Napa Valley was a different place when the winery we now know as Merryvale Vineyards was established. It was 1933, and Sunnyhill Winery, as it was then called, was the first to be built in Napa after the repeal of Prohibition. This is where Robert and Peter Mondavi got their start, making wine with their father, Ceasare Mondavi. It was a time when rail cars running in front of the property carried their wines to San Francisco and beyond.

In the 1940s and 50s, when the site was the “co-op” known as Sunny St. Helena, this same winery was where a small group of Napa Valley grape growers brought their harvested fruit to be crushed, vinified and sold. Later, in the 1970s, the building served as a wine storage facility for The Christian Brothers.

Merryvale’s modern history began in 1983, when a small group of likeminded partners bottled its first wine under the Merryvale label. In 1986, the group purchased Sunny St. Helena, and after extensive renovations, changed its name to Merryvale Vineyards, giving it the historic St. Helena home it occupies to this day.

1991 marked a turning point, when Swiss-born Jack Schlatter became a partner in Merryvale. Compared to his native Europe, where wine had been integral to the culture for centuries, the California wine industry was still relatively undeveloped, and Jack saw nothing but potential.

It was 1996 when Jack and his family, including his son, René, who joined the winery the previous year, became sole owners of Merryvale. Free to chart their own course, the Schlatters immediately began looking for land, knowing that owning and farming their own vineyards was the best way to achieve the high quality of wines they wished to produce. The Profile Vineyard was their first purchase, a magnificent site that remains in the family’s portfolio today.

Born in Switzerland, René earned advanced degrees from schools in the U.S. and worked for several years in Europe before joining his father at Merryvale. Like many who come here, it didn’t take long for René to become enamored with the Napa Valley wine industry. And when through serendipity he met and married Laurence, who happened to grow up in the same small town in Switzerland, the couple committed themselves to building a life in St. Helena. After thirteen years doing nearly every job there was at the winery, René was named CEO of Merryvale Vineyards in 2008.

For Laurence, who comes from six generations of winemakers in Switzerland, winery ownership is an extension of the life and culture she was surrounded by in her youth. Her earliest memories include tasting wines with her father, whose laser-sharp palate won tasting competitions and contributed to his success as a winemaker and founder of their family’s Swiss winery, Cave des Rois.

Under René and Laurence, Merryvale has continued to evolve with a focus on small volumes of exceptional wines. In addition to the Profile Vineyard, the family has added two properties on Mt. Veeder and one in the Coombsville AVA. Their fruit is vinified at their historic St. Helena winery, renovated with small temperature-controlled fermenters, intensive sorting equipment, a basket press, cold room and other fine winemaking resources.

The Schlatters have also assembled a stellar winemaking team headed by Winemaker Jeff Crawford, who has worked with the family since 2007. With a degree from U.C. Davis, Jeff is considered the “encyclopedia” of Merryvale, with deep wisdom and experience with its vineyards and wines. Joining him is Associate Winemaker Matteo Fecondo, who fell in love with winemaking in his native Italy and held harvest positions in New Zealand and Australia before arriving in Napa Valley.

The winemaking team also includes revered consulting winemaker, Jean Hoefliger. Jean, a fellow countryman and friend of the Schlatters for many years, brings a sensibility to Merryvale perfectly matched to René and Laurence’s own. His awe for the vineyard properties they have acquired, appreciation of the team they have gathered and his desire to create wines that stand the test of time align utterly with the vision René and Laurence have for Merryvale Vineyards.