94
Pts
Tasting notes
Dark and inky, this classic Cabernet Sauvignon has a deeply floral nose with hints of black currant and cola woven in. On the palate, it’s an explosion of deep, black fruit accented with notes of mint and bitter chocolate. Expect a bold and rounded mouthfeel and polished tannins that lead to a long, persistent finish. An excellent addition to your cellar while being drinkable now, expect this wine to develop its flavor and complexity over time.
Technical information
Appellation
Napa Valley
Alcohol
14.9%
Winemaking
After careful vineyard selection, the grapes were harvested in the early hours of the morning and brought straight to the winery. After being optically sorted in the state-of-the-art Sterling Reserve Winery, the fruit was split between stainless steel tanks and concrete tanks for added complexity and fermentation precision. After some time on skins, the wines aged in 95% French oak barrels and 5% Hungarian oak barrels, at 81% new oak. After 18 months of aging, each
barrel was selected for brilliant fruit, fine tannins, and the best expression of Clairmore Vineyard.
barrel was selected for brilliant fruit, fine tannins, and the best expression of Clairmore Vineyard.
Vintage
The 2018 vintage proved to be of high quality and produced above average yields. The year began with abundant rainfall throughout the winter. Spring weather was mild, with bud break and flowering occurring later than usual but under ideal conditions. This resulted in plentiful and an even fruit set throughout the growing season. Summer brought generous sunshine days along with the typical cool, marine influenced evenings and early mornings. The relatively mild summer, with no major heat spikes, created near-ideal conditions to allow the grapes generous hang time to achieve optimum flavor complexity and a gradual rise in sugar level. Harvest started under mild October conditions and continued through early November.
Vineyard
Named after the owner who planted the vines in this exceptional location two decades
ago, Clairmore Vineyard is the newest addition to Sterling’s single-vineyard collection. Located high on the eastern mountain range of Napa Valley on the slopes of the Lake Hennessey basin amidst wild and rugged terrain of shale and red clay soils. In this inaugural vintage, clones 8 & 337 from Block 10 were selected contributing deep color, high-toned fruit and refined tannins.