Merryvale Profile 2019

Merryvale Vineyards is a family-owned Napa Valley winery dedicated to passionate winemaking and the fine art of living well. Merryvale is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through conservation, renewable energy and sustainable farming practices at our three estate vineyards. 

Silkily structured and loaded with fruit, this wine is the embodiment of powerful elegance. 2018 was a remarkable vintage—the long growing season allowed the grapes to achieve full phenolic maturity, while the lack of extreme weather created the ideal conditions for harvesting at peak ripeness. The resulting wine is both a winemaker’s and wine lover’s dream—fresh, tense, deep, complex and long. Aromatics of allspice, blue fruits, leather, cocoa and endless other descriptors impress as the waves of lush texture wash over the palate. Full bodied without being heavy, the wine’s natural acidity provides the freshness to balance the generous structure and fine mountain tannin. The finish is long and rewarding. 

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The flagship from Merryvale is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Profile, a blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc that’s all from the estate vineyard and spent 23 months in 80% new barrels. Just classic Napa Valley Cabernet goodness, with lots of cassis and currant fruits, notes of spice, graphite, and chocolate, full-bodied richness, and great overall balance, it’s impeccably made and well worth seeking out. I can’t imagine it not evolving for 25+ years if well stored.

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast

This massively structured and intensely flavorful wine is one for the cellar, as its firm tannins and deep black fruit flavors are impressive now but will only get better integrated and lead to more complex flavors with time. The wine is rich in black cherries, blueberries and dark chocolate.

94+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

From an estate vineyard in Conn Valley, I suspect readers' reactions to the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Profile will depend on their tolerance for richness and ripeness. It's hugely concentrated, with dense notes of dark chocolate and cassis that come across as almost fudge-like, then linger on the finish.

93 Points - Decanter

A lush, dark and slow-moving wine, offering a steady wave of mulled black currant and steeped blackberry flavors, with roasted vanilla, loam and tobacco leaf notes. The muscular finish is a touch stolid now, but there's depth. 

92 Points - James Suckling

Black fruits, dark chocolate, dried thyme and lavender on the nose. Some charcoal and roasted espresso. Full body with plush tannins. Rich and creamy with a deep core of dark fruit and chocolate.