I came home Sunday to find that my husband had bought and opened a bottle of Sterling Vintner’s Collection Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2001. So it had started to oxidize when we finished the bottle Sunday night with pork medallions in a black cherry cognac sauce, haricots verts, and crusty bread.
I believe this is Sterling’s lower-priced range (I think this one was $12), and it drank like good value for money as far as I’m concerned. Although it’s a young cab it doesn’t have any of that annoying green pepper alkali sharpness to it that you get with inexpensive young cabs. Of course, that may be because it had already been opened and started to oxidize, but my husband said he didn’t get green pepper on Friday night. I got a lot of blackberry in the nose and mouth, and chocolate in the palate as well. It went very well with the sweet/savory sauce on the pork. And with the Lindt 85% cocoa dark chocolate we had for dessert!
I don’t get excited about California cabs even the cult ones, but I would put this in the same category as the Robert Mondavi coastal cab — good value for money, a solid, consistent wine.
The Sterling shouldn’t go with haricots verts. It
goes fine with green beans tho 🙂
I tried the same wine, Sterling Cab Central Coast 2001 and loved it (price $14.99). Three days later I went to purchase the very same wine at the very same store (Food Lion) and it had gone up to $20.00. When I asked the sales persons to check the price, he stated the price should be $22.00. Could someone explain that to me? From my research it appears somethings amiss! Thanks.