Merry Edwards Winery
2959 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Website: http://merryedwards.com/
This winery is named after the founding female winemaker Merry Edwards, who is well-known for her Pinot Noir. Her wines have won lots of awards and accolades in Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines and is served in some top restaurants. As of February 2019 the winery was sold to the Louis Roederer champagne house.
When Merry began her career, it was uncommon to have a woman winemaker in California. She attended the first class at the University of California Davis that allowed women. Merry started as a winemaker in 1974 at Mount Eden Vineyards in Santa Cruz. She then moved on to be the winemaker at Matanzas Creek between 1977 – 1984, helping them start up the winery. Between 1984-1997 she was a consultant for many wineries in Oregon and California. Finally, in 1997 she founded Merry Edwards Winery with family and friends. One of Merry Edwards’ biggest achievements in the wine industry is introducing the importance of clones to California winemakers. Merry celebrated over 45 years as a winemaker. She’s been inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame and is 1 of 4 women awarded the James Beard for Best Wine, Beer, and Spririts Professional in the United States.
The tasting room that exists today opened in 2008 in Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley. The winery focuses on single-vineyard designate wines, primarily Pinot Noir. They also produce a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay. The tasting room is open to the public daily for casual tastings. This winery opens at 9:30 a.m. before most other wineries. Being from the east coast and having to adjust to a three-hour time difference whenever we go to California, 9:30 a.m. isn’t all that early to us. We took advantage of that and had the tasting room to ourselves. Visitors who want a more in-depth tasting experience can call the winery to make a reservation. Our casual tasting included a sample of 4 wines – 3 Pinot Noirs and the Sauvignon Blanc.
Merry Edwards outdoor seating area
This winery is located in a quiet place in Sebastopol. It’s situated right along a vineyard called Coopersmith, named after Merry’s husband Ken Coopersmith. As we pulled into the driveway, the vineyard was straight ahead of us and the winery and fermentation tanks were directly to left of the parking lot. A walkway leads from the parking area to the front of the winery. We were greeted by a winery cat sitting on a sign pointing us in the direction we needed to go. Out front of the winery there is a rock wall that separates a peaceful seating area from the vineyard. There are some wooden park benches shaded by umbrellas with a rock fountain in center, and plants and flowers all around. It felt like we were walking up to someone’s home.
Inside the tasting room is very moderate. The walls and tile floors are a tannish color that blends in with the light-colored wood paneling. We weren’t expecting or looking for anything real fancy since we were there to focus on the wine.
Merry Edwards Tasting Room
My husband and I were greeted as we walked in and led to a little tasting area off to the right with a small table for our tasting. My husband and I stood on one side while our server was on the other. Our server explained that the Pinot Noirs he was pouring for us were released very recently. Each one was from a different vineyard or area. I found each one to have a lot of fruit, but I felt that they might have been too young because they seemed too tannic to me. Given everything I’ve read about the Pinot Noirs, I assume that the wines would age well over time and the tannin would smooth out, but they weren’t the type of wines I would purchase to drink right away. However, we absolutely loved the Sauvignon Blanc and took some home with us. The Sauvignon Blanc is fermented in oak and has lots of fruit flavors. I found it quite refreshing.
If you are in the Sebastopol area and like Pinot Noir, I’d make it a point to stop into this winery. The wineries more than forty years of dedication to wine-making and viticulture is apparent in the wines.