Few wineries anywhere directly control more than 1,200 acres of estate vineyards, and fewer still can lay claim to acreage from across the complete range of Napa Valley sub-appellations: mountainsides, various spots on the Valley floor, Carneros and Calistoga. And only one can lay claim to a “green” sky tram which takes you 300 feet above the valley, giving unique views and striking architecture with which to enjoy the wines: Sterling Vineyards. They’re proof that great things in the wine business truly do get better as they age!

Founded by English businessman Peter Newton in 1964, Sterling Vineyards’s first fifty acres were planted to Merlot and Chardonnay at a time when Cabernet Sauvignon was all the rage, showing the pioneering vision for the Valley that has guided the winery ever since. California’s first vintage Merlot was released by the winery in 1969, and the winery has been known as a leading producer of the varietal for more than forty vintages. Sterling was also one of the first to recognize the importance of location and the need to directly control vineyards in multiple locations to guarantee the best grapes as source material for the wines.

Consider the range of possibilites in the following list of vineyards and locations. Who wouldn’t want to grow eight different varieties at these locations, or, as winemaker Jim Corkin puts it, “Where else could I get access to such high quality vineyards over such a broad spectrum of wine varieties?” Diamond Mountain Ranch with its steep slopes is west of Calistoga. Three Palms Vineyard is at the mouth of Dutch Henry Canyon to the east. Bear Flats Estate Vineyard and Nolasco/ Larsen Vineyard are north of St. Helena while Petersen Ranch, Calistoga Vineyard, Rosedale Vineyard, and Tamagni Vineyard are all south of Calistoga. Rutherford Ranch is to the east of its eponymous town with Wildwood Vineyard a mile to the north. Oak Knoll Vineyard at 160 acres is their largest contiguous vineyard and is just north of Napa city. Each has been carefully selected and nurtured to provide the best fruit possible – the only way to guarantee consistent quality, as recognized by Peter Newman five decades ago.

That legacy of stewardship continues today as the winery was one of the first twelve to be certified as a Napa County Green Winery by the Napa Valley Vintners; Sterling has also received Napa Valley Green Land certification for its sustainable management, water conservation, and fish-friendly farming across all of its estate vineyards. Even the tram is solar-powered! This commitment to doing things the right way naturally extends to the winemaking after the grapes are grown. Whites are harvested at night, going directly to press as whole clusters to preserve quality. Reds are brought to the crush pad in small boxes and are hand-sorted before being destemmed and innoculated with native yeasts. Reserve wines are given even more special treatment in the micro-winery-within-the-winery built in 2008. This 10,000-case facility across from the caves allows for whole-berry fermentations, barrel spinning for micro-fermentations, and multiple small lots for best-of-the-best bottlings.

That commitment to ensuring a legacy of quality is present in every release, and given the variety of vineyards and locations under its direct control – a true rare luxury for the winemakers in today’s modern global marketplace – it’s not a surprise to find wines to appeal to all tastes and lifestyles. Indeed, there are the Napa Valley wines for which the winery is well known; the Single Vineyard releases, which highlight the unique combination of variety and place within various parts of the valley; the Cellar Club wines, small bottlings of club-only exclusives; the Vintner’s Collection, which shows off other Sterling Vineyards in California; and the Reserve wines, individual, special, and rarely bottled. All are available to taste at the winery, and many can only be found there altogether.

Beyond the tram and the wines, there is plenty more to enjoy while on the property. The layout of the Greek island Mykonos-inspired white stucco walls allows for wandering amidst famous artworks and prints and architectural details, and every once in a while, a random turn reveals breath-taking views of the valley’s narrowing northern quadrant, with the Mayacamas and Vacas in extreme proximity on both sides. Every quarter-hour, eight bells recovered from London’s bombed out Church of St.Dunstans-in-the-East accompany your movement around the winery’s facilities. Self-paced by design by utilizing motion-activated flatscreens, the general admission tasting and tour covers the tram ride, the tour, tasting of five wines and a souvenir wine glass. For those wanting exclusive wines, there are also the Reserve, Sterling Silver VIP and Sterling Gold VIP options, which will taste you through reserve wines, single-vineyard, limited-release and premier bottlings available nowhere else. The goal is for visitors to be comfortable and able to enjoy everything the winery produces.

And in following through with the idea of giving people lots of good things from which to choose, there are now three different wine clubs, created by consumer request. For those wanting consistentenly good wines delivered monthly, there is the Cellar Club, which provides wines made exclusively for the club. The Platinum Club allows you to receive the best of the best: reserve, single-vineyard and library bottlings. And for something truly unique, the only-one-of-its-kind Malvasia Blanca club delivers this special, much-desired wines to your door. You know it’s got to be good if a club had to be started to make sure there was enough to go around!

That sort of sums up the winery, really. Almost five decades ago, Sterling Vineyards was founded with the ideal of growing grapes in the best locations the Napa Valley had to offer and then producing the best possible wines to showcase those vineyards. Lots of folks have come and gone in that time, and the winery is still here, doing what it does best: making wines that speak strongly of their sources. Come find out for yourself what more than a quarter million others annually do – there’re great wines still to be had after all these years up in Calistoga at Sterling Vineyards. Go and enjoy – you won’t be sorry!