Wine Country: America

Wine Subregion: California

Wine Varietal: Pinot Noir

The more things have changed over the past few years at Merry Edwards Winery, the more they’ve really stayed the same.  Now firmly under the control of the Champagne Louis Roederer brain-trust, this seminal Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir producer is now able to obtain fruit and make wine from sources once considered unthinkable.  The now happily-retired Merry’s successor, executive winemaker and the architect of the ‘new’ MEV is Heidi Von der Mehden, Merry’s protegee since 2015.  Heidi’s approach has been to honor Merry’s legacy while, at the same time, make some modest course corrections of her own that have fine -tuned and enriched the portfolio.  Over these past few years, the winemaking has not missed a beat!  I once asked Merry if she ever could have imagined that Sauvignon Blanc would be such a successful wine for her after all her experience making Pinot Noir for the likes of Mount Eden in the early part of her career.  She reminded me that it was during her eight years at Matanzas Creek that she learned to love and master SB, and it was quite natural for her to make it instead of Chardonnay when she opened Merry Edwards. And successful it is!  The Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc has been on the shortlist of America’s very best SBs for many years and its shimmery, deeply fruited, but very lively style resonates with just about every lover of the variety.  The house style, the same as it ever was, makes good use of the rare French Musque clone of Sauvignon that brings a certain tropicality and florality to the blend,  It plays well with the more traditional Shenandoah clone’s grassier, more piquant personality.  Fermentation in wood adds a mouth-filling texture and softens what could be an aggressive personality, making it an easier drink and accentuating the wine’s more Bordelaise character. But whether you’re comparing it with Bordeaux Blanc, Sancerre, its competitors in America or Sauvignon Blanc made anywhere else in the world, Merry Edwards’ continues to reign supreme! 
Thanks to the company’s vast knowledge of Mendocino’s Anderson Valley, a product, of course, of the connections they’ve made over the decades at the important Roederer Estate facility, the same care and attention that goes into a Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, is now being applied to two new wines- a bold and fun Anderson Valley Chardonnay and an incredibly fragrant and elegant Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.  The grapes for the Pinot Noir come from three vineyard sites, one located in the warmer Boonville area, one from an organic vineyard in Philo and the last, a vineyard in the cool Deep End at the far end of the valley, making the wine a true reflection of the primary grape-growing zones of the appellation. As always here, the style is dark and rich with soaring Pinot Noir aromatics, great texture and the kind of complexity only a combination of top terroirs can provide.  This Pinot’s Anderson Valley roots show in its fresher, crunchier fruit flavors that lean more towards the wild black- and mulberry than the richer, more chocolate-infused cherries and cinnamon that usually define the Russian River and Sonoma Coast bottlings.  There is a soaring sort of elegance to its joyful, exuberant, ebullient fruit.  It’s so much a Merry Edwards Pinot Noir, yet it strikes just that hint of a different, welcome note.  
Jeb Dunnuck on the Pinot Noir: This is the first vintage of the 2022 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley. Coming from three vineyards -- Carney Ranch in Boonville, Dach Vineyard, and Pinoli Vineyard – it was aged for 10 months in 42% new French oak. It pours a medium ruby color and has a great mountainous feel, with lovely fresh herbs, wild raspberries, brambly herbs, wildflowers, and woodsy spices. Medium-bodied on the palate, it’s lovely and refined, with a clean, silky texture and a mouthwatering finish. It’s very attractive now but will improve over the next 7-8 years if given a chance. 94 points