Merryvale Vineyards

1000 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574
Phone. : 1 (707) 963 7777

info@merryvale.com

www.merryvale.com

Merryvale Vineyards Estate, Californian wine with Swiss accents.

All about Merryvale Vineyards, in St. Helena, Napa Valley.

Merryvale Estate holds a special place in the history of California wine and Napa Valley vineyards. The winery was founded in 1933 by a group of partners shortly after Prohibition. A number of famous figures from the world of wine collaborated as partners, consultants and even owners, including Peter and Robert Mondavi, then in the 80s Bill Harlan (Harlan Estates) and finally Swiss Jack Schlatter, 100% owner since 1994. Located in the town of St. Helena, the emblematic estate produces wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy grape varieties, and in 2023 celebrated its fortieth anniversary with the Schlatter family at the helm.

An adventure launched just after Prohibition.

Founded in 1933 by a group of partners, and developed over the decades with such American wine celebrities as Peter and Robert Mondavi in the 60s, then Bill Harlan in the 80s, Merryvale Vineyards Estate finally became the business of a Swiss, Jack Schlatter, in the early 90s when he, initially a 50/50 partner, acquired the entire estate in 1994 before his son, René Schlatter, took over the management of the company.

Jack Schlatter was a young Swiss man who emigrated from his native Switzerland to Dallas in the 1950s. First employed in the cotton trade, he later moved to Mexico City and then to São Paulo (as a coffee roaster) before returning to Zurich to set up a cotton trade to the Eastern Bloc. But with one foot still in Texas, where he had entered the real estate business, he also became interested in the wine trade. It was not until much later that he met Bill Harlan, the former owner of Merryvale before becoming a partner in the winery.

St. Helena, the home of Merryvale Vineyards.

Located just off Highway 29 in the southern part of the small town of St. Helena, in the heart of Napa Valley, the historic building (the winery) that houses Merryvale Vineyards has long been the epicenter of a leading winery dedicated to the production of top-quality wines. The vineyards of Estate Vineyards are located to the east of St. Helena, at around 280 meters above sea level. The vineyards are planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot on the advice at the time, in 1997, of Bordeaux consultant oenologist Michel Rolland, who supervised Merryvale.

With René Schlatter, Merryvale Estate has focused in recent years on the importance of production quality alongside Andrew Wright and Simon Faury (winemakers), acquiring new vineyards with a priority given to Bordeaux varietals (for which Napa Valley is famous), including three vineyards located in several Napa Valley appellations. The family owns just over 22 hectares planted, The Profile Estate, a 10-hectare hillside vineyard overlooking St. Helena, plus two sites comprising 6.8 hectares on Mount Veeder and 5.26 hectares in Coombsville. There's no doubt that the Schaltters have always sought to produce elegant, refreshing wines. That's why their acquisitions have favored cooler areas, such as the higher elevations of Mount Veeder. But Napa Valley is not Merryvale's only area of development.

In order to complete the already extensive range of Napa Valley wines, Merryvale also turned its attention to other, more Burgundy-oriented French grape varieties. René Schaltter and Andrew Wright looked to the cooler climates of Sonoma Valley, whose coastal proximity to the Pacific brings a cooler, more temperate climate, ideal for producing well-balanced, fresh wines. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are at the heart of these new acquisitions. This is where the Starmont winery comes into operation to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Merryvale Sonoma Coast (a very limited production). The wines produced are rare and almost confidential. The resulting wines have intense flavors and smooth, elegant tannic structures.

Merryvale and Napa Green Land label.

René Schaltter and his family are committed to preserving the winery's historic heritage, while constantly developing new, forward-looking projects. One of the major orientations concerns agricultural practices: producing more organically grown wines. Indeed, Merryvale has been awarded both Napa Green Land and Winery Certifications. These certifications reward wineries that have volunteered for sustainable practices that protect the ecosystem and the wine-growing region. And the process for wineries willing to make this commitment is not an easy one. The various criteria for obtaining the label are drastic and are managed by the local authorities, who ensure that water and energy are saved, that pollution is absent, that waste is reduced to a minimum and, last but not least, that wildlife is protected. To date, it is interesting to note that Napa Green concerns some forty Californian properties that have obtained both certifications.

Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Saint-Helena

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Merryvale's Profile Estate Vineyard, located on an eastern ridge overlooking the Napa Valley, at an altitude of almost 1,000 feet. This is where Profile, Merryvale's flagship wine, is produced. The vineyard, planted in 1997 when Michel Rolland was the consultant, produces grapes with a fruity character, complexity and silky tannins. The fruit is hand-harvested at night (to preserve the freshness of the aromas) in crates, then destemmed and double-sorted on arrival at the winery. Each vat, filled by gravity, allows the grapes to macerate cold for 5 days. After fermentation, the grapes are pumped over twice a day for a total maceration period of between 15 and 21 days. The wines are then pressed and placed in barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wines are aged for 21 months in 75% new French oak barrels. Finally, the wine is bottled without fining or filtering.

The nose offers seductive aromas of brambles, spices and dark chocolate. But the first impression is one of ripe black fruit, dominated by blackcurrant and red plum. On the palate, tannins are silky and caressing. Notes of blackberry and chocolate blossom, giving an impression of consistency with the nose and of highly concentrated, delicious fruit. The finish is long, complex and evolving. The wine is both opulent and docile. An excellent wine for ageing in great vintages where acidity is not lacking.

2018 Profile, Merryvale Vinepyards, Napa Valley

The Merryvale winery produces a range of top-quality wines. But the Merryvale Profil dominates the rest of the range in style and excellence. No wonder it's the flagship of the estate. The grapes come from the steep slopes of the Conn Valley vineyard, located at the eastern end of the St. Helena AVA. Made from a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this Californian wine is the epitome of a Napa Valley inspired by the great Bordeaux wines to make racy, digestible, balanced wines. 

Deep crimson in color, the wine gives way to a very complex nose of concentrated black fruits made of Morello cherry, blackberry, exotic wood and chocolate. The wine evolves on expressions of tobacco and red roses. On the palate, everything is straightforward, racy and complex, with chiseled, dense but perfectly ripe tannins that give an impression of both power and restraint. The finish is fruity, lively and lively. A wine of character and ageing potential.

Merryvale Chardonnay 2021, Stanly Ranch Estate

From the Carneros AVA, this Chardonnay is produced on the Stanly Ranch Estate Vineyard. The wine is made using both Burgundian and more modern processes. Half the grapes were pressed whole into French oak barrels that had already been aged once or twice, where the wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts. The other half of the grapes were whole-cluster pressed in concrete eggs, where the wine was fermented using a yeast strain isolated from a Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard. Malolactic fermentation is partial, followed by minimal riddling before cellar aging for 18 months and blending before bottling.

The wine guarantees exotic expressions of lychee, passion fruit and guava juice with bright acidity and rocky (mineral) expressions. The nose develops gradually. The palate is full-bodied and fleshy, with acidity that guarantees balance and freshness. This Chardonnay is complex and pleasant. A great success.

Merryvale Vineyards' great vintages

Red wine: 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021

Dry white wine: 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021