Merryvale Vineyards occupies one of the most storied addresses in St. Helena: the historic Sunny St. Helena Winery building on Main Street, constructed in 1933 as Napa Valley recovered from Prohibition. The flagship wine, Profile, is one of the valley’s most respected Meritage blends, combining Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from estate and Napa Valley sources into a wine built for the cellar.

History of Merryvale Vineyards

The property at 1000 Main Street in St. Helena was developed as the Sunny St. Helena Winery in 1933, one of the first wineries to open after Prohibition repeal. The historic building became the home of Merryvale Vineyards in 1983 when Jack Schlatter established the modern winery in the same walls that had been producing wine since post-Prohibition reconstruction.

The Schlatter family built Profile into one of the Napa Valley’s most recognized Meritage blends over the following decade, earning the wine a spot in top-tier wine competitions and collector allocations. The winery has changed hands in subsequent years but the historic Main Street address and the Profile program have remained central to the brand’s identity.

The Sunny St. Helena Winery building on Main Street was one of the first bonded wineries in Napa Valley after Prohibition repeal in 1933. Merryvale has been producing wine there since 1983, giving the address a continuous winemaking history of almost a century. Profile, the flagship Meritage blend, has been one of the most consistent collectors’ wines in Napa Valley for three decades.

Profile and Merryvale vineyards

Profile is a Meritage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec sourced from estate vineyards on the valley floor and from Napa Valley contract sources. The blend varies by vintage based on what the harvest produces, with Cabernet Sauvignon typically dominant. It ages 22 to 24 months in French oak.

The estate vineyards on the valley floor near St. Helena produce the foundation fruit for Profile and for the varietal single-vineyard program. The Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, a contract source in Oakville that Merryvale has drawn from in select vintages, adds one of the most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard addresses to the portfolio.

The wines of Merryvale Vineyards

Profile is the flagship and the wine that defines Merryvale’s reputation: a cellar-worthy Meritage blend that ages gracefully for fifteen or more years. Its combination of Cabernet structure with Merlot plushness and Franc aromatics produces a wine with more complexity than a single-variety Cabernet from the same vintage.

The Chardonnay program, particularly the Silhouette Chardonnay from the estate and select valley floor sources, has earned consistent recognition for its richness and food-compatibility. Varietal single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc round out the lineup. The reserve tasting experience in the historic Main Street building is one of the more intimate and educational in St. Helena.

Food pairings with Merryvale wines

Profile Meritage, with its complexity and cellar aging potential, suits the most celebratory table preparations. A whole roasted rack of lamb with herbs de Provence and Dijon crust mirrors the wine’s savory complexity. Duck confit with lentils and root vegetables, wild mushroom and truffle pasta, or a prime rib with pan au jus and Yorkshire pudding all complement the multi-variety structure and the layered fruit character of a mature vintage.

The Silhouette Chardonnay is among St. Helena’s best whites for serious food: butter-poached lobster, Dungeness crab with lemon aioli, or a grilled halibut with beurre blanc work beautifully with the wine’s texture and restrained oak. The Sauvignon Blanc is a more casual white for oysters, grilled fish tacos, or a spring vegetable risotto.

Merryvale Vineyards: common questions