White Sturgeon, Sterling / Tsar Nicoulai
Acipenser transmontanus
The great Californian all-rounder, now under the Tsar Nicoulai umbrella following its December 2024 acquisition of Sterling Caviar. Medium grey grains, satisfying pop, balanced salinity, a hint of hazelnut, and a clean finish. The workhorse of fine dining — plays well with everything and offends nothing. Now the largest white sturgeon operation in the US.
White Sturgeon's balanced medium-intensity profile makes it the ideal vehicle for the full traditional service. Blini, crème fraîche, chive — this is the caviar to serve to a table of ten.
Pairings
- Champagne
- NV Brut Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne
- Wine
- Chablis Premier Cru, White Burgundy
- Spirits
- Premium vodka, Dry sake
Production
- Source
- farmed
- Producer
- Tsar Nicoulai Caviar (acquired Sterling Caviar, Dec 2024; Elverta & Wilton, California)
- Processing
- malossol
- Grade
- classic
Legal & sourcing
Farmed white sturgeon; fully legal in the US. Sterling Caviar entered receivership April 2024 and was acquired by Tsar Nicoulai in December 2024, creating the largest caviar producer in the US. Both brands continue to operate.
CITES Appendix II — international trade requires documentation. Wild harvest is banned; all commercial product is farmed.
The flagship American caviar — buttery, sustainable, widely available domestically.