Winemaker Notes
In the mouth, you'll find a smooth, even palate with good tannin and ample acidity just right for aging. A bit of cherry cordial and toasty caramel augments the long finish of this winsome Pinot.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
An evocative wine, the well-made 2014 Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir delicately balances power and finesse. The wine's rich palate of ripe multi-berry flavors suggests a pairing with roast poultry. (Tasted: November 17, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Smooth and medium-bodied, this is a rounded, lovely expression of rhubarb compote and black tea that's softly layered on the palate. Rose petals invite first before wild blueberry and nutmeg make their mark, supported by juicy acidity and a grippy length of tannin.
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.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.