Winemaker Notes
This golden, straw-colored wine glistens in the glass as the vibrant, aromatic nose offers notes of Meyer lemon curd, golden delicious apple, white peach, pineapple, crème brûlée and toasted hazelnuts. A rich and round mouth-feel on entry is supported by perfectly balanced acidity. A touch of lime and other citrusy notes linger on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Olivet Lane has pure, pretty scents of golden apples and pears, saline and Meyer lemon, with undertones of baker's yeast, chamomile and beeswax. The medium-bodied palate is pure and energetic, balancing a rounded, plush texture and bright, refreshing acidity, and it has a long, fragrant finish. Lovely!
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Tasting Panel
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a lovely, whole-cluster pressed wine aged sur lie for nine months and aged in French oak, only 38% of it new. From the longtime vineyard source, it offers balanced acidity and a stone-fruit-led richness that delves into freshly cut pear and just a hint of nut and spice.
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.