Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, California
Tasting Notes
Sterling Vineyards, one of Napa Valleyās premier winery destinations, offers an array of distinct and beautifully crafted wines from many of the best appellations in California. The Sterling Vineyards Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine is sleek, elegant and creamy.
The Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine is a glistening pale straw color in the glass with ribbons of fine bubbles. The aromas of green apple, lemon citrus, pear and lemon cream are distinctive. The palate is fresh with fruit-forward flavors, zippy acidity and a creamy mouth with a long, smooth finish. This is a sophisticated and elegant wine with balanced fruit, structure and acidity.
The fruit comes from Yountville Ranch (Napa Valley) and Paris Valley Ranch (Monterey County) that produce beautifully vibrant Chardonnays with excellent freshness.
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.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI
Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $10.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs - $30 = 18.74%
Preface
(TLDR: You can now redirect UPS packages containing alcohol to local āaccess pointsā)
Got a notice from my UPS app this past Thursday that I had a package on the way. At first I assumed it was the Amazon order that I placed the day before, as Amazon still ships via UPS occasionally. Something made me pull up the tracking info, only to find that it was a 4 lb. package shipped overnight from Wine Country Connect!
A labrat bottle? What? I wasnāt expecting one as I had not received any email to that effect. I was able to deduce from the Reference Code (STERLINGSPARKLINGBDEB) that it was a Sterling Blanc de Blancs. Iāve heard of Sterling Vineyards and have been curious about them but never tried any of their wines.
The UPS notice said that the package was being delivered that day and I was not going to be home to receive it since I was at work, so I set about redirecting it to the UPS hub, about 45 minutes from my house. Lo and behold, I was offered several local āaccess pointsā for delivery besides just the hub. I had read about this potential policy change in another thread but hadnāt seen anyone post that they had actually been able to take advantage of it. I set my pickup location for the nearby CVS and thought to myself, āIāll believe it when I see itā.
That evening, I get a call from UPS. The guy says they have my package and he wants to know where I want to pick it up. Told him that I had chosen CVS as my access point. He asked his supervisor who quickly said āalcohol cannot be delivered to access pointsā. āFigured as muchā, I thought to myself but told the man that I had heard there was going to be a policy change to allow alcohol to be delivered to access points, He asked if he could call me back and did so five minutes later. He said āyouāre good to go, we entered it into the computer for pickup at CVS and it was acceptedā.
Still wasnāt 100% confident but I went to the CVS Friday evening around 8:15 pm. They close at 9:00 but there was a note on the door saying that they were closing at 8 pm that evening!?! Ugh. Was expecting the offer to go live a few hours later at midnight but happily the QPR was offered instead, buying me some extra time. Stopped back the next morning at 11 am and sure enough, the package was there waiting for me! Success!
Already had plans to have dinner over a friendās house today with the additional purpose of celebrating a virtual baby shower over Zoom. I brought the bubbly over to serve as an aperitif, so on to the tasting notesā¦
Sterling Vineyards Blanc de Blancs
I chilled the bottle beforehand but it warmed up a bit in transit, so we put it on ice for a few.
PnP into some fancy Perrier-Jouƫt champagne glasses. The wine is a light straw color with a delicate mousse and persistent, fine bubbles. The nose is not especially expressive although I picked up some lemon and my wife said she detected a little honey. Like a honey lemon cough drop.
Our friends didnāt remark on the nose but were impressed with how tiny the bubbles were and the fine bead which rose almost straight up through the center of the glass. While the mousse died down rather quickly, the bubbles had some staying power.
They also commented on the acidity of the wine. They said it was less acidic than most sparkling wines they have tried and we agreed. The acidity is more than adequate but somewhat restrained and there is a slightly creamy mouthfeel to the wine, which we enjoy.
On the palate, we noticed lemon, golden delicious apple and citrus zest. Maybe a hint of pear as well. One of our friends prefers his wine on the sweeter side yet said that this was very enjoyable. He said that, in a word, he would describe it as ārefreshingā. The rest of us prefer dry wines and also found it very enjoyable so it seems to be a crowd pleaser.
While the wine is not especially complex and the finish is a little short, all in all it was very tasty and the bottle disappeared quickly. My friendās wife asked where she could buy some, so I told her we can split a case. Depending on the price and additional participation from my NE OH peeps, this one might call for multiple cases!
Thanks to @WineDavid49, @WCCWineGirl and Sterling Vineyards for the opportunity to sample this delicious sparkler!
@chipgreen why the heck did UPS need to call you when you set the redirection in the app (or website)? Was it just because they thought they couldnāt redirect to CVS?
This is really good to hear!
@sammypedram
Hmm, they appear to ship to VA directly although confirmed that OH is not on the list. From their website;
We are able to ship wines to the following states:
AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI
We were pleasantly surprised to find that weād gotten a golden ticket on Friday, and when we learned that it was a bottle of bubbly, we decided to bring it with us for a socially-distanced outdoor get-together the next day:
We kept the bottle well-chilled, then it warmed a bit during our drive to the East Bay from SF. My notes:
Lots of very small bubbles in the glass
No strong nose, perhaps because the wine was cold.
The strongest flavor notes for me were green apple (but not tart green apple).
The mouthfeel was quite creamy, which I appreciated, and the finish was moderately long.
One thing to note was that we all agreed that the wine seemed sweeter than a typical dry sparkler ā maybe demi-sec? It wasnāt overpowering, but it was noticeable.
All in all, five of us tasted the wine, and four gave it a thumbs-up, with one opting out because he thought it too sweet for his palate. But I do think the context matters: this was a pleasant, easy-to-drink sparkling wine, and great for a picnic setting. So I think weāll be in for six.
P.S. Sadly, no pictures of the wine in glass or impressions of the color. We were drinking from colored disposable cups to avoid inadvertently sharing glassware! #covidlife
@michaepf
I actually had the impression that the finish was a bit short but come to think of it, I probably never waited long enough between sips to really find out!
While we did detect just a hint of sweetness, to my palate at least, it did not approach demi-sec territory.
Other than that it seems we had very similar impressions!
If the winery shows up, Iām wondering:
-Whatās the dosage and final RS on the wine?
-Did the base wine undergo malolactic?
-What vintages are in this?
@ddeuddeg Me neither, but at this price it might still be a nice sipper. Charmat method for dessert wines, though, seems to be the only thing they do.
The next closest thing to this is the annual TJās bubbly release for $10/bottle and is Methode Champenoise. Done by Rack & Riddle, iirc.
I love this winery. Thereās a cool aerial tram on the way up to the tasting areas, which are incredible. Their wines are some of my favorite gotoās- even the cheaper Central coast offerings.
And I also love this bottle. Lemon cream, acidic pear, with a mellow green apple with honey on it nose.
In for 2 cases. Would buy more if I could. This is the best offering Iāve seen on Casemates this year.
This is my first purchase on Casemates and Iām a Meh person, so I donāt know protocol about posting upon arrival. But, I figured Iād share my thoughts. I agree with something @chipgreen said, a bit of lemon and a bit of ginger. The aftertaste lingers for a bit, but itās not unpleasant so I donāt mind. Also, while I wouldnāt call this a dry sparkling, itās definitely not sweet and slightly drier than semi-sweet.
Overall Iām happy with the case purchase and will find many excuses to open one or two up.
@mcvick Thanks! Posting upon tasting is always welcome:
a) people might want additional input as to when they might want to open a bottle or with what food
b) if this wine gets offered again in the future then we can look back and see additional reports
The app said wine was delivered but never was. Had it delivered to work address as there is always someone there. Looked at Cameras and nothing delivered at the time they said it was. Opened a case file with Casemates and then they email me saying someone should be in touch in 5 or 6 days. Really?? Going to call credit card company and dispute the charge but wish I could get a live person. Too bad. Blanc de Blancs looks like it might have been good.
Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, California
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$456.00 at Sterling Vineyards for 12x Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, California
About The Winery
Winery: Sterling Vineyards
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, August 17th - Tuesday, August 18th
Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $10.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
NV Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Sterling Vineyards Sparkling Blanc de Blancs - $30 = 18.74%
Preface
(TLDR: You can now redirect UPS packages containing alcohol to local āaccess pointsā)
Got a notice from my UPS app this past Thursday that I had a package on the way. At first I assumed it was the Amazon order that I placed the day before, as Amazon still ships via UPS occasionally. Something made me pull up the tracking info, only to find that it was a 4 lb. package shipped overnight from Wine Country Connect!
A labrat bottle? What? I wasnāt expecting one as I had not received any email to that effect. I was able to deduce from the Reference Code (STERLINGSPARKLINGBDEB) that it was a Sterling Blanc de Blancs. Iāve heard of Sterling Vineyards and have been curious about them but never tried any of their wines.
The UPS notice said that the package was being delivered that day and I was not going to be home to receive it since I was at work, so I set about redirecting it to the UPS hub, about 45 minutes from my house. Lo and behold, I was offered several local āaccess pointsā for delivery besides just the hub. I had read about this potential policy change in another thread but hadnāt seen anyone post that they had actually been able to take advantage of it. I set my pickup location for the nearby CVS and thought to myself, āIāll believe it when I see itā.
That evening, I get a call from UPS. The guy says they have my package and he wants to know where I want to pick it up. Told him that I had chosen CVS as my access point. He asked his supervisor who quickly said āalcohol cannot be delivered to access pointsā. āFigured as muchā, I thought to myself but told the man that I had heard there was going to be a policy change to allow alcohol to be delivered to access points, He asked if he could call me back and did so five minutes later. He said āyouāre good to go, we entered it into the computer for pickup at CVS and it was acceptedā.
Still wasnāt 100% confident but I went to the CVS Friday evening around 8:15 pm. They close at 9:00 but there was a note on the door saying that they were closing at 8 pm that evening!?! Ugh. Was expecting the offer to go live a few hours later at midnight but happily the QPR was offered instead, buying me some extra time. Stopped back the next morning at 11 am and sure enough, the package was there waiting for me! Success!
Already had plans to have dinner over a friendās house today with the additional purpose of celebrating a virtual baby shower over Zoom. I brought the bubbly over to serve as an aperitif, so on to the tasting notesā¦
Sterling Vineyards Blanc de Blancs
I chilled the bottle beforehand but it warmed up a bit in transit, so we put it on ice for a few.
PnP into some fancy Perrier-Jouƫt champagne glasses. The wine is a light straw color with a delicate mousse and persistent, fine bubbles. The nose is not especially expressive although I picked up some lemon and my wife said she detected a little honey. Like a honey lemon cough drop.
Our friends didnāt remark on the nose but were impressed with how tiny the bubbles were and the fine bead which rose almost straight up through the center of the glass. While the mousse died down rather quickly, the bubbles had some staying power.
They also commented on the acidity of the wine. They said it was less acidic than most sparkling wines they have tried and we agreed. The acidity is more than adequate but somewhat restrained and there is a slightly creamy mouthfeel to the wine, which we enjoy.
On the palate, we noticed lemon, golden delicious apple and citrus zest. Maybe a hint of pear as well. One of our friends prefers his wine on the sweeter side yet said that this was very enjoyable. He said that, in a word, he would describe it as ārefreshingā. The rest of us prefer dry wines and also found it very enjoyable so it seems to be a crowd pleaser.
While the wine is not especially complex and the finish is a little short, all in all it was very tasty and the bottle disappeared quickly. My friendās wife asked where she could buy some, so I told her we can split a case. Depending on the price and additional participation from my NE OH peeps, this one might call for multiple cases!
Thanks to @WineDavid49, @WCCWineGirl and Sterling Vineyards for the opportunity to sample this delicious sparkler!
@chipgreen Glad to see that our notes were fairly well in sync! Although yours were certainly more detailed
@chipgreen why the heck did UPS need to call you when you set the redirection in the app (or website)? Was it just because they thought they couldnāt redirect to CVS?
This is really good to hear!
@TimW
That would be my guess.
@chipgreen Thank you for the report and the great pics. The bottle is lovely. Also appreciate the UPS info.
Bummer no Virginia! Been looking for a sparkling white for the Summer. This sounds like a nice one.
@sammypedram
No Ohio either. HA! Jokeās on meā¦ and a cruel one it is!
@chipgreen
This isnāt the first time that has happened to you
@kawichris650
No it is not!
@sammypedram
Hmm, they appear to ship to VA directly although confirmed that OH is not on the list. From their website;
We are able to ship wines to the following states:
AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI
@chipgreen Strange . . . Also, very cruel you could Rat and then not receive! Ugh. Glad the UPS situation worked out at least.
@chipgreen @sammypedram And no NJ. Iām still waiting for the bubblesā¦
@sammypedram if you are NOVA area itās possible to work something out.
@hscottk
@bunnymasseuse Thanks for the offer but I am in the Richmond area. Alas. Iām sure something else will come up soon.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that weād gotten a golden ticket on Friday, and when we learned that it was a bottle of bubbly, we decided to bring it with us for a socially-distanced outdoor get-together the next day:
We kept the bottle well-chilled, then it warmed a bit during our drive to the East Bay from SF. My notes:
One thing to note was that we all agreed that the wine seemed sweeter than a typical dry sparkler ā maybe demi-sec? It wasnāt overpowering, but it was noticeable.
All in all, five of us tasted the wine, and four gave it a thumbs-up, with one opting out because he thought it too sweet for his palate. But I do think the context matters: this was a pleasant, easy-to-drink sparkling wine, and great for a picnic setting. So I think weāll be in for six.
P.S. Sadly, no pictures of the wine in glass or impressions of the color. We were drinking from colored disposable cups to avoid inadvertently sharing glassware! #covidlife
@michaepf
I actually had the impression that the finish was a bit short but come to think of it, I probably never waited long enough between sips to really find out!
While we did detect just a hint of sweetness, to my palate at least, it did not approach demi-sec territory.
Other than that it seems we had very similar impressions!
@michaepf Thank you for reporting, both the bottle and the view are spectacular.
If the winery shows up, Iām wondering:
-Whatās the dosage and final RS on the wine?
-Did the base wine undergo malolactic?
-What vintages are in this?
@klezman None of that matters much to me, as Iām not a big fan of the bulk Charmat Method.
@ddeuddeg Me neither, but at this price it might still be a nice sipper. Charmat method for dessert wines, though, seems to be the only thing they do.
The next closest thing to this is the annual TJās bubbly release for $10/bottle and is Methode Champenoise. Done by Rack & Riddle, iirc.
@ddeuddeg @klezman I like the bigger bubbles sometimes. If itās too sweet itāll work well in cocktails
I did not read any of the comments. Just hit the stupidly big button.
I love this winery. Thereās a cool aerial tram on the way up to the tasting areas, which are incredible. Their wines are some of my favorite gotoās- even the cheaper Central coast offerings.
And I also love this bottle. Lemon cream, acidic pear, with a mellow green apple with honey on it nose.
In for 2 cases. Would buy more if I could. This is the best offering Iāve seen on Casemates this year.
Darn it, my (wine) budget! I held off as long as possible but Iām a sucker for sparklers.
/giphy demanding-zany-leg
@ttboy23 uh, ok. Must have been after the bubbly.
@rjquillin well, thatās what I meant, the Sterling
@rjquillin BTW this is as good as GRUET. Even Wifey is still talking about it.
This is my first purchase on Casemates and Iām a Meh person, so I donāt know protocol about posting upon arrival. But, I figured Iād share my thoughts. I agree with something @chipgreen said, a bit of lemon and a bit of ginger. The aftertaste lingers for a bit, but itās not unpleasant so I donāt mind. Also, while I wouldnāt call this a dry sparkling, itās definitely not sweet and slightly drier than semi-sweet.
Overall Iām happy with the case purchase and will find many excuses to open one or two up.
@mcvick Thanks! Posting upon tasting is always welcome:
a) people might want additional input as to when they might want to open a bottle or with what food
b) if this wine gets offered again in the future then we can look back and see additional reports
@klezman @mcvick
I think I even put a Lab Rat Report banner on one of those the other day. Perhaps using the old LRR graphic to differentiate.
Noticed some Sterling at GO earlier this week tooā¦
A CS, havenāt pulled the cork yet.
The app said wine was delivered but never was. Had it delivered to work address as there is always someone there. Looked at Cameras and nothing delivered at the time they said it was. Opened a case file with Casemates and then they email me saying someone should be in touch in 5 or 6 days. Really?? Going to call credit card company and dispute the charge but wish I could get a live person. Too bad. Blanc de Blancs looks like it might have been good.