Winemaker Notes
Highly expressive, this Pinot has an aroma suffused with Queen Anne cherries, red and gold raspberries, blueberries and plums. Balancing this abundant fruit is a savory side — aged Italian salami, prosciutto, rosemary, mushroom and black tea. Notes of Grand Marnier, cinnamon spice, cracked black pepper and lightly smoked oak add even more depth.
On the dense entry, fine tannins build a sweet, mellow palate. It’s laced with brown spices, a hint of bramble, cocoa powder and a bit of cranberry. One might even find a hint of the blood orange and lemon-infused Averna Amaro from Sicily, which provides additional depth. An elegant, well-balanced wine, the finish is firm and focused. You might be surprised by how well this coastal Pinot will develop in your cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Grown on the southernmost boundary of the Sonoma Coast in the Russian River Valley, fruit from six vine-yards makes up this elegant blend of Californian and Burgundian Dijon clones. Aromas of cardamom-spiced cherry skins, briar, saddle leather, and cola are a treasure to the nose, and an impression of complexity, balanced acid, and round tannins accompanies a generous juiciness on the palate. A slight grip on the mid-palate includes flavors of espresso, blueberry, and oak before the finish reveals an earthy character punctuated by cinnamon and black pepper.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of multiple vineyards impresses in its breadth and depth, offering creamy softness and robust yet supple tannin. Toasted oak, nutmeg, clove and brooding black fruit combine effortlessly along a medium-bodied thread of ripeness and weight, finishing in a measured richness of chocolate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This comes from six different vineyards. Yields were low this year. Medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast opens with warm cranberries, black and red cherries, aniseed, salted meats, earth and dried leaves scents. The wine is medium-bodied with great intensity, a soft, grainy frame and seamless freshness, finishing long, bright and juicy. 1,700 cases produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast sports a deep purple/plum color as well as a great bouquet of spiced blackberries, strawberries, scorched earth, violets, and foresty, earthy nuances. Playing in the medium-bodied, forward, sweetly fruited end of the spectrum, it has light tannins, terrific purity of fruit, and outstanding length.
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.