak and no malolactic fermentation. “We bottle this wine early, which helps retain the fresh fruit characters we love.” “I really, really love our Sauvignon Blanc,” says Lisa Groom. “It’s my favorite wine. The only problem is that there never seems to be enough in the bottle.”
The fabulous wines we featured:
2019 Barossa Valley, Bush Block Zinfandel
- 94 Points, Halliday Wine Companion:
- Only 175 cases produced
- Pair with: Red or white meat, spicy foods and comfort food like pizza, pasta, BBQ, and hamburgers.
Tasting Notes: The nose is unmistakably Zinfandel in fruit character with distinct red fruit characters and some lovely spice. Medium-bodied and nicely structured, finishing with soft tannins. The slightly higher alcohol than most years gives a nice, welcome warmth and fullness on the finish.
2021 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc
- Pair with: Seafood, salads, sushi, Asian cuisine, or enjoy on its own, with friends.
- Enjoy now or hold up to 8 years.
Tasting Notes: Delicious and light, with a very easy-to-drink style. The fruit aromas are exceptionally bright and lifted with grapefruit and passion fruit being the dominant characters. The palate is quite refreshing, dry, and crisp.
Winemaker's Notes
2019 Barossa Valley, Bush Block Zinfandel: Seventeen-year-old vines in the ‘Bush Block’ of the Estate Kalimna Vineyard in the Barossa Valley of South Australia provided the fruit. The vines were grown in a traditional head-trained method, which produces lower yields and more concentrated berries. The wine aged for 12 months in a 50/50 mix of French and American oak barrels (25% new).
2021 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc: The Sauvignon Blanc came from the estate vineyard in Adelaide Hills and the Semillon came from the estate vineyard in the Barossa Valley. The wine fermented and aged in stainless-steel. The vintage was perfect for a winemaker: it started cool and moist and was followed by warm, consistent weather. Yields were the second highest on record.
Australia
Daryl and Lisa Groom
Daryl Groom