1991 Merryvale Profile

Merryvale's top red wine is their proprietary red wine called Profile. It is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine that contains as much as 20-35% Merlot in vintages such as 1992 and 1993. Aged in small oak casks, of which 50% are new, it is bottled without fining or filtration. The 1991 Profile offers an exceptional glass of wine. The opaque dark/ruby/purple color and subtle, minty, toast, and mineral-scented nose are followed by a full-bodied wine with great definition, outstanding ripeness and richness, and a European sense of elegance and grace. The ripe tannin and new oak are well-integrated. Approachable now, this wine promises to evolve and improve for at least a decade. It will keep for 15-20 years. Barrel tastings of the 1992 were less impressive, but the 1993 looks to be an outstanding, stylish, elegant wine with the emphasis on complexity, ripe fruit, and measured use of wood. This property has recently shown significant progress in the quality and complexity of its wines. Winemaker Bob Levy and consulting French oenologist Michel Rolland have moved to a more natural winemaking style, with full malolactic fermentation for the whites. In addition, the reds are now bottled with little or no fining or filtration. There is also significantly less acidification. The results are more texturally enticing and complete wines. How good it is to see this winery begin to produce such high quality wines. Tel. (707) 963-2225; Fax (707) 963-1949.