2019 Profile
Varietals
99% Cabernet Sauvignon
1% Caberent Franc
Appellation
Napa Valley
Alcohol
14.8%
Flavor Profile
A blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc that reflects the best of the Profile Estate in a fantastic vintage. Powerful and rich with a refined balance, it delivers classic notes of currants, cassis, and cocoa, complemented with hints of minerality. The tannins are supple and beautifully integrated, and the finish is long and rewarding. A savory, seductive wine that will improve over the next 25+ years.
- Vineyard Notes
Profile is a true representation of our hillside estate vineyard in Conn Valley. Blended from the best lots produced across 25 sloped and rocky acres, it reflects each vintage’s unique characteristics through the diversity of clonal selections, rootstocks, soils, elevation, orientation and microclimates on the property. Located east of St. Helena and overlooking the Napa Valley, the Profile Estate Vineyard lies on an eastern ridge at almost one thousand feet of elevation. Planted in 1997 by David Abreu, Michel Rolland and then winemaker Bob Levy, the vineyard is comprised of five different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with two acres of Cabernet Franc and one acre of Petit Verdot. The steep slopes, rocky soils and volcanic ash bedrock make it a very challenging site to farm, yet this vineyard consistently delivers grapes that stand out for their plush fruit character, complexity and silky tannin.
The grapes were hand harvested at night in order to retain freshness and get the fruit in the cellar as cool as possible. The wine was vinified with classic Bordeaux techniques- wild yeast fermentation began after 5 days of cold soak and reached peak temperature of 90F. After 15-21 days of maceration, the wines were drained directly to barrel to complete spontaneous malolactic fermentation. We aged the wine for 23 months in 80% new French oak barrels. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
- FROM JEB DUNNUCK: "THE FLAGSHIP FROM MERRYVALE IS THE 2019 PROFILE, A BLEND OF...
“…99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc that’s all from the estate vineyard and spent 23 months in 80% new barrels. Just classic Napa Valley Cabernet goodness, with lots of cassis and currant fruits, notes of spice, graphite, and chocolate, full-bodied richness, and great overall balance, it’s impeccably made and well worth seeking out. I can’t imagine it not evolving for 25+ years if well stored.” —Jeb Dunnuck [97 POINTS]