Winemaker Notes
Our 2005 Sterling Vineyards SVR Reserve celebrates the synergy between Bordeaux-style grape varietals with an artistic blend focused on finesse. Winemaker Mike Westrick describes this wine as elegant, graceful and beautifully balanced, with seductive layers of complexity. The wine?s inviting aromas and opulent flavors fill your senses with ripe blackberries and black cherries. Nuances of mocha, cedar, toasty oak and violet spice the rich fruit expression then linger on the persistent finish, inviting you to take another sip. The wine is undeniably intense, with good weight on the palate. Fine-grain tannins softly structure the mouthfilling flavors.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.