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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.8 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 72 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by team-blackburn on 12/25/2023 & rated 93 points: PNP, right out of the bottle this was flat and lifeless. After an hour decant it came to life. Drink up! (225 views) | | | Tasted by Shalbbauer on 7/5/2023 & rated 92 points: At its prime. Awesome! (442 views) | | | Tasted by RickyT12 on 12/29/2019 & rated 90 points: PNP
Unique. Not your standard Cali Bordeaux blend. Much lighter than expected, there is even a hint of raisin flavor coming through normally reserved for Italian wines. Sugar plums on nose. Some ripe cherry. I would say it is slightly over it's peak. Still tasty, but drink them if you got em, I do not see them getting any better. (1947 views) | | | Tasted by diananm on 11/12/2018 flawed bottle: Another Winebid CORKED purchase. (663 views) | | | Tasted by richshoes on 9/5/2018 & rated 92 points: a little better than the 2003 probably because not as old...more fruit intensity and complexity....longer finish...but comments from my 2003 note still applies: "classic Profile taste--with bright cherry fruit and brick....flavor profile very nice, medium bodied....missing some complexity particularly at the finish so feels a little bit two dimensional...lack of body and complexity probably a function of age" (2314 views) | | | Tasted by Snoman on 6/9/2018 & rated 93 points: Bought 2 bottles at release, drank the first one about 8 years ago, and somehow managed to stuff this away until now. Still drinks fresh and tasty, no bricking at the halo, and much more integrated, of course. Still a top Napa Bordeaux blend, and (at least at the time) the Tete de Cuvee for Merryvale. Drank with a filet mignon, and it was an ethereal meal, a perfect pairing with the juicy, tender filet. Wine finished long (and quickly!), and so glad we saved this for so long! (2398 views) | | | Tasted by mda7 on 1/28/2018 & rated 93 points: solid (2370 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 4/29/2017 & rated 93 points: Lots of tar and spice. Solid structure. Medium length and pleasant finish. (2990 views) | | | Tasted by gmglass on 9/3/2016 & rated 95 points: Drank amazingly well. I paired it with a Sullivan's bone-in fillet and it was a marriage made in heaven. The finish of this 04 was something I wanted to never end...like velvet on the tongue. (2606 views) | | | Tasted by BeaverBob on 12/20/2015 & rated 92 points: Decanted about one hour before drinking. Great Bordeaux blend, full of flavor. Opened up during dinner, still very dark in color, no bricking at all. Bold fruity nose. Enough of that, really really good! (2892 views) | | | Tasted by Ramberg on 3/28/2015 & rated 91 points: Nice Cali Bdx. blend.
This shows a very nice nose with black currants, cherries, small berries, some dry dust and gravel along with herbs and leather.
Palate displays drying and fading fruit, with red berries, cassis, dark cherries, leather, earth, tobacco, and gravel stones.
A quite cool overall impression, balanced, without any high alcohol, oak shavings, vanilla or fruit compote jam stealing the show.
Instead almost a sophisticated wine, silky, smooth tannins, with booth good length and good balance.
Nice, and time to finish, as fruit is drying up and fading. (3891 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 3/1/2015 & rated 92 points: Drinking very nicely. Gave it 90 minute decanting, balanced the ragu perfectly. Would also be great with grilled meat (thinking lamb). (3189 views) | | | Tasted by gejohnston on 12/25/2014 & rated 96 points: Absolutely amazing. This wine is exactly where a premium 10 yr old Napa Red should be. Perfect blend of tannins and fruit. Decanted for about 45 minutes while we drank wine by the glass (2010 Caymus) Great wine and steak evening. (2730 views) | | | Tasted by Corrie on 12/13/2014 & rated 91 points: Fruit flavor on the downside, but very smooth. If you have some left, drink it now. (2319 views) | | | Tasted by Corrie on 10/12/2014 & rated 92 points: Still drinks strongly, no hint of downside yet. I think they are at their peak, and won't wait longer to drink the two I still have. (1907 views) | | | Tasted by Empirate on 8/10/2014: Not really open for business until the 4th hour. Then nice, typical Merryvale plush and concentrated black fruit with mocha. A bit of heat remained but the toasted oak was well integrated. Medium finish. Agree, OK to drink now with long decant. Not sure where its headed right now but don't think the window is closing fast (was my last of 2, better than the first we had a year ago). (1691 views) | | | Tasted by Konsta on 7/16/2014 & rated 95 points: Velvet, smooth, balanced tannins, hints of berrier, but above all, balanced and very very pleasant.
Probably drank it exactly at the right time. (1729 views) | | | Tasted by Corrie on 2/15/2014 & rated 92 points: Very balanced cab blend, time to drink it now. (2100 views) | | | Tasted by tzwizard on 12/15/2013 & rated 93 points: time to drink now; after an hour post decanting it lost its punch; when alive, very nice, long, structured finish; tannins subsided for the most part and integrated in nicely; great cherry, fruit and a bit of pepper, leather flavor; paired with a steak @ spruce in SF (1522 views) | | | Tasted by meatbomb013 on 10/13/2013 & rated 91 points: This bottle made it seem like this is past it's prime. Last one I had just over a year ago was not over the hill. It did improve quite a bit after an hour or so so maybe it just requires a decant. (2450 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 9/17/2013 & rated 92 points: Fully integrated soft tannins complement dark fruit and a touch of bacon for this well aged beauty. Not the most complex juice, but really fine, and peaking at present. (2410 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 5/26/2012 & rated 91 points: Dark Ruby. Not very expressive note. spicy with tight fruit and tannins. Need more aging for my palate.Very good structure and back bone and long length. Finish is aggressive to the palate. Needs 3-4 more years of cellaring and will last another 10 years afterwards. (3816 views) | | | Tasted by postman on 10/27/2010 & rated 94 points: Great wine lasts an lasts (5537 views) | | | Tasted by The Wine Guy on 9/19/2010 & rated 92 points: black cherry, currant, toasted oak soft tannins and vanilla, deep red, first timer for me and my wife we loved this wine and I have to say it is excellent. I look forward to bottle number two but i loved the structure and finish this could hold up for 4-5 more years but at this moment it is excellent. (5321 views) | | | Tasted by wineotim on 9/5/2010 & rated 92 points: If I had tasted this blind I would have said it was an Insignia. Not a bad guess considering it is a Meritage. Anyway, this wine is a fine effort from Merryvale, it has a solid core of dark cherry fruit, dusty tannins, and great balance. A really beautiful nose too. (5239 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/25/2008)
(Merryvale Profile) Earthy red fruit palate with a touch of bacon; lovely, structured cassis and mineral palate; medium-plus finish (79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc) 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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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