Sterling wines from the northern end of Napa Valley, near Calistoga, have always produced some of the better Napa Valley wines. Some years back, the winery began production of a second label series, called Sterling Vintner's Collection, featuring wines from the Central Coast of California.

Most of the wines have been above average, and every now and then, there has been an exceptional vintage of one or more of the varieties. Such is the case with the 2005 Sterling Vintner's Collection Central Coast Merlot.

This is an especially good Merlot, with a majority of the grapes coming from Paris Valley Ranch vineyard near Monterrey, California. The vineyard is warm in the daylight hours and then gets cooling Pacific Ocean breezes in the evening, which is a perfect combination for growing Merlot.  The wine has a good nose offering up cherries and blackberries, which transfers into the flavors of cherry and blackberry, with a strong plum accented backbone of tannins. We enjoyed this wine with a cheese and tomato baked pasta, and I was pleasantly surprised at how the wine continued to develop in the glass. By the end of the second glass, I almost felt as though we had opened a
different bottle, as the fruit and tannin came together to offer a wonderful experience.

As good as many Merlots in the twenty dollar range, I score this one a 91, but remind you to let it open up, so that you can enjoy the full flavor of this wonderful bottle of wine! A great choice with grilled meats, I believe it would be best with a baked pasta like Cannelloni.

World Beverage 400
6190 Highway 400
Cumming, GA 30040
(678) 513-6284
www.worldbeverage400.com