Merryvale – 28
Friday, February 25th, 2005
Merryvale is one of the biggies on Highway 29. The large stone building is covered with vine and sits just across the street from restaurant Tra Vigne, burger stand Taylor’s Refresher, and is the last winery before you drive over the bridge into the hamlet of St. Helena. The building has been there a long time, laying claim to the fame of being the first winery built after the the repeal of Prohibition.
It is famous also for its oft-photographed dinner parties in their barrel room. The photograph in question has been used in more Napa PR documents that I can count. Not that that is a bad thing, but I’ve never been invited to one and am anxiously waiting! Before I moved to Napa, Merryvale was one of the wineries I was brought to as a tourist. Convenient, attractive, and tourist-friendly, it is a great stop on the main drag as they have an offering 23 different wines.
They also have the distinction of being one of the few wine-tasting establishments open late; 6:30 p.m. (where most have to close up at 4:00 or 5:00 p.m.) There is something to be said for tasting late in the day. The tasting room is quite large and the pouring staff extremely gregarious and friendly. The tasting menus are various and if you just indicate a style or a varietal that you are interested in, it will be poured for you.
2002 Sauvignon Blanc, Juliana Vineyards – Standard grassy and tropical fruit aromas don’t prepare for the rich, creamy entry in the mouth. Pineapple and citrus dominates and I was pleasantly pleased with the balance and ripe flavors. $22
2002 Pinot Noir, Carneros – Earth and raspberry tones in the bouquet which was very effusive and rich. Almond and toasty nuts flavors in the dark berry fruit provided a very long finish. $35
2000 Reserve Merlot, Napa Valley – 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Slightly orange, bricky colors on the edge. Aromas of very fresh green bell pepper. Dark fruit flavors underneath very tight tannins. $29
2000 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Initial nose of bramble berry gave way to oak and black pepper. Hot and tight on entry belied its age. Lots of swirling forced open a little more dark fruit which produced an incredibly long finish. $32
2001 Syrah, Napa Valley – I had more fun smelling this wine! First I got Hoisin sauce. Then some beefy-like salami. Then brighter fruit behind a little fennel. The entry was tannic and hotter than I would have liked. It stayed hot but finished long which made me believe it would cellar very nicely. $35
1999 Profile, Napa Valley – 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Hot jalapeno aromas slowly moved aside to show some cedar and oak, but it was mostly a vegetal nose. Tight entry with acidic finish. Would give it another ten years at least. $90
2000 Profile, Napa Valley – 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. OAK overwhelmed the nose. All wood, no fruit. Hot and tight. Hot, hot, hot. $70
2001 Profile, Napa Valley – 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Still wood on the nose, but more dark fruit behind it. Less tight than the previous two, but would still like to taste it in ten years or so. $90
Merryvale ~ 1000 Main Street ~ St. Helena ~ CA ~ 94574 ~ 707-963-7777