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95+ Points
96 Pts
2021 Platinum Merlot
2021 Platinum Merlot

Sterling Vineyards

2021 Platinum Merlot

$65
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JamesSuckling.com #27 Top 100 Wines of the USA 2024

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team had plenty of stellar wines to choose from for the Top 100 Wines of the USA 2024 list. In fact, the team had 800-plus tasting notes that carried 95- to 100-point ratings to sort through and consider.

Our 2021 Sterling Vineyards Platinum Merlot earned the #27 spot!

Tasting notes

Platinum is a wine designed to bring one 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. The 2021 Sterling Vineyards Platinum Merlot is a captivating wine, bursting with layers of blue and dark fruit, featuring vibrant notes of acai berry, blueberry, black cherry, and dark plum. Delicate undertones of vanilla bean add depth and complexity, while the fine, velvety tannins provide a smooth and elegant mouthfeel. Its youthful charm makes it highly approachable now, with the potential to develop further over the next 5-10 years, offering options for both immediate enjoyment and extended cellaring.

Technical information

Appellation Napa Valley
Alcohol 14.9%
96
“This is one merlot that can compare to cabernet sauvignon, coming from a mountain vineyard and packing more than the usual concentration and fine-grained supportive tannins. Hints of dried thyme and bay leaf join deep red and dark plums in this at-first plush wine that turns more structured the more you sip. Best from 2027.” –
JamesSuckling.com

Winemaking

After gentle destemming, the juice and skins were sent to stainless micro-fermenters where complex flavors and tannins were slowly released from the skins as vinification progressed. The wine was aged for 18 months in 100% French Oak barrels, 29% of which were new. Extended barrel-aging allows time for the big, bold tannins of Howell Mountain Merlot to soften, and for complementary barrel-wood aromas to integrate well with the wine’s ripe fruit characteristics.

Vintage

The 2021 growing season began with abundant sunshine, leading to exceptionally high quality fruit. After early winter rains, a lack of precipitation throughout the rest of the season created an ideal vineyard environment. Budbreak occurred in April, followed by flowering and bloom in May. The summer saw early and even ripening throughout the valley, and harvest took place under clear skies from September to October, with some early rain. Due in part to drought conditions, harvest yields were low, and grapes were intensely flavored and smaller in berry size. From these optimally ripe grapes our winemaker crafted lush, balanced wines with vibrant colors, intense aromas, and fantastic fruit character.

Vineyard

At an elevation of 1,800 feet, Bancroft Ranch hugs the western slope of Howell Mountain, which rises just to the southeast of Sterling. The soil here --gritty white tuff of volcanic origin --is shallow, low in nutrients, and extremely well drained, making it tough ground for vine growth. Vines struggle to produce small, intensely flavored berries with powerful, concentrated fruit flavors and thick skins that yield robust tannins. In addition to Bancroft Ranch, for this 2021 vintage our winemakers selected a notable lot from Louveau Vineyard.

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