Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Marked by fresh, sleek acidity and firm, dusty tannins, this is a Pinot to stash in the cellar for a while. It’s just too tough and hard now. Give it 4–6 years to soften, and let the black cherries, red currants and cola mesh with the oak and transform with the magic of bottle age.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Ms. Edwards's Olivet Lane bottlings are typically tight and vibrant, and this latest wine very much proves the point. It teams pert, red-cherry fruit with a fair measure of sweet oak and runs to firmness even while showing fairly good depth. While its acidy angles and slight bent to hardness might militate against early enjoyment, a few years of smoothing will set things right.
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Wine & Spirits
This is a rich Russian River Valley pinot, emphasizing the sweetness of oak, of dark plum and figgy fruit. There's plenty of weight and ripeness, but the wine is seamless and doesn't feel heavy. Brighter floral tones add a touch of elegance, even while this has the power to match braised oxtail.
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Wine Spectator
Tight, firm and vibrant, full-bodied, with a mix of fresh earth, mineral and dusty berry fruit that gets a nice lift on the finish, where this is the most complex and tempting.
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.