Mike Westrick

Winemaker, Sterling Vineyards

I began my career with internships at Hanna and Hacienda wineries. Both are/were small, offering me an opportunity to learn a lot in a very short period of time. I then attended the UC Davis enology program. Following that I joined Stonestreet, a medium-sized winery at the time, as enologist, moved to assistant winemaker and then winemaker there.

After twelve years with Stonestreet, I moved from Sonoma County to Napa County to take over the reins at Sterling.

Country born: Canada

Education: UC-Davis for enology and viticulture. David Ramey as a mentor on Chardonnay production and also, to some extent, Cabernet production. Have reviewed Michel Rolland's techniques via conversations with Joel Aiken. Regularly discuss winemaking techniques with Tom Rinaldi.

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Sonoma County Harvest Fair red wine of the year for a Stonestreet Pinot Noir. Wine Spectator Top 100 list for the 1997 Stonestreet Chardonnay. Wine Enthusiast Top 100 list for Sterling's 2006 SVR. Lots of 90+ scores from Laube and Parker for several Stonestreet Legacy vintages.

Winemaking Philosophy:
Always respect the grape first. Do everything possible to get the grapes to express themselves fully in the vineyard. Critical is evenness of ripeness to avoid over ripe and under ripe flavors in the wines. I harvest by flavors and so spend much time in the vineyards at harvest determining when best to pick. In the winery, the efforts are again to respect the fruit as much as possible, having as little intervention as possible. I want to produce a wine that reflects the character and the terroir of the grape. I like oak and favor those barrels that give me rich flavors that integrate well into the wine without obscuring the fruit flavors of the wine. In blending and finishing, it is all about balance of tannin, of acidity, of oak so that the fruit shows at its best.