Mission Codename Atomic number 77
That bottle… wow. We’ve never seen anything like it.
And what’s inside? If small kids are around, earmuff them because you’ll be dropping some expletives after you taste it.
We’ve had similarly powerful and complex 100% Cabernets. The kind that usually pushes $300 per bottle. And actually, at the $275 release price, this fits that mold. Plus, as Sterling says on their website it was “built to stand proudly alongside Napa’s finest…”
Yet there’s just one thing wrong here…
For our price… what cult wine compares to the value?? So, the only question is really - why not?! If you thirst for top-shelf Napa Cab or you’re cult-curious, why not treat yourself to a little luxury today?
Sterling Vineyards has been around since 1964, and they pulled out all the stops with this one. Chosen by winemaker Harry Hansen, who picked the top barrels from the cellar to make this blend and named it after one of the rarest elements on the planet. He used 93% new French Oak from the finest coopers like Gamba and Taransaud. No expense was spared in making this wine and it shows.
Previous vintages earned all the way to a well-deserved, whopping 97 points. This one? So far a 96 from James Suckling and a 95+ from Wine Advocate. With descriptions like “wonderfully creamy… crazy packaging… serious wine!” and “charges out of the glass with super intense notes of blackcurrant cordial, Black Forest cake, and blueberry pie” you know what you’re getting into. Hard to top that description, but we might add some chocolate-covered blueberries, cloves, crème de cassis, and creamy latte to the notes. No doubt, this flashes with luxury and opulence inside and out. We loved the prolific richness and extravagant in your face style. The head-spinning complexity. It’s ALL THAT. And more…
Life is too short for mediocrity! Only a handful to go around to a lucky few.
96 Points – James Suckling
“A wonderfully focused and creamy texture to this red with blueberries, blackberries and cedar. Some chocolate. The tannin texture is superb, giving pure-silk pleasure. Such depth. Crazy packaging. Serious wine! Drink or hold as long as you like.”
95+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Iridium is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out of the glass with super-intense notes of blackcurrant cordial, Black Forest cake and blueberry pie plus touches of chocolate mint, red roses, fragrant earth and cedar chest with a hint of pencil lead. Full-bodied, the palate is bursting with ripe, opulent black fruit preserves, framed by plush tannins, finishing very long with a spicy kick. Drink 2022-2042.”
What the Winery Says
2016 'Iridium' Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Harry Hansen
- Varietal
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2016
- Alcohol
- 14.9%
- Appellations
- Diamond Mountain, Yountville & Rutherford, Napa Valley
- Vineyards
- Peterson, Sleeping Lady, Hewitt
- Harvest date
- October 2016
- pH
- 3.74
- Aging
- 18 months
- Barrels
- 93% new French oak