Merry Edwards Olivet Lane Chardonnay 2016
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Robert
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The multidimensional aroma of the 2016 Olivet Lane Chardonnay exhibits vanilla crème brûlée, fresh cardamom, crisp pink lady apple, yellow raspberry, tarte tatin and Peach Melba. Accents of Meyer lemon, olive, toasted hazelnuts and spicy oak create a composition of opposites. The palate is full, round and creamy while at the same time, crisp and focused. It’s soft and plush, yet well balanced with the good acidity natural to Chardonnay grown in our own Russian River Valley. The opulent finish lingers on without diminishing, promising much for the future.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Olivet Lane, from grapes planted in 1973 to Wente selection, was aged nine months in about 40% new French oak with twice-weekly lees stirring. It offers lush aromas of lemon peel, stewed apples, quince, baklava, white peaches and poached pears with accents of hay, mushroom and elderflower. It’s medium-bodied, intense and lightly textured, with loads of ripe, spicy fruits, juicy freshness and a long, flavorful finish.
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Wine & Spirits
The old vines at Olivet Lane were planted to a Wente selection in 1973. They focus this wine’s complexity on savory scents of honeycomb. The fruit has the fresh intensity of grated lemon zest, opening with air to become toasty, heady and rich. It’s a white for seared scallops or wild mushroom risotto.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Chardonnay Olivet Lane comes from a site in the Russian River, and it offers a big blast of pineapple and spiced orchard fruits, with plenty of background honeysuckle and hazelnut characteristics. Medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, and elegant on the palate, it's not a powerhouse yet has a beautiful spine of acidity that carries through the finish. It's a beauty.
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Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces critically acclaimed terroir-driven Pinot Noirs and Sauvignon Blanc using site-specific viticulture in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. Over two decades, Merry assembled a stellar collection of vineyards and with her meticulous attention to detail crafted Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity. Her Sauvignon Blanc is among the most sought after in the world.
Now a Certified California Sustainable Winery, the brand entered a new chapter after Merry’s retirement. Merry’s handpicked successor, Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden, and Winery President Nicole Carter have taken up exactly where Merry left off and will continue to make wines treasured by legions of Merry Edwards’ fans well into the future.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.