Merry Edwards Klopp Ranch Pinot Noir 2017
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Pairs well with braised five-spice ribs, duck breast with blackberry reduction, ratatouille, and veal milanese.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Klopp Ranch comes mainly from vines planted in the late 1980s in Goldridge soils, mostly Pommard clone, plus some younger vines planted to Dijon clones. It's medium ruby-purple in the glass and has a fragrant nose of warm cinnamon, mushrooms, moss-covered bark, rhubarb and red and black berries with notions of lilac and tangerine peel. It’s medium-bodied, silky and loaded with perfumed fruit layers, with a frame of chocolate-textured tannins and juicy acidity begging you to take another sip, finishing very long and very layered.
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Wine Enthusiast
Wild in pomegranate, strawberry and brambly blackberry, this longstanding vineyard-designate is deep and rich, with a density of earthiness. Thick tannins support the fruit and building elements of dried herb and lavender, allowing room for the acidity to balance its overall luxury.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Pinot Noir Klopp Ranch is from a mix of clones and a 37-acre vineyard planted in 1982 in the Russian River Valley. It has a smoky, ripe bouquet of mulled black fruits, licorice, roasted herbs, and chocolate, with more floral and sappy notes developing with time in the glass. It also gains freshness and vibrancy with air and is medium to full-bodied, with a deep, layered mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This sexy, seamless, classic Russian River Pinot Noir has loads to love. It needs a decant if drinking any time soon and should evolve nicely for 8-10 years with no issues.
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2018-
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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.
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.