A true California icon, Merry Edwards began her winemaking career back in 1973. She sought to plant her own vineyards where she could capture flavors through site-specific viticulture. In 1996, she purchased 24 acres of sloping hillside in the southern hills of Russian River Valley, intent on growing Pinot Noir on this promising site. With her husband, Ken Coopersmith, as her helpmate, Merry planted 20 acres of vineyard at Meredith Estate in 1998 and harvested a small crop in 2000. In 1999 Merry and Ken expanded the brand’s estate program by purchasing 9.5 acres on Laguna Ridge in the heart of Russian River Valley and planted in 2001. The first Coopersmith Pinot Noir released was a 2004 and this esteemed site is where Merry Edwards winery first began.
A few years ago I had the chance to interview Merry and talk about her illustrious career — particularly how she has transformed the California Sauvignon Blanc market. Now at the helm, Heidi von der Mehden has trained under Merry for many years before becoming head winemaker at Merry Edwards. Heidi is actually originally from wine country. She has now come full circle — after earning her degree in chemistry from Santa Clara University in 1997 and teaching high school chemistry in Tanzania, Africa, while serving in the Peace Corps, she decided to put her chemistry background to work at home in the wine industry. Heidi crafts some incredible wines and I was blown away with the overall quality. I adored her 2019 Merry Edwards ‘Olivet Lane’ Chardonnay (OB, 94) which is dense and fresh with incredible length. Even better is her sinfully good 2019 Merry Edwards ‘Meredith Estate’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which is one of the finest California Pinot Noirs I have tasted this past year. Learn more about this famed Russian River outpost at merryedwards.com Here are the gorgeous new releases by Merry Edwards.
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Olivet Lane’ Chardonnay- The gorgeous 2019 Merry Edwards ‘Olivet Lane’ Chardonnay is a glorious new release from the Russian River Valley. Saline drenched white peach, Japanese pear and shades of nutmeg dusted starfruit all fill the nose. The palate is soft, round and beautifully textured. Showing serious depth and concentration, this finishes exceedingly long with minerals and vanilla cream. This has some excellent cellaring potential. Drink 2021-2031- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Sonoma Coast’ Pinot Noir- A whiff of light salinity takes you right by the ocean in the 2019 ‘Sonoma Coast’ which follows with teaberry and herbal undertones aromatically. Full-bodied, with light tannins, this shows off salty red fruits alongside kumquat zest, and stony undertones on the palate. Gorgeous now, enjoy this beauty over the next ten to twelve years. Drink 2021-2033- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Warrens’ Hill’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘Warrens’ Hill Vineyard’ is a tribute to the three significant Warrens’ in Merry’s life — Warren Miller, Warren Arnold and Warren Dutton. Intense and hedonistic once on the nose, this showcases tart red fruits that collide with tobacco leaf, orange zest and shades of freshly tilled soils. The palate is chewy and dense with bright acidity and a soft mouthfeel, with wonderful length. Beautiful to consume now, this has another fifteen years ahead of it. Drink 2021-2036- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Bucher’ Pinot Noir- Located in the Russian River Valley, the ‘Bucher Vineyard’ is planted to Pommard and Merry Edwards clonal selections of Pinot Noir. The palate is silky smooth with a seamless texture and glorious sense of length. Wild blackberry and gran-orange flavors combine with minerals, loamy soils and smoky undertones on the palate. Full-bodied, yet showing some great tension, this outstanding Pinot Noir has another fifteen years in the cellar. Drink 2021-2036- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Meredith Estate’ Pinot Noir- The dense and powerful 2019 ‘Meredith Estate’ is another outstanding Pinot Noir by the talented Heidi van der Menden. Cigar box aromas combine with ripe cherry cordial, and red raspberry with dried herbs on the nose. The palate is soft and plush, with serious weight and tension that runs through the core of very pretty red and dark fruits. High gratifying in its full-throttle youth, this beautiful wine has another two decades of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2038- 95
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from a host of esteemed sites throughout the Russian River Valley, this shows off cola and red currants that march on with shades of tilled earth and Bing cherry on the nose. The palate is soft and round with a lovely sense of mouthfeel, viscosity and poise. Ripe red fruits mingle with minerals, damp earth and shades of wild mushroom on the palate. Drink 2021-2031- 92
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Olivet Lane’ Pinot Noir- the 2019 ‘Olivet Lane’ Pinot Noir is a nuanced effort that has really good flavor range. Right out of the gate this exudes class with its tight core of crunchy red fruits that collide with minerals and smoky undertones on the palate. Medium-bodied and showing wonderful verve and balance, this outstanding Pinot Noir will become very earthy as it ages over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Klopp Ranch’ Pinot Noir- I have long admired these wines from the ‘Klopp Ranch’ that was planted back in 1989. Various clonal selections are planted including a field selection from Joseph Swan Vineyards and a non-heat treated Pommard clone as well as Dijon clones, 115, 667 and 777. The nose shows insanely good range from Mandarin orange zest to teaberry and red currants alongside peat moss tones. The palate is soft, elegant and exceedingly refined, as this effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. Gorgeous in its youth, this will deliver drinking enjoyment for the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2021-2037- 95
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Coopersmith’ Pinot Noir- The nose shows some beautiful ripe strawberry and guava with cran-cherry, giving this a very high-toned aromatic experience. The palate is fresh and refined with a soft texture. Ripe red fruits mingle with minerals, baking spices and suggestions of salty soils on the palate. This is seriously good and very pretty even in its youth. Drink 2021-2036- 94
2019 Merry Edwards ‘Georganne’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from this estate vineyard in the northern part of Russian River Valley, adjacent to Rochioli and Williams Selyem, this is entirely planted to Merry Edwards clone Pinot Noir. The palate is very silky and elegant, yet has a wonderful sense of damp earth with peat moss undercurrents alongside the bright core of pomegranate seed, gran-orange and cigar ash tones. This is a vivid, highly novel expression of Pinot Noir. Drink 2021-2037- 95