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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 74 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by acorelli on 6/5/2022 & rated 93 points: Fully mature, unsurprisingly. I am sure that more sophisticated drinkers could distinguish it from good quality Bordeaux, but I can’t. I say drink ‘em if you got em’: I don’t see room for improvement. (1168 views) | | | Tasted by WineCenturyAZ on 10/10/2020: Light garnet in the glass, pronounced aromas and flavors, nose of dark fruits and cacao, palate is dry, tannins are soft and silky, ripe fruits, boysenberry, chocolate and green pepper notes. Long finish.
*Enjoyed on September 2, 2006 with duck breast with cherry and red wine reduction (515 views) | | | Tasted by mcole23 on 11/16/2019 & rated 96 points: I was afraid of waiting so long to drink this, but after 21 years, this was one of the best blends, complex and drank like an Old World Bordeaux. If I could only get my hands on more. (765 views) | | | Tasted by HandmadeHomemade on 8/30/2019: Faded. Chalking off to bottle variance. (2187 views) | | | Tasted by WineCenturyAZ on 11/22/2018: Likely past peak or not happy with several moves and cellaring the best we could. Garnet in the glass hint of terra cotta at the edges, nose is low intensity, palate is dry, tannins are medium plus, fruits are dried and not very expressive, fruits tend tart/sour, cherry, black currant, hint of anise, pencil shavings and a note of salinity/olives leading to a medium finish. Drinking like a 20 year old Napa Cab. (619 views) | | | Tasted by raek on 11/8/2018: Cigar box, cedar, tannins fully integrated with good acid remaining. Still very dark with slight bricking. Reminds me of a Bordeaux. (2435 views) | | | Tasted by HandmadeHomemade on 12/31/2016: Notes of graphite, pencil shavings, cassis and black plums. Tannins are perfeectyly integrated. Palate is expansive and mouthfilling with a juicy finish. Great wine, though I was expecting more secondary flavors and aroma, this was a very nice surprise. (3752 views) | | | Tasted by Bloms on 10/19/2016 & rated 94 points: Sadly last bottle. Classic Bordeaux flavors, still gas left in the tank. (3987 views) | | | Tasted by brucerob on 7/24/2016 & rated 93 points: Elegant beauty -hanging in there Bordeaux style Cali cab with totally integrated tannins and amazing fruit still there - great with steak! Found 7 more at The Chicago Wine Company for $45 and scooped them up;) Will drink them in the next year (3866 views) | | | Tasted by grumi62 on 2/1/2016 & rated 92 points: excellent, balanced, only 1 left (3618 views) | | | Tasted by creek55 on 12/30/2014 & rated 93 points: This is a great Bordeaux style blended wine. The 1998 is still drinking well. I'm sad to see this wine now gone from my cellar. (4406 views) | | | Tasted by Walkersj on 12/21/2014 & rated 92 points: Concur with other comments, still drinking very well. (2886 views) | | | Tasted by creek55 on 4/29/2014 & rated 92 points: Drinking very well (3371 views) | | | Tasted by dwhsieh on 8/4/2013 & rated 92 points: Excellent and drinking well (4291 views) | | | Tasted by ledwards on 8/5/2012 & rated 92 points: Surprise... It was very good. The Bordeaux blend really comes through. Drinking great. Dark ripe fruit, tobacco, earth-tones- full bodied. (5291 views) | | | Tasted by RBaird on 6/18/2012 & rated 90 points: really strong teroier taste of CA...very full of fruit (berries)...enjoyable yet does not reflect a full complexity of taste like it should....enjoyed yet not a OMG! (4216 views) | | | Tasted by dharlow on 2/17/2012 & rated 92 points: Still drinking beautifully, but I drank my last 2.... (4855 views) | | | Tasted by ruevin on 11/17/2011: I drank this tonight with a grilled prime tri-tip steak. Wow- and it was from a 375 ml bottle! This is another great example of how wrong the press was about the 98 vintage. It was gorgeous. Still lots of dark fruit, with tobacco and blackberry and cassis. Dark and mellow and a long finish. I sure wish the 97s were holding up this well. (3873 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 9/3/2011 & rated 91 points: no notes taken, but a nice mature wine. doug summed it up : 'cigar box' (3920 views) | | | Tasted by JuniorSamples on 9/3/2011 flawed bottle: Sadly, it was not drinkable. (3457 views) | | | Tasted by 2loyal on 6/11/2011 & rated 92 points: Wow - I neither saw not tasted any real evidence of excessive age (none of the bricking that some others noted), and really enjoyed this classic New World version of a Bordeaux blend. I'll add this to my list of fantastic '98s that dispelled the "bad vintage" label (it's not a long list, but mine continues to grow longer with '98s than with '00s). Only objection was that the alcohol was a bit obvious, but the fruit was still great here, and even my wife enjoyed the balanced texture. (3698 views) | | | Tasted by Fishboy on 6/5/2011 & rated 90 points: Great bordeaux blend wine with dark fruit, earth, cedar and chocolate notes. (3676 views) | | | Tasted by emf on 1/23/2011: This had some brown around the edges, it smelled like it had age to it. The wine also had aromas of dark fruit and cassis. The taste was amazing and very mellow with dark red fruit and some chocolate. The oak was integrated with soft tannins. This was a 1998 and it was good. (4160 views) | | | Tasted by wallstreet on 1/15/2011 & rated 90 points: I paired this wine with a veal chop and it complimented it very nicely. I will say that it is time to drink it up, it won't improve in my opinion and it has slightly gone down hill compared to wines I have consumed back in 08. Drink soon. (4259 views) | | | Tasted by wallstreet on 12/26/2010 & rated 90 points: nice wine once again, after a 1 hour decant, we consumed with Osso Bucco and paired very well. I plan on drinking the 5 remaning I have over the next 12 months. Won't improve. (4323 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Merryvale Producer website
Merryvale Vineyards is a family-owned Napa Valley winery dedicated to passionate winemaking and the fine art of living well. For the past 25 years Merryvale has been turning exceptional Napa Valley grapes into world class wine.
Merryvale is world renowned for rich, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the iconic Bordeaux-style red blend, Profile, and our everyday drinking, fruit driven brand, Starmont. Merryvale's historic building was the first
winery built in the Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, and has become a must see attraction for visitors to the valley. Merryvale is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through conservation,
renewable energy and sustainable farming practices at our three estate vineyards. Merryvale has received Napa Green Vineyard, Napa Green Winery and Bay Area Green Business certifications.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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