Merryvale Vineyards celebrates its 40th anniversary year

Founded in 1983, Merryvale Vineyards’ proprietor René Schlatter has announced that the winery will be celebrating its 40th anniversary through 2023 with a series of events to highlight the past 40 years of Merryvale’s Napa Valley wines, while also providing a sneak-peak at future wine releases.

Over the last four decades, Merryvale Vineyards has established itself as the quintessential St. Helena winery. Owned and operated by the Schlatter Family since 1992, Merryvale Vineyards has remained true to its Napa Valley roots while adapting to the ever-evolving wine industry and trends. When asked what forty years means to Merryvale Vineyards, René Schlatter, proprietor, commented: “It means longevity, consistency of quality and style and keeping our eyes on the horizon. This anniversary is particularly significant to my family as it has allowed us to pause and reflect on the past and reconfirm our vision for the future.”

René and his family are committed to preserving the winery’s rich history without compromising their forward-looking plans. Working closely with Winemaker, Andrew Wright, together they have sharpened their focus on Bordeaux varieties, the wines that make Napa Valley so famous. Doing so through further investments in exceptional top-notch people, vineyards, farming practices and equipment. The Schlatter family’s guiding business principles for the future include producing more Estate grown wines, remaining family owned and operated, keeping a European influence on their winemaking style and philosophy, and preserving the historic winery and Cask Room for future generations to enjoy.

When further asked about his excitement for the future of Merryvale Vineyards, René expressed the importance of vineyard ownership and promising potential out of the newly acquired vineyards. Over the last two years, Merryvale has heavily focused on this aspect of the winery’s holdings by purchasing three vineyards located in several Napa Valley appellations. Today the family owns just over 55 planted acres, The Profile Estate, a 25-acre hillside vineyard overlooking St. Helena, two sites comprised of 17 acres on Mt. Veeder and 13 acres in Coombsville.

“Our dedication for growing and crafting supremely elegant Napa Valley wines is unwavering. Over the last several years, we have increased our Estate vineyard holdings with a special focus on cooler areas, such as the Mt. Veeder and Coombsville appellations. Ownership allows for consistency year over year and control of the outcome from vine to bottle.”

The future of landholdings for the Schlatter’s is not yet over, as there is continued interest to acquire vineyard sites to complement the full portfolio of wines offered. Most notably, locations for the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir programs. The interest in quality cool-climate winegrowing regions has René and winemaker, Andrew Wright, exploring regions such as the Sonoma Coast for Merryvale. A region most recognized for world class Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

“We have begun to source fruit from sites amongst the Sonoma Coast and are impressed with the wines as we like cooler and coastal regions to uphold to a true Burgundian expression for our Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.”

Merryvale’s 40th Anniversary plans for the year kicked off in April with a memorable library tasting spanning all four decades of Profile hosted by Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible. Other plans throughout the year include tasting events in key markets across the country.

View this feature in the Terra Firma Vol. II 2023 Edition here.