Merry Edwards approaches life with graceful intensity. Now in the fifth decade of her winemaking career, Merry has earned the universal respect of winemaking peers, grape growers and academicians.

At home in the Russian River Valley since 1977, Merry Edwards has explored its hills, pockets, slopes and hollows, discovering small sites where choosing the right rootstock, clone and farming techniques can produce exceptional grapes. This led her in 1996 to purchase land in the Sebastopol Hills region of Russian River Valley.

Every year since the first vintage of Merry Edwards wines, we have produced our core wine, the Russian River Valley appellation blend, which captures the very essence of our valley. This wine allows us to paint a portrait of the appellation. Like brushstrokes on a canvas, this wine was artfully assembled using grapes from several vineyards. The result is a mouthwatering wine that reflects the complexity and depth of our home AVA and shows why the Russian River Valley is the premier spot to grow Pinot Noir.

On the nose, aromas of red cherries, ripe raspberries, brambleberries and blueberries mingle with violets. Toasted brioche and sweet tea tease you to take a sip. Offering immediate palate appeal, the wine displays a beautiful balance of bright acidity and well-integrated tannins supported by a touch of warm French oak. Velvety and ripe with a lingering finish, all indications point to a long life ahead.

We have always been careful to not hedge our vines very short, knowing that we needed enough canopy to ripen the fruit, but over the years, we had gotten to the point of hedging multiple times per year. Although our original plan was to not hedge at all in 2019, it was a wetter year and the canopies in some spots grew too large to accommodate tractors. Using a less-is-more approach, we decided to perform very minimal hedge just allowing enough room for the tractors. Multiple years of trials will tell us how effective this technique has been. 

Pairs beautifully with a roasted chicken. The crispy skin coated in fresh herbs and a scattering of spring vegetables bring out the best in this lush yet bright wine.