By Sterling Vineyards
Platinum 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Description
Platinum is a wine designed to bring a singular thought to life: great wines come from great vineyards, and never so much as when the winemaking and winegrowing teams work hand in hand to carefully nurture the finest fruit toward a well-rewarded harvest. Sterling Vineyards Platinum is the ultimate expression of our Napa Valley winemaking expertise.

Source
Cabernet Sauvignon is the signature variety of the Napa Valley, and the appellation excels in producing outstanding examples of this admired varietal. Napa Valley offers an ideal combination of topography, geology, and climate that enables Cabernet Sauvignon to reach optimum ripeness, balance, and finesse. And within the valley, there are exceptional vineyards and sub-appellations that produce some of the finest expressions of this noble grape - truly Platinum worthy. Winemaker Harry Hansen has selected notable lots from vineyards spanning key Napa Valley growing regions, including the Meigs Vineyard in Wooden Valley, Moore Ranch in Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain Ranch, Peterson Ranch, and a trio of notable Calistoga vineyards, including Bear Flats, Barlow Ranch and BV Ranch 12. A small amount of Malbec and Petit Verdot came from the Bale Lane vineyard.

Vintage
Winter rains helped signal the end of the immediate drought, but vineyards had grown stressed after multiple challenging years, resulting in modest yields for the season. A dry January was followed by a wet February, and temperatures remained mild, encouraging an early bud break to begin the growing season. Showers arrived in April, slowing the rapid advance of flowering and set. Harvest began in mid-September and moved at a leisurely pace as winemakers waited for ever more complex flavors to develop. The extended season helped balance acids and allowed layers of flavors to emerge.

Winemaking
The fruit was hand-harvested and hand-sorted, selecting only the highest quality fruit for fermentation in concrete, oak, and stainless vessels. The fruit was allowed to ferment for up to 15 days with regular pump-overs to extract deep color and rich flavors. The wine was then gently pressed, racked, and aged for 19 months in a combination of 50% French (50% new) and 25% each American and Hungarian oak. Barrels are toasted medium-medium-plus from a mix of coopers, including Gamba, Remond, Taransaud, Allary, and Quintessence. Individual barrels are aged separately and are tasted frequently before the final selection of only the most compelling candidates for Platinum.

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.

Tasting Note
In this vintage, Platinum Cabernet exhibits the purity of fruit, polished tannins, and rich texture that are the essential signature of this rich, full-bodied wine. As the drought subsided, the fruit was more expressive, showing aromas and flavors of red and dark fruit such as Bing cherry, with notable vanilla essence from the American oak. The wine is well integrated, nicely structured with medium tannins that suggest a possibility for at least some cellaring. Recognizable Cabernet highlights such as mocha, cassis, and caramel toffee join with white pepper spice, leading to a lingering, lasting impression. A beautiful expression of Napa's varied growing regions.

Wine Details
Appellation: Napa Valley AVA
Alcohol: 14.90%
Oak Treatment: 19 months in French (50% new), Hungarian, American Oak
pH: 3.84
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
[Information provided by Treasury Wine Estates]

STERLING VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY PLATINUM 2016
Friday, February 14, 2020
Country: United States
Region: California
Vintage: 2016
Score: 94
Extremely perfumed with crushed raspberries and plums. Some roses and other flowers. Full-bodied, round and rich. Opulent, yet fresh and delicious. Drink or hold.

2016 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum
Producer: Sterling Vineyards
Location: USA, California, North Coast, Napa Valley
Color: Red
Rating: 91
Tasting Date: 1/31/2020
Maturity: 2020 - 2035
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Source: Napa Valley’s 2017s
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum offers a touch more depth aromatically with spiced currants, tobacco leaf, graphite, and chocolate nuances. Drink this nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, balanced effort any time over the coming 10-15 years.

2016 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum
Producer: Sterling
From: USA, California, North Coast, Napa Valley
Color: Red
Type: Table
Sweetness: Dry
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Rating: 90
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Issue Date: 13th Aug 2020
Source: August 2020 Week 2, The Wine Advocate
Drink Date: 2020 - 2032
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum is composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a nose scented of creme de cassis, baked cherries and plum preserves with nuances of dried mint, crushed rocks, bay leaves and cedar chest. Full-bodied, the palate is classically styled with loads of earth-laced black fruit and a pleasant suggestion of chewiness to the finish.

STERLING Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Platinum 2016
Score: 89
Region: California / Napa / Napa Valley
Issue: Nov 15, 2020
Mint and mocha notes lead the way for a set of creamed blackberry and plum fruit flavors, with the mocha edge winning out on the finish. Drink now through 2023. - JM