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Sterling was developed by the late Peter Newton, a native of England who was an executive at a large paper company in San Francisco called Sterling International. He built the winery in a style that is influenced by Greek Mediterranean white washed architecture, specifically from the island of Mykonos. This influence is pretty obvious when you see the winery. Their first vintage was released in 1969. Peter loved designing elegant formal gardens and to see some of his other gardens visit another Napa winery he founded called Newton (located just west of the town of St. Helena - appointment only). Sterling's long driveway winds through olive trees to the parking lot at the base of the tram. The tram runs continuously during their normal business hours so there is no need to purchase advance tickets, however note that on busy weekends, its best to get here early as there can be a fairly long line later in the day. There are several tasting options available for purchase at the ticket counter and all include the tram ride. Once you reach the winery at the top, you conduct a self guided tour which includes signs and educational videos on strategically placed monitors that explain various components of wine making and Sterling's history. Weather permitting you will be greeted by a small wine bar upon exiting the tram, where you will typically sample one of their white wines. During our latest visit Pinot Gris was served here; the 2007 version is light bodied, crisp and full of citrus overtones. The most common question this poor pourer has to answer is, "is that a castle over there?". Yes, it most definitely is - in this case it is the impressive Italian styled "Castello di Amorosa" built by Daryl Sattui who is also the founder of the wildly popular V. Sattui Winery. Be sure to take your glass with you as there will be other wine stations later in the tour. Continuing your tour, be sure to walk outside on the catwalk overlooking their large steel tanks - additional educational information is available here about the process of fermentation. Their large tank room is worth seeing with its huge tanks sometimes full of wine. During certain times of the year, the smells in here are fantastic and actually linger all throughout the main building. If the weather is bad, a wine station will be located in a corner of this room. You have to pass through this room on your way to their well-loved outdoor terrace and bell tower (the bells still ring by the way). On a warm day this is a fantastic place to soak up your wine, the sun, people watch behind your sunglasses, and see the stellar views of the surrounding hills. From here, there are good vistas of Napa Valley to the South and of the rugged wooded hills to the North East. This is definitely one of Napa's romantic spots and couples can often be seen flirtatiously cozying up to each other next to the railing while other tourists snap their photos. Benches and small tables are available for additional sit down relaxation. Weather permitting there will be another wine station setup here. We tried the 2005 Reserve Chardonnay which has a good weight in the mouth in part because the wine was left on the lees and stirred during its aging in the barrel (lees are the sediments left after fermentation). Sterling has 3 tasting rooms - the main elegant sit down tasting salon was recently remodeled. This is the last stop on your tour and you can either taste inside or outside. If the weather is nice this is definitely the most preferred part of the salon. Tall firs surround the patio and when the wind blows through the trees, its hard to determine whether you are actually in Napa or maybe in California's Sierra Nevada mountains somewhere! Sterling is one of Napa's largest land owners with some 1200+ acres under vine. As a result, they make a very wide selection of wines, all very reasonably priced. Some of their wines can only be purchased at the winery; you can tell these special wines (Cellar Club Wines) from their normal distributed wines because the physical wine label is split in two. Typically at least a Cabernet Sauvignon and the aromatic, not overly sweet desert wine, the Malvasia Bianca will be served in the salon. Malvasia Bianca is an ancient varietal not typically found in find in Napa. In fact this is the only Napa winery we can think of that produces this. The 2007 Cellar Club vintage is light bodied, fruity with some mineralities and will pair well with spicy Asian food. The large gift shop is the last room you visit before heading back to the tram. Check their website as sometimes they have coupons for tram ride discounts. Special reserve tours and tastings are also available. If you are in the area in the summer be sure to check out their Silver Screen Series, a series of outdoor movie screenings with all proceeds benefiting a local charity. Visit: www.sterlingvineyards.com |
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Submitted by: markur 3/9/2009 9:02:32 AM
I know they were family owned at one time, but Diageo own's them for at least 7 or 8 years. Should have that in your notes. Perhaps the family still runs the day to day...
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