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Merryvale:
Wine Perfection, a Never Ending Pursuit
By Bobby Lee Lawrence
 Napa Valley, long known as the premier area for wine production, began when settlers planted vineyards with cuttings supplied by Catholic priests from Sonoma and San Rafael. The area is now hailed as the gold standard for winemaking. (A piece of trivia for you: The word “Napa” comes from the Patwin Indian word for “house”.)
Robert Louis Stevenson best described the Napa Valley while traveling through in 1880 on his honeymoon: “A great variety of oaks stood now severally, now in a becoming grove, among the field and vineyards. The towns were compact, in about equal proportions of bright, new wooden houses and great and growing forest trees; and the chapel bell on the engine sounded most festally that sunny Sunday, with the townsfolk trooping in their Sunday’s best to see the strangers, with the sun sparkling on the clean houses, and great domes of foliage humming overhead in the breeze.“
At the southern entrance to St. Helena, in the heart of Napa Valley, sits one of the Valley’s most historic and celebrated wineries, Merryvale.
 Merryvale resides in the first winery built after the repeal of Prohibition and was completely refurbished when purchased in 1983, restoring the warmth and charm of yesteryear. The formal grounds and European fountain at the entrance are just part of the elegant atmosphere that draws thousands each year to sample the award winning wines, take the tours and seminars offered, or just relax. I found it easy to fill an entire day sampling fine wine and enjoying the scenery.
Behind its old-world exterior lies some of the most modern, state-of-the-art winemaking equipment found anywhere. Merryvale’s approach to winemaking is one of meticulous selection of grapes and attention to detail that far exceeds what one would expect. Drawing  from a number of vineyards that they own, wines are crafted, in many cases, by hand. Merryvale’s philosophy is to capture the essence of each vineyard and create wines that will rival the best on the world stage. They accomplish this, in part, due to the variety and exceptional quality of the fruit from their diverse vineyards. This technique produces wines such as Merryvale’s Profile, a red Bordeaux-style varietal that has always been rated in the 90s by most wine publications. For you white wine lovers, the Silhouette Chardonnay continues to be very highly rated.
The owners, Jack W. Schlatter, his family, and President/CEO Peter K. Huwiler have created a dedicated team that has brought them international recognition and acclaim.
 I was impressed by some of the techniques used by Merryvale’s winemakers and would be remiss if I omitted mentioning who these talented winemakers are. Sean Foster was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. He heads the efforts at Starmont and Reserve/Estate grown wines. Sean also has been selected to launch the new winery at Stanly Ranch. Another talented contributor to Merryvale’s success is Remi Cohen. Remi is a transplant from New Jersey and received her Masters Degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis. She is a big supporter of organic farming and spends a lot of time and effort in educating growers on sustainable growing practices. Overseeing these talented winemakers is the famous Australian winemaker and consultant, Larry Cherubino. He spends his time at the winery during harvest and through critical stages, focusing on Merryvale’s premium wines.
 Let’s explore what makes Merryvale’s wines so exceptional by examining some of the techniques used in producing both their reds and whites. The
grapes used in white wine production are whole-cluster pressed. Although this is time consuming, it avoids the bitterness of broken stems during pressing. Native yeast is used to start the fermentation process and aging is done in premium French oak barrels. Filtration is kept to a minimum in order to keep the taste of the varietal.
The same “handmade” approach is used in red wine production. The red grapes are de-stemmed which lowers the tannins. Tannins are also softened by long-term skin contact, resulting in a smooth finish and eliminating the “bite” some wine consumers dislike.
I have had the pleasure of tasting many of the wines produced by Merryvale. Here are my opinions on some of the offerings:
In the Starmont line I tried the merlot. It had flavors of plum and spice with a long finish. If you like merlot this is a winner. A step up is the Reserve &
Single Vineyard Wines. The sauvignon blanc went very well with my salad. The balsamic vinaigrette stayed well in the background as the acidity of the salad was unchallenged. The Beckstoffer Vineyards—Clone Six, Rutherford 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon was outstanding. It is a well-rounded cabernet with all the flavors of the varietal and soft tannins in the finish. For my favorite, I always lean towards Merryvale’s Profile. This opulent, rich and elegant wine is loaded with dark berry, vanilla, and spice flavors. It is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. If you decide to try any of the Merryvale wines, this is the one I would highly recommend. ?
Merryvale is located at 1000 Main Street in St. Helena, Napa Valley California. The winery hosts a number of events and seminars such as “Merryvale’s Food and Wine Pairing”. It’s held the fourth weekend of each month and costs $15.00 per person, which includes a tour of the winery. If you plan to attend any of the seminars reservations are required. For more information, call (800) 326-6069, ext 439.
Enjoy!
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