Review: Wines of Merry Edwards, Spring 2025 Releases
We’re catching up at last with one of our favorite California wine producers, Merry Edwards, which dropped seven wines perfect for exploring as the weather heats up — including one celebrating the winery’s 25th anniversary. Let’s dive in.
2022 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir 25th Anniversary Russian River Valley – A blend of Merry’s best lots, this is a massive, dense wine that may (rightly) challenge your expectations of a pinot noir. Extracted with intense notes of cherry, raspberry, and milk chocolate, the wine veers toward zinfandel elements at the start, with notes of graphite and broken slate adding a tempering, earthy quality. Powerful notes of spiced cherry preserves, currants, and cranberry endure on the long, lasting finish — this wine just never gives up and never breaks down into a gentler groove. I know this is intended as a 25th anniversary wine, but my advice is to sit on it until at least the 30th so it can at least start to settle down a bit. B+ / $120
2023 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley – One of the most reliable wines ever, Merry Edwards’ expression of sauvignon blanc is probably the best bottling of sauvignon blanc, year after year, that you are going to taste in your lifetime. I mean that. Creamy and delicate, with notes of gooseberry, figs, and coconut, the wine is comforting, mothering. A warm blanket that surprises with its finishing notes of cinnamon and allspice, then vanilla and lemon to linger on the back of the palate. I don’t know how Merry Edwards makes a wine this enchanting every single vintage, and I’m afraid to ask. A+ / $45
2023 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Meredith Estate Russian River Valley – A single vineyard expression of the above wine, and just as engaging: Coconut and lemon curd find balance in a spray of florals, featuring honeysuckle and lilac, with a midpalate that retreats to gooseberry and hints of caramel. Citrus notes domine the the fade-out, with touches of kumquat and grapefruit adding acidity. I think the standard RRV bottling, surprisingly, has a bit more going on thanks to its baking spice elements. But this expression is nearly is exciting. A / $80
2022 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – A big and burly pinot, laden with notes of blood orange and cranberry — lots of cranberry. Sweet-tart raspberry notes build with the grippy finish, which sees ample notes of tobacco and wet leather. Fruit endures, however, and notes of raspberry and, late in the game, a tomato note emerge. Time in glass helps all the disparate elements of this wine coalesce, but it does take its time getting there. B+ / $50
2022 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Meredith Estate Russian River Valley – Typically this is one of my favorite vineyard selections for Merry Edwards, but the 2022 vintage shows a tougher, meatier edge than expected (this is 14.5% abv), its fruit retreating into obscurity as more savory notes of tanned leather, beef jerky, and oak. Surprising notes of licorice emerge on the hearty finish — not something I typically associate with Meredith. B / $100
2022 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Richaven Russian River Valley – Here we have Merry Edwards Pinot Noir nearly right back to where it should be. Though on the boozy, extracted side — the wine pours on fruit so thick you can cut it with a knife, or at least scoop it up with a spoon — its notes of spiced cherries, raspberries, and cranberries all meld into a delightful and gently sweet mélange of berry-fueled goodness. Summery and enchanting, this is a lovely pairing for everything from chicken thighs to ribeye, and it’s so fruit-forward it would even be a beautiful base for a sangria if you wouldn’t get sentenced to prison for such a crime. A- / $75
2022 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Warrens’ Hill Russian River Valley – Balanced, elegant, and complex, this pinot rides the line between fruit and herbal/spice notes with aplomb, with a distinct note of lavender informing the nose. The wine never approaches soapiness on the palate due to that lavender influence, but there’s a distinct florality and gentle perfumed quality that helps to temper the bolder notes of cherry and, to a lesser degree, raspberry from becoming overwhelming. Touches of orange blossom and cocoa emerge on the finish. This wine hails from a relatively young vineyard and, surprisingly, was my favorite of the pinots in this release. A / $70
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