2006 St. Clement Chardonnay
I picked up this wine on a visit to my favorite wine shop, K&L, because it was an “employee pick.” I don’t even know what that means really, I don’t know any of the employees–I mean at all, I don’t talk to anyone–but it had been a while since I’d had a real Napa chard, so I wanted to give it a shot.
Only when I pulled the bottle out of the fridge after its necessary cooldown on Super Bowl Sunday, did I notce the part of the label that reads “Alc. 14.9% by Vol.” Heyoooo!
Sure enough, this Chardonnay delivers that kick. The wine is light in the glass for a Chardonnay, in my opinion, and looks like a very light straw. On the nose are some big notes of oak and apple, but the alcohol sting is hard to get away from. It doesn’t quite overpower everything else, but it hits and hits hard.
On the palate, this Chardonnay delivers the telltale Napa oak, but there is an acidity (that probably actually comes from the high alcohol content) here as well. Notes of apple and pear mingle with oak to make for a rather bright, clean taste… once you get past the alcohol.
If you don’t mind your Chardonnays with a good dose of kick-in-the-pants, this one is worth checking out.
Verdict: B-
2006 St. Clement Chardonnay
2002 Sterling Vineyards Merlot
Before the recent wedding, at which I’d had my first two Sterling Vineyards wines, I’d never heard of the place. Which, as it turns out, puts me in something of a minority, since they produce, oh, just this side of a half million cases of wine every year.
But I’ve found it’s often good to go into something knowing as little as possible. I tasted this Merlot not knowing if this was some small craft winery and the bride and groom knew the winemaker personally, had visited the vines themselves, and had maybe even picked some of the grapes.
One taste, however, and that notion went out the door. This is California Merlot exactly as you expect it. Which, might be a great thing. For me, it was more than a little boring.
The wine is beautful in the glass, a rich ruby red you can’t see through, but that light dances with around the edges. On the nose was a smattering of black fruit, but subtle, and a heaping nostrilfull of oak-imparted flavors (mostly of oak itself, but also some chocolate and some tobacco).
The wine is medium-bodied with soft tannins sure to insult no one. Some sour red cherry and lots of coffee on the palate. Nothing really screams out to me, and there is little here that could possibly offend. In other words, it’s probably the perfect wine for an event like a wedding, where lots and lots of (potentially very different) people need to be pleased.
But for you? For your dinner table? I’d probably pass.
Verdict: C+
2001 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
We went to a wedding last weekend. My wife was in it, actually. The bride is a good friend. She and many of the members of the wedding party work or have worked in the restaurant business, and the food was fantastic.
The wines weren’t none too shabby, neither.
This Cabernet Sauvignon from Sterling Vineyards might be just a tad past its prime, but it’s still a very solid wine. It’s a Bordeaux-style blend, at 81% Cab Sauv, 11% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, and clocks in at a solid 14.2% ABV. The color is a dark purple. On the nose are notes of dark red fruit and forest floor (some mushroom, some grass, a bit of oak).
The wine is lighter-bodied than I expected, and definitely fruit-forward. Ripe, red fruit all over the place, but with a soft tannin structure that keeps it from tasting like Juicy-Juice.
A bit of sediment in my glass told me the wine should really be decanted, so if you go for this offering from Sterling–especially if you actually have a bottle this old–I’d highly recommend you do that.
Verdict: B