Open 9:30am-4:30pm
Appt required? Yes and no. Required for a full tasting (recommended), but also open for drop-in abbreviated tastings
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2014
Directions
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Tasting:
Set gender aside, and Merry Edwards would be recognized as one of the pioneers of winemaking in California. But as one of the first female winemakers, she paved the way for women in the industry today. As a result, a trip to Merry Edwards Winery in the Russian River Valley, if done correctly, is as much history lesson as wine tasting.
Visitors to Merry Edwards have two tasting options. The first (and recommended) is a call-ahead appointment. This will get you a complimentary sit-down tasting of five Merry Edwards wines in one of their private tasting rooms. The second option is a drop-in abbreviated tasting.
Knowing we wanted the most out of our visit, we called in advance and made an appointment.
When you get to the winery, you're surrounded by vineyards and gardens. We entered into a reception area, where we were greeted by a seated receptionist as opposed to the customary bartender with bottle in hand. We checked in, and in a short time were escorted back to a private tasting room. Four glasses of Merry Edwards Pinot Noir were poured and ready for us to taste and critique.
Our host started us, however, with what turned out to be the treat of the visit: the Merry Edwards 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Known primarily for Pinot Noir, the winery only started producing a Sauvignon Blanc in 2003. However, it hasn't taken them long to get it right. Both my wife and I were very impressed with this wine.
As we moved on to the Pinot Noirs and Merry kept her eye on us from an 8x10 photo (you can see it in the background of the picture above), we learned about Merry Edwards's bio, the barriers she overcame to become one of the most successful winemakers in California, and some of the history of the winery. I don't know if it was the shrine-like setup in the room, or the affection of our host for his employer, but the information was delivered with almost a creepy reverence. While he had every reason to respect and admire Merry Edwards, it came off a little over the top. Actually a lot over the top, kind of like Hector in Blades of Glory.
Anyway, back to the tasting. We tried four Pinots: 1 appellation (the Russian River Valley) and 3 single vineyard (Meredith, Coppersmith, and Olivet Lane). The Russian River Pinot was good, but it didn't stand up to the single vineyards. Having a sister with the same name as the winemaker, I was predisposed to like the Meredith Vineyard the best. But the Olivet Lane turned out to be our favorite, with the Coppersmith placing firmly in 3rd among the single vineyards. The 2007 Meredith had a long finish and low acidity, and a lot of mineral from the soil at the estate. But the Olivet Lane was the most complex of the three single vineyard wines, and I think it will get even better with a little aging.
We wrapped up the tasting, waved goodbye to Merry's picture, and left the mini shrine behind, happy to have tried the wines and laden with some extra information about one of California's preeminent winemakers. From a value standpoint, I think the Pinots were a bit pricey, but I appreciated the complimentary tasting (which seems harder and harder to find these days), especially for a sit-down private event. I think this is a stop worth making, both for the wine and the history lesson.
Set gender aside, and Merry Edwards would be recognized as one of the pioneers of winemaking in California. But as one of the first female winemakers, she paved the way for women in the industry today. As a result, a trip to Merry Edwards Winery in the Russian River Valley, if done correctly, is as much history lesson as wine tasting.
Visitors to Merry Edwards have two tasting options. The first (and recommended) is a call-ahead appointment. This will get you a complimentary sit-down tasting of five Merry Edwards wines in one of their private tasting rooms. The second option is a drop-in abbreviated tasting.
Knowing we wanted the most out of our visit, we called in advance and made an appointment.When you get to the winery, you're surrounded by vineyards and gardens. We entered into a reception area, where we were greeted by a seated receptionist as opposed to the customary bartender with bottle in hand. We checked in, and in a short time were escorted back to a private tasting room. Four glasses of Merry Edwards Pinot Noir were poured and ready for us to taste and critique.
Our host started us, however, with what turned out to be the treat of the visit: the Merry Edwards 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Known primarily for Pinot Noir, the winery only started producing a Sauvignon Blanc in 2003. However, it hasn't taken them long to get it right. Both my wife and I were very impressed with this wine.
As we moved on to the Pinot Noirs and Merry kept her eye on us from an 8x10 photo (you can see it in the background of the picture above), we learned about Merry Edwards's bio, the barriers she overcame to become one of the most successful winemakers in California, and some of the history of the winery. I don't know if it was the shrine-like setup in the room, or the affection of our host for his employer, but the information was delivered with almost a creepy reverence. While he had every reason to respect and admire Merry Edwards, it came off a little over the top. Actually a lot over the top, kind of like Hector in Blades of Glory.
Anyway, back to the tasting. We tried four Pinots: 1 appellation (the Russian River Valley) and 3 single vineyard (Meredith, Coppersmith, and Olivet Lane). The Russian River Pinot was good, but it didn't stand up to the single vineyards. Having a sister with the same name as the winemaker, I was predisposed to like the Meredith Vineyard the best. But the Olivet Lane turned out to be our favorite, with the Coppersmith placing firmly in 3rd among the single vineyards. The 2007 Meredith had a long finish and low acidity, and a lot of mineral from the soil at the estate. But the Olivet Lane was the most complex of the three single vineyard wines, and I think it will get even better with a little aging.We wrapped up the tasting, waved goodbye to Merry's picture, and left the mini shrine behind, happy to have tried the wines and laden with some extra information about one of California's preeminent winemakers. From a value standpoint, I think the Pinots were a bit pricey, but I appreciated the complimentary tasting (which seems harder and harder to find these days), especially for a sit-down private event. I think this is a stop worth making, both for the wine and the history lesson.
Recommended wine: The Olivet Lane was my favorite of the single vineyard Pinots, but the Sauvignon Blanc is the wine I'd most recommend.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.50 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 3.75 |
 OVERALL | 4.19 | ||
