With so many upstart wineries in the Napa Valley receiving significant buzz from wine media, how will we grab your attention to focus on a winery that was born in the 1960s? Will telling you that it’s making its best wines ever do the trick? That’s not overstating the case at Sterling Vineyards. California wine country visitors to the northern reaches of Napa Valley in Calistoga have long admired Sterling’s spectacular white monastic-looking hilltop complex that appears to have been plucked from atop a Santorini village in Greece. Today, Sterling’s wines are also at a pinnacle. Significant credit for this rise to the summit must be given to industry veteran winemaker Mike Westrick, who joined Sterling in June 2004 and became Vice-President of Winemaking in January 2005.

“A number of things brought me to Sterling,” Westrick says. He time warped to the late 1980s when he first went to California with thoughts of becoming a winemaker, following a successful microbiology teaching career at the University of Wisconsin. Entering the valley for the first time, he saw the Napa Valley welcome sign and it sent tingles up his spine. Then, he drove up Highway 29 and saw the winery. “At the time, I didn’t know much about Sterling but I was stunned. Not only is it a physically beautiful place but also a wonderful winemaking facility where we can practice small winery techniques in various size fermentors, accommodating the size of vineyard blocks, from small to large, that are harvested separately. Over the course of the years, I’ve noticed amazing aromatics and fruit characters in the wines and at that point, any winemaker knows that there are great vineyards to work with.”

Subtle Changes

For an approximate 450,000-case annual production, Westrick is making changes “as we go.” Because the hospitality center attracts so many visitors, Westrick is focusing on special wine offerings sold only there and through the cellar club with its 8,000-plus members. He’s tweaked the reserve wines program but retains focus on “the Napa Tier,” which is about 100,000 cases each of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. “Those are the four wines that get distribution across the nation,” Westrick explains. “My changes for these wines have been subtle.” Yet for Sauvignon Blanc, a subtle change in residual sugar has made this wine significantly more attractive. “Yes, the residual sugar was a little higher than I personally enjoy, so I’ve toned that down and made the wine crisper and more food friendly. Sweetness masks fruit and why would I want to do that?”

Like most winemakers, Westrick says his aim is to respect the variety. “I hear that said a lot, yet at times, I don’t experience it. However, it’s critical in my winemaking. You better be able to taste a Sauvignon Blanc, or any varietal wine that I make, and identify the variety.” Westrick plans to use more indigenous yeast fermentations to enhance the aromatic profile of both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Additionally, he maintains that indigenous yeast fermentations add palate richness that he does not perceive with most cultured yeast. “Chardonnay lends itself to some manipulation, particularly oak influence. Barrel fermentation gives the creamy richness we seek and we use 20 percent new, predominantly French oak, in the Napa tier and bump that to 35 percent in the reserve wine.”

For Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, fermentation techniques employed create color and richness without aggressive tannins. Based on flavors from tasting the wine daily, decisions are made to press and transfer wine to select cooperage for aging. Because so many varietally labeled Merlots taste like Cabernet Sauvignon, we questioned how Westrick prevents this. “There’s no reason why a Merlot should not taste like Cabernet Sauvignon or vice versa,” he responds. “They’re both Bordeaux varietals and quite similar. Yet, a pure Merlot can’t handle as much tannin as a Cabernet Sauvignon and that’s why cellar techniques to manage tannins are so critical. As much as I stressed keeping varietals true and clean, I have no problems with a Meritage blend, like Sterling’s SVR, that may lead in Merlot percentage in any vintage where we believe that’s the correct blend.”

Signature Wines

Three Palms Vineyard Merlot, Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, SVR (Sterling Vineyards Reserve) and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon are signature wines. “I remarked that I wanted to come to Sterling because of the vineyards,” Westrick reiterated. “Three Palms Vineyard and Diamond Mountain Ranch are two of those.”

Near Calistoga, Diamond Mountain Ranch is located between 1,500 and 1,700 feet elevation on the northern face of the Mayacamas Mountains. Named for quartz crystals in the soil which catch sunlight and then sparkle like diamonds, the steep vineyard plantings require unique farming practices. Infertile soils and water deficit give rise to small clusters and berries that are deeply colored and packed with intense flavors. Assertive tannins are managed both by farming practices and cellar techniques. “A powerful wine that finishes with elegance is our goal from Diamond Mountain,” Westrick explains. “It gets a lot of hands-on winemaking with all the kid glove stuff.”

Over millennia, Three Palms Vineyard (not owned by Sterling but the winery receives 80 percent of the grapes with the balance going to Duckhorn) was shaped by the flooding of Selby Creek which deposited rocks creating a well-drained alluvial fan soil type where vines are stressed, thus creating concentrated fruits, more typical of mountain vineyard sites, although Three Palms is located on the valley floor, in as Westrick describes it, “an incredibly unique microclimate where the rocky soils remind me of Bordeaux. Literally, it takes a pile driver to get deep into the soil. It’s a tough environment for the vines where they struggle and berries are small. It gets hot in the afternoon and therefore there’s concentration in the finished wine – much like what we achieve from fruit grown on Diamond Mountain.” There was forward thinking when the 74.5 acres of Three Palms was planted with a majority of Merlot but also substantial amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. This offers Sterling an opportunity to blend with other Bordeaux varieties yet retain a single vineyard designation for the wine, which had its first release from vintage 1990.

SVR represents a blend of Sterling’s finest Bordeaux varietal lots, which are chosen each vintage based on flavor concentration. Just as a typical Bordelaise blend, the aim is crafting a powerful yet supple wine that is ageable yet accessible upon release. “SVR,” says Westrick, “is a true expression of Sterling winemaking philosophy and one of the most fun wines to make because it incorporates all of what winemaking is about – starting with the best vineyards, top vineyard management, utmost care taken about when to harvest, which yeast selection, pre- or post-maceration and cooperage selection. Ultimately, we have this array of wine lots to pick from. There are no preconceived notions with this wine; it’s Sterling’s best Bordeaux varietal blend of the vintage.”

Select Napa Valley vineyards along the Silverado Trail in the renowned Napa Valley sub-appellations of Oakville and Rutherford, form the backbone of ripe, rich flavors for Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot and Petit Verdot in the blend are from Three Palms Vineyard and Sterling’s Larsen Ranch in Calistoga. “Essentially,” Westrick explains, “our Reserve Cabernet follows the SVR philosophies, except that it must be a Cabernet-based wine, where there is not that restriction with SVR.”

Highly Recommended Sterling Vineyards Wines

• 2006 Sterling Vineyards Napa County Sauvignon Blanc, $15, showcases fresh lime, grapefruit and citrus aromas and flavors with an underlying core of melon and tropical fruit. Dry, crisp and palate filling, it’s a versatile food wine.
• 2005 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay, $50, is marked by toasty oak nuances supporting bright, ripe apple and pear-like fruit perceptions. All winemaking techniques have come together in a seamless whole with attractive aromatics and rich, creamy mouthfeel.
• 2004 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Three Palms Merlot, $55, is highlighted by depthful color, black cherry and briary notes, complemented by slight minerality. Exceptional structure and texture complete an orchestration that’s rich, complex, layered and fruit generous.
• 2004 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley SVR, $50, is 62 percent Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage and balanced by 34 percent Merlot and four percent Petit Verdot. Black fruits with hints of black olive lead to juicy, full, plump, plush flavors that evolve in the glass to reveal mocha, coffee and chocolate notes in the finish.
• 2004 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Ranch, $65, impresses with high-toned aromatics, deep color and layered complexity. Its great length makes it eminently ageable for a minimum of seven to eight years from vintage.
• 2004 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $75, is simultaneously big and powerful yet plush and lush. Resolved, round tannins provide outstanding structure and a finish that never ends.