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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.8 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 132 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 3/12/2024 & rated 89 points: Still nicely fresh and very tasty. Very Napa with its rich and opulent fruit, slightly too much new oak, and sweet spice. Fun and tasty, maybe slightly lacking in the middle. (370 views) | | | Tasted by kzkpt on 1/5/2024 & rated 92 points: Lovely. Years left. (228 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 5/9/2020 & rated 90 points: Mostly mature black cherry and plum with earth, sweet spice and eucalyptus. Clearly ripe, but also holding its own very well. Good weight, balance and persistence. Purchased at release directly from Merryvale. (3676 views) | | | Tasted by Mehul Desai on 3/13/2020 & rated 92 points: Drank this past the drinking window but still had hints of the fruit while certainly over the top. Very enjoyable. (2319 views) | | | Tasted by zack.wygant on 7/31/2017 & rated 91 points: Still such a solid wine! Wonderful matured fruit and leather qualities....very happy with how this has aged! (4479 views) | | | Tasted by zack.wygant on 6/19/2017 & rated 92 points: Over the peak but still quite enjoyable. Has everything you want in a 16 year old wine and nothing really you don't. Solidly made wine (4421 views) | | | Tasted by NorCal1849 on 7/23/2016 & rated 91 points: It took this some while after decanting and pouring to fully open. Quite enjoyable, though a tad over the hill. (5863 views) | | | Tasted by Winokdub on 1/24/2016 & rated 92 points: Still holding strong. Dark and deep structure. Great Cabernet flavors. (5219 views) | | | Tasted by JKGarden on 12/20/2015 & rated 92 points: Guests loved it (5352 views) | | | Tasted by Malc on 4/5/2015 & rated 88 points: decanted one hour.
Still has some light berry flavors and some anise on the nose....getting past prime but still enjoyable (4549 views) | | | Tasted by Snag One on 12/7/2014 & rated 87 points: This wine was decanted for about an hour prior to drinking. Redish brown color. The nose isn't too complex but notes of pepper, sage, blueberries and toast. The palette is simple and not as complex as I would expect from a wine of this pedigree. Short finish and disappointing. Maybe beyond its peak. (4826 views) | | | Tasted by jinks on 9/8/2014 & rated 88 points: Underwhelming- expected more at this price. (4168 views) | | | Tasted by MLR on 7/4/2014 & rated 88 points: Nice wine. Not particularly complex, but still some nice old fruit and some dust/chalk on the nose. (3606 views) | | | Tasted by HappyWineGuy on 5/12/2014: no point rating. PNP. This wine was disappointing. Even after an hour it was a one note or two note wine. Cassis, tannin. I am guessing I kept it too long. (3689 views) | | | Tasted by 55degrees on 4/27/2014 & rated 88 points: purchased on release at the winery stored properly. opened with perfect cork. smells of stewed plums at the bottle. decanted gently. fine sediment. consumed over three hours.
in the glass dark cherry center with brick rim. strong legs. simple nose of dark red fruit and cigarbox. on the palate stewed red fruits, rhubarb and eucalyptus. Light to medium body with a somewhat linear texture. Firm tannins.
Enjoyable but disapointing. Not past its prime but not getting any better.
(zalto aldo sohm stemware) (3127 views) | | | Tasted by tgang on 4/17/2014 & rated 94 points: Velvety soft and incredibly smooth. Dark blackberry, violet and leather bouquet. Dark fruit and some blueberry, leather and licorice on the palate with flowers and spice in the finish. A wonderful bottle of wine! (1192 views) | | | Tasted by acheng on 4/10/2014 & rated 89 points: Somewhat confected. Eucalyptus and plummy. Rescue by a fading tertiary aroma. Drink up (2746 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 12/31/2013: Surprisingly oaky. Plenty of plum, stewed fruit, and oak on the nose and palate. Vanilla and caramel were apparent. Not sure if the oak will diminish over time, but aside from that it's a well built, tasty, and nicely balanced wine. (3999 views) | | | Tasted by jhillesh on 12/26/2013 & rated 89 points: Definitely needed to decant it. (2537 views) | | | Tasted by Wizaard1 on 11/28/2013 flawed bottle: second bottle corked from this vintage. (2462 views) | | | Tasted by Bloms on 7/7/2013 & rated 93 points: - Garnet color. It's in total harmony and has flavours of raisin with a medium/full body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish. (3342 views) | | | Tasted by JDV.DDSPHD on 4/6/2013 & rated 91 points: Earth and smokiness on the nose initially. Then the fruit followed. Tannins have softened almost completely dissipated. Acidity is still present & the overall structure is holding it together. You can taste the earthiness & fruit along with the terroir which makes it the profile. Very nice. I would have opened this sooner. Probably 3-5 yrs ago though bec I like them younger & more chewy. This was almost past it's prime for me but still showing nicely. Drink now. (3746 views) | | | Tasted by Baylorwine on 3/15/2013 & rated 91 points: Drinking perfectly right now. Needs a little time to open up, but the tannins are in line and very smooth. No notes taken. (3279 views) | | | Tasted by Snoman on 2/4/2013 & rated 92 points: Colored a deep purple/black, halo just starting to brick, with still-rich aromas of blackberry and cassis. Decanted for about an hour, showed terrific fruit intensity and flavor complexity, but just on the edge of over-aging. Smoke and fruit still in great balance, but tannic structure is going away, while finish continues long and tasty. Drink now while still excellent. (3459 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 12/25/2012 & rated 90 points: nose - dirt, asphalt, dark berry. a bit of stink which slowly blew off. intriguing nose, and perhaps a slightly off bottle?
mouth - complex fruity, with prominent burnt earth leaving me slightly disconcerted. the roasted burned tire flavor is one I can do without
and otherwise marred what would have been a nice bottle. A second glass 6 hours later was doing much better. Needs air. (3489 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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