PROFILE XXXVI
RELEASING SEPTEMBER 2023
In 2023, Merryvale Vineyards marks its 40th year with the release of a Profile like no other: a once-in-a-lifetime assemblage of every vintage crafted to date. Since 1983, when winemaker Bob Levy created the first vintage of Profile, Merryvale’s flagship label has been blended exclusively from the finest lots of the top-performing vineyards of the year. The winery’s uncompromising commitment to quality resulted in two skipped vintages (2005 and 2020), where circumstances prevented the production of Profile altogether. The offering this year, labeled Profile XXXVI, represents the pinnacle of Merryvale winemaking, drawing all 36 vintages of Profile into a single bottling. Members of the Profile Collection wine club will have priority access to the 300 cases produced, beginning in the fall of 2023.
“This is history in the glass,” says René Schlatter, proprietor of Merryvale. “In every bottle, you find a complete collection of the absolute best wines in our 40-year history. Profile XXXVI is both a testament to our unwavering standards and a truly unique connection to our past.”
This collectible release unites the efforts of all five winemakers in Merryvale’s history: Bob Levy (1983-1997), Stephen Test (1997-2006), Graham Wehmeier (2006-2012), Simon Faury (2012-2019), and Merryvale’s current winemaker, Andrew Wright, whose 2019 vintage of Profile is the most recent wine in the Profile XXXVI blend.
Due to the extreme scarcity of older vintages, the core of Profile XXXVI rests primarily upon wines from the last 20 years. “The wine presents as very fresh with lots of fruit, but with older, softer tannins shining through,” says co-proprietor Laurence Schlatter. “In this and so many other ways, it links past and present – sharing the best of both worlds.”
The 36 vintages represented include fruit from storied vineyard sites like Vine Hill Ranch, Slawson, Showket, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Georges III, and Missouri Hopper (to name a few) in the older wines, as well as Merryvale’s own Profile Estate vineyard for the more recent releases. While weather conditions, climate, sourcing, and winemakers have shifted through the years, this limited-release wine proves that Profile’s style has remained constant: elegantly balanced, complex and powerful.
FURTHER WINE DETAILS ON PROFILE XXXVI
For inquiries, please reach out to our wine club at wineclub@merryvale.com or call (707) 968-3414