Merry Edwards Winery Meredith Estate Pinot Noir

Sonoma County, United States

Vintage:2021 (Current)

2019 (Past) |

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Merry Edwards Winery Meredith Estate Pinot Noir 2021
  • JS 96

Reviews

JamesSuckling.com

96 Points

November 23, 2023, James Suckling

“Fascinating aromas to this with dark fruits and flint with iron shavings. Ink. Bark and mushroom. Full-bodied with juicy supple tannins. Deep and serious. Dark at the end. Thoughtful complexity.”

Overview

Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The winery is known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity as well as its aromatic, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio.

In 1996, Merry purchased this 24-acre site, an abandoned apple orchard southwest of the Sebastopol city limits. Two years later, she converted the entire parcel to Pinot Noir. Meredith Estate vineyard grows in an area known locally as the Sebastopol Hills. On this cool southern edge of Russian River Valley, summer fog shrouds the area, typically until midday. Vine growth is carefully monitored, with a dedicated vineyard crew positioning shoots and thinning the crop three to four times each growing season. They determine irrigation requirements by measuring precisely the moisture content of the grape leaves.

Winemaking

All grapes are hand-picked at night and hand-sorted in the vineyard and at the winery. 100% destemmed and cold soaked for six days. Fermented in small lots so that individual clones can be treated respectfully. A combination of Dijon 667 and Merry's own UCD37 clones are highly successful on this site and thus forms a strong foundation for this stunning wine. Vegan-friendly. 

Tasting Notes

The 2021 Meredith Estate features floral essences of peony, plumeria and rose. The nose of this deeply layered wine offers hints of toasted nuts, Bing cherry, tangerine and cedar. Seductive and silky tannins mark the entry, with black cherry, dark chocolate and fresh earth leading to a long, elegant finish.

Harvest Notes

We recently took our commitment to sustainability a step further and began farming our most important vineyard, Meredith Estate, organically. We have intensified the focus of our farming on the health of all of our vines and our soil.

Technical Information

Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir

Harvest Start Date: September 16, 2021

Harvest End Date: September 29, 2021

Bottling Date: August 2022

Acres: 24 total; 20 planted acres

Soil Composition: Goldridge sandy loam

Average Vine Age: Planted in 1998

New Oak: 55% new oak

Aging: Aged sur lie 11 months