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. A self-described perfectionist, she has constantly refined her vineyard practices, wines and techniques. Merry does not rest on her laurels ― she grows. “People frequently ask what is the best wine I have ever made. I tell them it’s not made yet!”
Food was Merry’s gateway to wine. She recalls, “When I was a teenager, my mother had cookbooks produced by the California Wine Advisory Board. Wine was an ingredient in every recipe, so I started cooking with wine.”
Fascinated with food chemistry and fermentation in particular, Merry brewed beer as a simple extension of making bread and working with yeast. Then she purchased a book on home winemaking and began to ferment fruit wines. In 1970, when Merry earned her B.S. degree in Physiology from the University of California at Berkeley, her friends knew her as the accomplished amateur who made The Merry Vintners wines.
The inviting nose offers up scents of Santa Rosa red plums, cassis, dried sweet figs and pomegranate backed by sandalwood and hints of tea rose. Bright and exciting on the palate, the entry begins with firm tannins and complex layers of red raspberries, bergamot tea, dried herbs and rose petal notes. Refreshing acidity carries the wine throughout the finish.
To match with the juicy acidity and bright nature of this wine, we offer up a vegan recipe for Spicy Quinoa with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms. The shiitakes are a classic pairing with Pinot Noir, but when combined with the spicy ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper, all melds beautifully into a dish that pairs seamlessly with the 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
Review:
Aromas of spiced cherry, plum and fresh mint. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. An interesting, well-balanced mix of fresh red and black fruit and savory spice. Good concentration. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 93 Points
The 2020 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is ripe with raspberry candy, crushed rose petal, and turned earth. The tannins in the 2020 are a touch more present and emerge on the finish, and it also has more warmth. Drink this over the next 10 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Domaine Michel Magnien has evolved into a Burgundy producer of a singular style and philosophy from cellars located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. In 1993, Frédéric Magnien persuaded his father Michel to begin domaine bottling. The domaine is now certified biodynamic by Demeter and the wines are produced without the use of new oak.
The domaine’s 45 acres are spread across the villages of Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vosne Romanée, with holdings in several premier cru and grand cru vineyards. These include the grand crus Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, and Charmes-Chambertin. Frédéric Magnien maintains an average vine age of 50 years.
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Climats d'Or" is a blend of five premier crus in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis: Cheseaux, Charrières, Clos Baulet, Chaffots, Monts Luisants. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks followed by several months aging in half terracota amphora & half used pièce. Around 20% whole clusters were included in the cuvée.
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Climats d'Or" combines the structure of Gevrey-Chambertin with the perfume of Chambolle-Musigny. This wine shows fresh red berries on the nose with notes of violets, spice, and earth. Old vines and heavier soils give this wine weight and richness on the palate.
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Quercia nelle Langhe Nebbiolo Langhe is 100% Nebbiolo.
Garnet red, bouquet is fruity with reminiscences of violets and raspberries.
Full bodied, interesting and intense.
Manual Harvest at the beginning of October.
The grapes are delicately pressed and the stalks are removed. The limpid must ferment in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 26°C for 12 days. After racking the new wine is put into 25 and 30 hl Slavonian oak barrels for long months. Next, it is bottled for reaching the market.
Pairs well with ribeye, red meats.