Sterling Vineyards, Red SVR Reserve, Napa Valley

From D-Mag. Perfect condition. Barely a teaspoon of sediment. Lovely Cab Sauv dominated blend of the 5 Noble grapes. Blackberries, black cherries, some red fruits. Barely overripe in style, so more old-school Bordeaux, except for the slightly spicey and smokey American Oak. Some dusty tannins and dried herbs. Near silky smooth. Quite lovely. This D-Mag would have shown just as beautifully 5 years from now.

1995 vintage

Nose opens with violets and rich, dark earth smells, with a touch of tree bark in the background. Perfectly integrated tannic structure and acid, with tart fruit (cherry) providing an excellent main palette, complimented by fresh and bright notes of cedar, with just a touch of char on the wood and a hint of violets lingering. Superb structural notes and a very wet feel from nose through the main body of the wine. Everything you might think of as a …

1995 vintage

Soft, muted nose of wood shavings. Dark overall, but bright edges of plum. Moves into cassis and cherry pit. A touch of fresh nutmeg. Eventually with a bit of pleasing astringency, then finishing long with dried cherry and cherry bark. A touch of sakura leaves in the last part of the finish. Best paired with game meats (duck especially).

1995 vintage

Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whts, & 8 Reds] from 12/06/19 + 7 Shared Reds : José, THANK you for your generous sharing of this LOVELY wine! :) N: ATTRACTIVE toast, smoke, & leather atop a melding of berries & pyrazines? P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by a smidgin of astringent pucker which doesn't even remotely lose contact with the init frt as it seamlessly transitions into a LONG, *beautifully* BALANCED, very, VERY …

1995 vintage

Deep color. The nose shows aromas of smoky oak, dried dark fruits, spices, cedar and a hint of flowers. This is almost full bodied on the palate with excellent concentration but a lack of class. The medium plus length finish features drying oak tannins and lingering notes of smoke...

1995 vintage

The prediscesor wine maker made this.

2008 vintage

Let me start by saying that I love old wine. I love it's unique flavors which are unmatched in any other food expression. The SVR 95' is right there with aromas and flavors to match of aged leather, almost brandy like acidity, and muted berry.

1995 vintage

Spicy vanilla creeps in after the initial black currant and berries. Long, smooth finish once it opens up. Beautiful Bordeaux.

2008 vintage

excellent structure. held up surprisingly well

2008 vintage

Absolutely scrumptious! Chewy, fruit laden and multi flavored from its big bouquet through a long, complex finish. Absolutely at it's peak though I'm sure that is at least a five year plateau. My bottles were bought at a bargain basement price as if the winery and/or wholesaler was dumping the vintage. Given my experience with this wine, it's hard to figure out why. My last bottle and I will miss having no more to enjoy.

2008 vintage

My last bottle. This one held up well. Much like earlier posts. A truly yummie wine.

2008 vintage

Pnp. Dark-medium purple-garnet in appearance. Blackberries, blueberries, and some hints of cocoa on the nose; there are some black and blue fruit creaminess as well. On the palate, some hints of sweet and sour grape candies, some currants, and dark cocoa are detected. There are some tartiness on the end thats a bit off putting. Medium bodied with a medium finish. Drinking like a champ right now.

2008 vintage

Some streaking on the cork which was somewhat ynsettling however all turned out well. Not as lush as previous bottles but still a solid and sumptuous quaf.

2008 vintage

On the decline but hanging in there. 2 bottles left.

2008 vintage

Decanted for two hours; minimal sediment. Crimson color. Black cherries and vanilla on the nose. Bright mouth feel with medium-bodied dark fruit on the palate with a good balance of acids. In its prime drinking window which should last for at least another year or two. Good QPR at under $30.

2008 vintage

I'm afraid this vintage is losing steam. May have seen it's best days. Becoming out of balance and more astringent.

2008 vintage

Youthful tannins, muted but well integrated fruit. Oaky finish. Lovely aged Cabernet for the price.

1995 vintage

Excellent wine. Drinking perfectly now, but still has a few years of life left. Decanted for an hour and paired nicely with bacon wrapped filets. I can't find any more of the 08 locally, but I will look to acquire other vintages

2008 vintage

Big and jammy. Still holding up well even though I was told to drink up the rest of my holdings by one of the somms at a recent trip to the vineyard. This wine is still very opulent. Goes great with baked brie. Matt really loved this wine.

2008 vintage

PnP. Nose of plum, forest floor & vanilla. Full palate of plum, black fruit, oak, tobacco with soft tannins and long finish.

2005 vintage

Same.

2008 vintage

Poured through a Coravin over the course of 3 days. Held up well. Better than last bottle but not as good as earlier ones.

2008 vintage

Popped and poured with grilled ribeye. This bottle was somewhat disappointing as it didn't live up to previous bottles. Hoping this was just a one time bottle variation but this one seemed a little disjointed. Very syrupy up front with a bit of a sharp, dry tannic finish. This wine is typically one of my faves from this vintage. I only hope this is not the trend for the remaining 8 in my cellar.

2008 vintage

Very nice, higher than what we typically spend.

2008 vintage

great wine now, but I think many years left in tank and should continue to improve with time... thick, molasses, jammy, cassis, licorice, black currant.... pleasant surprise and great QPR

2008 vintage

I was pleasantly surprised with this wine - time has been very kind to it. Wonderful aromas filled with dark fruits and vanilla. Flavors of dark cherry, plum and blackberry with a bit of tobacco on the finish. The finish also shows a lot of oak. If you are lucky enough to have some of this, drink up.

2005 vintage

Nose and palate of tobacco and a little dark fruit with some tannins and little bite on the finish.

2005 vintage

Very nice wine. Drinking well right now. Popped and poured, probably could have used a nice 1hr decant. Nice red and black fruit on the nose. Some smokiness, almost a nice smoked meat smell. Chocolate covered cherries. Some slight spring floral notes as well. Licorice, nutmeg and cloves. A lot of nice things going on in the nose and they blend together nicely. On the palate black cherry, some smokiness, ripe fruit, smooth well integrated tannins. Alcohol doesn't stand out …

2008 vintage

Fantastic deep, multi-layer nose of dark cherry, blackberry, cassis. Full bodied dark fruits on the palate, jammy, round, long finish.

2008 vintage

This stuff just keeps getting better and better. Great QPR. Phenomenal nose! Juicy, luscious, and succulent on the palate. I will be holding onto the rest of my stash.

2008 vintage

Drank some Thursday, some Sunday. Wine is not bad. Dark color and a dark core on the palate. Decent finish, but no real fruit to speak of. It's wine and it shows remnants of quality - I just don't find a lot to enjoy. Maybe it's over the hill.

2005 vintage

Decanted for 45 minutes. Aromas of plum and pine forest. Black cherry, red berry flavors with a hint of smoke rounded off by oak.

2008 vintage

Solid performance as usual. This is wonderful wine with a great QPR. Had in my cellar with a Napa flight including an '05 Valentine and and '06 Nickel & Nickel and this was the best of the bunch. See previous notes.

2008 vintage

I really don't know where to begin... it could have been flawed... it didn't have have structure to it at all. I really don't know what to say... lol. What a horrible review but true.

2008 vintage

Definitely not past it's prime. It's drinking very well now. It may be nearing it's peak but I think it will still show very nicely over the next 2 or 3 years, probably longer. I love this wine!

1995 vintage

First of 3 bottles, and wasn't sure what to expect. PnP. Mild nose and palate of red & black fruit and a hint of minerality, well integrated with soft tannins and a medium finish.

2005 vintage

60% CS, 18% Merlot, 15% CF, 7% Petit Verdot. Had one 2/11/2000 with steaks. Nice but not great. Had one with Filets 11/16/2000. 4/11/2005 - probably at its peak now. Nice, pleasant medium-weight. Still showing nice fruit, the tannins are pretty much resolved. Some bottle bouquet, some leather and spice. 7/23/2005. 8/27/2006 w/ filets. 10/5/2006 w/ steaks. 6/30/2008 w/ steaks - yum. Deep garnet. No sign of browning yet. Intense, spicy, dark fruit. Licoice / anise. Beginning to develop some …

1990 vintage

Not really sure how I would rate this, but I remember not being impressed with the bottle we consumed years ago at the time of purchase. The age really did the trick. It is ready now, and it will not disappoint you if you saved it. It's nothing that will blow your mind, but it is a quite nice bottle of wine for the money.

2005 vintage

A bit risky to drink this wine with more than 20 years of aging, but I took advantage of a special offer from the winery library for club members. I took careful note of the condition of the capsule and cork. The wine had obviously been cellared carefully and it opened easily and the cork was in perfect condition. Notably less purple than younger SVR's, but still a medium purple color showing its age with a brick red leading edge. …

1990 vintage

Domaine Wine Storage Saturday BYOB (Domaine Wine Storage (Chicago)) : Little pepper and green stemmy notes. Plum with a touch of green flowers and spice.

1995 vintage

Nice,mellow flavor. We thought that this was a very nice Cabernet.

2005 vintage

You folks are too impatient. This is just turning the corner. Yes, strong, tannic, and years to mellow. No bitterness. Give it ten years. A solid mouthful. Hold onto your teeth.

1995 vintage

This bottle very clearly made the trip to 2012 after 20 years or so in the bottle. Still had some nice fruit - which I was not expecting I think the 1.5L vessel served it well. Probably a few years past absolute prime but not as thin as other review described. Light structure without trademark European minerality. Nice job Sterling.

1990 vintage

Past it's prime, but still drinking well.

1995 vintage

A bit disappointing. Thin. Not much fruit. Did have a reasonably pleasant aftertaste and no off tastes. We (wife and I) are not Bordeaux fans, so we are not the best reviewers of this wine, which was a gift five years ago.

1990 vintage

Was nervous given the age. No fear. Smooth. Very nice. Not quite as fruity on the nose or palate as the others that night, but very nice indeed.

1995 vintage

My last bottle! Smooth, integrated and a very solid bottle for under $30. Drinking very well right now.

2005 vintage

Holding very well. Soft fruit...agree with the only other reviewer...soft tannin, leather, DUST

1990 vintage

Very good bottle of wine.

2005 vintage

I typically pan this type of wine for too much oak and one-dimensional fruit structure but I like Sterling's SVR a lot. Loads of plum and butter on the nose. In the mouth it has more ripe fruit, more butter, and just hint of tobacco. This is the typical California Cab blend but for some reason the Sterling is velvety smooth and well integrated. Finishes kinda short but I didn't expect much for a $30 wine. This is a very …

2005 vintage

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Sterling Vineyards, Red SVR Reserve, Napa Valley

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