Winemaker Notes
The inviting nose offers up scents of Santa Rosa red plums, cassis, dried sweet figs and pomegranate backed by sandalwood and hints of tea rose. Bright and exciting on the palate, the entry begins with firm tannins and complex layers of red raspberries, bergamot tea, dried herbs and rose petal notes. Refreshing acidity carries the wine throughout the finish.
To match with the juicy acidity and bright nature of this wine, we offer up a vegan recipe for Spicy Quinoa with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms. The shiitakes are a classic pairing with Pinot Noir, but when combined with the spicy ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper, all melds beautifully into a dish that pairs seamlessly with the 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is ripe with raspberry candy, crushed rose petal, and turned earth. The tannins in the 2020 are a touch more present and emerge on the finish, and it also has more warmth. Drink this over the next 10 years.
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James Suckling
Aromas of spiced cherry, plum and fresh mint. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. An interesting, well-balanced mix of fresh red and black fruit and savory spice. Good concentration. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
Pinot Noir grapes are de-stemmed, and whole berries are added to the fermenter for a seven-day cold soak, aged 10 months in 20% new French oak. Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden says the aim is for red fruit and earth notes coupled with brighter acidity and brighter tannins, and this 2021 release showcases many of those qualities. Leads with crunchy red fruits all laced with cedar spices, and there are plenty of fresh, earthy pine forest notes to remind us we’re on the Sonoma Coast, where vineyards are surrounded by by fog-soaked woodlands. Medium- to full-bodied, it’s undoubtedly a fuller expression of Pinot Noir laden with black cherry, cocoa nibs and an orange peel freshness framed by ironstone minerals, bay laurel and sagebrush.
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Wine Enthusiast
This broad and plummy wine offers abundant red and black fruit flavors, a smooth texture and good underlying balance. Moderate acidity and tannins give a little bite that perks up the considerable strawberry and black plum flavors.
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Wine & Spirits
A wine with a clear shape and direction, this has a mouthwatering acidity that lifts the puff-pastry scents of oak and the rich purple berry fruit. Tannins give that fruit restraint and structure, lasting on wild-blueberry depths. It softens with air to notes of menthol and persimmon, gentle and giving.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is scented of wild berry jam, blueberries, juniper and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a firm, slightly rustic texture, understated fruits and rounded freshness.
Rating: 90?
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.