Spotlight on Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon
The Ultimate Expression of Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignons are what put Napa Valley on the map. The valley’s soils, variety of microclimates, and the topography create near-perfect conditions to nurture the varietal. Sterling’s Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon is designed to bring these characteristics to life and showcase the quality of our Napa Valley vineyards.
The Winegrowing and Winemaking Partnership
For our Platinum collection, extra attention is placed on the partnership between winemaking and winegrowing. Within the Napa Valley, some sub-appellations produce subtly different fruit. For example, on the valley floor the consistent sunshine, fog, and fertile soil make for easy growing conditions that produce ripe fruit with excellent structure and smooth, long finishes. In contrast, the cabernet that is grown on Howell Mountain will struggle to survive the elevation and more extreme weather. The vines must channel more energy into fewer grapes, creating more intensity and higher tannins.
For each Platinum vintage, the winemaking team will work closely with winegrowing to craft a balance between fruit from different vineyards and sub-appellations. As winemaker Lauren Kopit notes, no winemaker can replace the highest-quality vineyards.
The Wine
Each vintage in the Platinum collection is unique. Lauren’s goal is to guide the inherent style of the selected vineyards into the bottle. Once the fruit comes into the winery, it’s hand sorted to ensure only the best clusters of whole berries make it. From there, the grapes are fermented in small lots in stainless steel and aged for around 20 months. The stainless steel preserves the fresh characteristics and flavors of the fruit while the aging process provides complexity. All vintages are made to be drinkable in their youth but are also exceptionally ageable. Expect classic Napa cabernet flavors of big, juicy dark fruit, layers of spice from the aging process and smooth and polished tannins.
