Winemaker Notes
Aromas of cassis, raspberry, perfume and vanilla are interwoven with tobacco, cedar and cocoa. On the palate the wine is dense and concentrated with a finish that is long and complex. This wine will age well for a decade and beyond. We recommend decanting in its youth. Our favorite pairings include beef tenderloin, and herb encrusted rack of lamb.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Profile has been an important, but sometimes overlooked, member of the Napa Valley pantheon for many years, and their '06 shows why. It's a rich, complex and smooth wine. Packed with blackberry, cassis and smoky, new oak flavors, it shows a firm structure of tannins and acidity. Beautiful now with a grilled steak, and should age well for at least a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Profile (82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) is a beauty. The sweet, ripe tannins nicely frame this large-scaled, full-bodied wine. Its opaque ruby/purple color is followed by a fragrant bouquet of tobacco leaf, spice box, white chocolate, black currants, and plums. Deep, full-bodied, expansive, and savory, it will be even better after several more years of bottle age, and should easily last for two decades or more.
Merryvale Vineyards is a family-owned Napa Valley winery dedicated to passionate winemaking and the fine art of living well. For the past 25 years Merryvale has been turning exceptional Napa Valley grapes into world class wine. Merryvale is world renowned for rich, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the iconic Bordeaux-style red blend, Profile, and our everyday drinking, fruit driven brand, Starmont. Merryvale's historic building was the first winery built in the Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, and has become a must see attraction for visitors to the valley.
Merryvale is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through conservation, renewable energy and sustainable farming practices at our three estate vineyards. Merryvale has received Napa Green Vineyard, Napa Green Winery and Bay Area Green Business certifications.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.