Country :
Verify you are of legal drinking age.
Tasting Notes
Tasting Note
The Sterling Vineyards Calistoga Zinfandel is round and robust with bright aromas of red cherry, wild briar patch and plum. The juicy, fruit forward palate offers raspberry jam and savory notes of sage and black olive flavors. The wine’s texture is smooth yet underpinned with a powerful structure a pleasing vanilla signature stamp from the judicious use of American oak.
Technical Information
| Varietal | Zinfandel |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Blend | Zinfandel 94%, Petite Sirah 4%, Syrah 2% |
| Oak Treatment | French oak (65%) American oak (35%) 41% New for 14 Months |
| Alcohol % | 14.9% |
| Enclosure Type | Cork |
| Case Production | 425 cases |
| pH | 3.76 |
Winemaking
Winemaking
The Zinfandel grapes were hand harvested in the cool of early morning and transported to the winery. The fruit was gently destemmed and lightly crushed. Fermentation in stainless steel with two weeks of skin contact imparted deep, beautiful color concentration and fruit character. The wine was barrel for 9 months in a mix of French (65%) and American (35%) oak barrels. Only 425 cases of this wine were made.
Harry Hansen - Winemaker
Director of Winemaking Harry Hansen was raised in nearby Sonoma County. “One of my earliest memories of wine was the gallon jug of red wine that we always had at home. I would go with my father to a local winery, maybe in Kenwood or Healdsburg, to refill that jug and chit-chat with the winery proprietors. The aromas of those wines were always something attractive, somehow mysterious, but always memorable.”
Harry joined Sterling Vineyards and relocated to Napa Valley just before the 2011 Harvest. “The opportunity to join such a respected Napa Valley winery is exciting and a fantastic next step in my winemaking career. Sterling Vineyards is making some wonderful wines, and I look forward to taking that next step up in quality and reputation.”
Vintage
Vintage
The relatively even 2016 growing season followed welcome winter rains that eased California’s ongoing drought and gave vines plenty of moisture to pull from throughout the season. With no frost during bloom nor heat spikes during the summer, harvest was received with relative ease. The ripening season enjoyed cooler than average daytime highs with plenty of sunshine so fruit had lengthy hangtime and developed very good color and flavor concentration. The region’s typical area cold nights enabled the fruit to maintain excellent acidity.
Vineyard
Calistoga AVA
Vineyard
The Zinfandel fruit for this wine comes exclusively from the BV Ranch #12 in Calistoga, situated at the very northern tip of the Napa Valley. The area experiences strong diurnal temperature swings, with very hot days and nights cooled by fog from the Russian River Valley that funnels through the Chalk Hill gap. The diversity of BV Ranch #12 vineyard along with its warm mesoclimate and lean, well-drained soils, produces dark, deeply flavored fruit with beautiful fruit character, spice and tannin.
Login or Register
Login
OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT
Sign up below for faster checkout.
Treasury Wine Estates Portfolio
To create a better experience for you across all of our brands, we’ll check this info with accounts across the Treasury Wine Estates Portfolio of brands: Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Etude, Hewitt Vineyard, Stags' Leap, Sterling, Penfolds, and TheWineShop.
Sign Up
CREATE AN ACCOUNT
Welcome, !
Thanks for creating an account.
Request received.
Success! An email has been sent to your inbox with a link to reset your password