Winemaker Notes
The aroma of the 2016 Flax Vineyard Pinot Noir initially seems shy, with some black raspberry, Elephant Heart plum and sweet cherry, reflective of its Pommard heritage. With a bit of air, an avalanche of scents are released: black licorice, peppercorn, Capocollo salume, dark chocolate, lavender and toasty brioche. In the mouth, this bright Flax is mouthwatering yet structured, dense while firm, agile and elegant. Its tightly coiled tannins are poised to unfold with time.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2016 Pinot Noir Flax Vineyard (all Pommard clone) opens with touches of gravel dust, dried herbs, red cherries and red currants with notes of rose petals and amaro. The palate is medium-bodied, silky and intense with bitters-laced fruits. It has a firm frame of grainy tannins and integrated acidity, finishing long and latent. This still needs another year or two in bottle.
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Wine & Spirits
Merry Edwards started buying fruit from the Flax Vineyard on Westside Road in 2004, then took over farming, along with a long-term lease, in 2009. Her latest release is a classic Russian River Valley pinot, generous and round, its flavors of strawberry and darker cherry finely integrated with a gentle dusting of cocoa-scented oak tannins. Simple and lovely, it’s a crowd-pleasing pinot.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rose and lavender accent a thick round midpalate of concentration and full body in this Westside Road red. Savory, salty and tightly wound in firm tannins, it opens in the glass to reveal tart black cherry, orange peel and jolts of cardamom.
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.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.