Sterling Vineyards

Sterling Vineyards named exclusive wines of the 2016 Oscars

Sterling Vineyards, the landmark Napa winery, will once again provide the exclusive wines for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Ball, the official party following the Oscars®, to be held Sunday, February 28, 2016. This will be the 10th year that Sterling Vineyards has been poured during Hollywood’s biggest night. 

Sterling Vineyards®’ winemakers have created two custom made wines to be exclusively poured for the evening, Sterling Vineyards Limited Edition Gold Standard Reserve and Sterling Vineyards Limited Edition Red Carpet Reserve, in addition to four other Sterling premium wines: Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Chardonnay. The wines were specifically chosen to pair with the extraordinary menu created by Master Chef Wolfgang Puck, who will once again create the 50+ selections of hors d’oeuvres, small plate entrees and desserts for the Academy’s 1,500 guests.

“We are honored that Sterling Vineyards has again been selected to be poured at arguably one of the world’s most glamorous parties,” said Harry Hansen, Senior Winemaker for Sterling Vineyards. “Paired with Master Chef Wolfgang Puck’s always innovative menu, this promises to be an incredible ending to a spectacular evening. We can definitely guarantee that the moments will be golden, but the wines will be pure Sterling.”

Sterling Vineyards was founded in 1964 by Sir Peter Newton, a British Knight and Oxford scholar. With a fondness for Bordeaux varietals, Sir Newton realized the potential in Calistoga, Napa Valley for growing excellent Merlot and bottled the first single varietal Merlot in 1969. Sterling Vineyards quickly put Napa on the map for creating top quality wines.

The winery itself is an architectural icon in Napa Valley. Modeled after a Greek monastery, Sterling Vineyards was the first winery ever built with the visitor in mind and the only winery in the world with an aerial tram. Today, Sterling is one of the most visited wineries in Napa Valley and one of the largest landowners in Napa, which provides immense opportunity for crafting world-class wines.

Our single vineyard estates include vastly different terroirs producing wines of great distinction.

Diamond Mountain Ranch

Our Diamond Mountain Ranch lies west of the town of Calistoga, near the top of the Diamond Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA). The ranch’s 120 acres range in elevation from 1,700 to 2,000 feet, climbing the steep northern face of the Mayacamas Mountains. Nearly vertical slopes, austere soils, and dry farming stress the vines planted here, and low-vigor volcanic soils provide minimal nutrition. The result? Small, intensely concentrated fruit clusters that make deeply pigmented, assertive wines with full body and rich tannins.

Bear Flats Estate Vineyard

Our Bear Flats Estate Vineyard lies north of the town of St. Helena and slopes from Highway 29 to the Napa River. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot thrive in the well-drained, gravelly loam soil of its 87 acres.

Nolasco/Larsen Vineyards

North of St. Helena, on the east side of Highway 29, the Nolasco/Larsen Vineyard features alluvial clay loam on both sides of the Napa River. This site’s 50 acres are planted primarily to Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Chardonnay.

Petersen Ranch

Southwest of the town of Calistoga, Petersen Ranch rises 700 feet above the valley floor. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay develop concentrated varietal expression in the well-drained, deep, rich loam of this vineyard’s 60 planted acres.

Calistoga Vineyard

Located south of the town of Calistoga, this estate vineyard sits astride the Napa River and is comprised of alluvial loam soils where Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon develop bright varietal expression.

Rosedale Vineyard

This small vineyard lies south of the town of Calistoga on well-drained, sandy gravel soils. Its 11 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tamagni Vineyard

Our Tamagni Estate Vineyard is comprised of 53 planted acres that lie south of the town of Calistoga between the Silverado Trail and the Napa River. Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Cabernet Sauvignon thrive in this site’s sandy loam, clay loam, and alluvial loam soils.

Rutherford Ranch

Located two miles east of the town of Rutherford, this vineyard’s 80 planted acres lie on deep, well-drained alluvial soils in some areas, and shallow soils over clay in other areas. Its 80 planted acres include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Oak Knoll Vineyard

Located north of the city of Napa, this vineyard is comprised of 160 acres planted to Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon that take root in soils of deep, well-drained sandy loam.

Wildwood Vineyard

Wildwood Vineyard is located just one mile north of Rutherford Ranch, in the deep, well-drained soils between Silverado Trail and Conn Creek. This site’s 54 acres are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Chardonnay.

The Sterling Vineyards winemaking team believes that our wines should express true varietal character. We craft each wine with this in mind, choosing gentle techniques tailored to bring out the aromas and flavors that each Napa grape variety develops in the terroir it likes best. The resulting wines have exceptional quality that shines anywhere, with intriguing complexity that brings out the best in a wide variety of cuisines.

WHITE WINEMAKING

After grapes for Sterling Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are harvested during the coolest hours, they go directly to press as whole clusters. The majority of Sauvignon Blanc is cold fermented in stainless steel to retain bright fruit character, with the small balance fermented in barrel for richness and complexity. The majority of Chardonnay, on the other hand, is barrel fermented in a selection of oak for rich depth and texture. Sauvignon Blanc may age for several months in stainless steel to fully marry the bright fruit and crisp acidity. Chardonnay ages for 12 months or more in barrel on its yeast lees. Select portions of Chardonnay for the blend may undergo malolactic fermentation, in which harsher malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid. Continual stirring of the lees gives our Chardonnay wines a creamy, toasty mouthfeel that complements their elegant, fresh fruit aromas and flavors.

RED WINEMAKING

Grapes for our Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Shiraz wines are harvested at full ripeness and brought to the winery in small boxes. After careful hand-sorting, grapes move through the crusher-destemmer machine and on into oak tanks—or in some cases stainless steel tanks—and are inoculated with native yeasts for primary fermentation. After primary fermentation, the wines are transferred to oak barrels. Here the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in which harsher malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid. Following malolactic fermentation, wines are gently racked from barrel to barrel, leaving their sediment and lees behind. Depending on the varietal, vineyard, and vintage, winemakers give the wines 12 to 24 months of aging in carefully selected oak barrels. Barrels range in type of oak, in age, and in levels of toast—and each variable imparts different characters that interact with and complement a wine’s aromas and flavors. In 2008, we finished a new state-of-the-art winemaking facility to give our Reserve wines kid-glove treatment. The new 10,000-case facility located across from our caves features the finest red winemaking techniques, including whole-berry fermentation, barrel spinning for cap management, and much more. The resulting wines will reflect their terroir with a bold yet elegant intensity.