
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
Luis Canas Rioja Hiru 3 Racimos is 100% Tempranillo
60 years old vines
Alcohol: 14,5º
Total acidity: 6,0 gr/l
Volatile acidity: 0,50 gr/l
PH: 3,47
Free SO2: 25 mg/l
Reducing sugars: 1,8 gr/l
This wine is a response to our quest to find the perfect wine, one that combines structure, complexity and balance. It is the result of a careful selection of grapes not from the vines but from the appropriate clusters, those that naturally produce three or less clusters and which are 60 or more years of age. Vines situated on slopes and terraces of limestone and clay soil, well exposed to the sun. These grapes are harvested in small boxes at the very best moment, then inspected on the selection table and vinified in small groups at a controlled temperature. After alcoholic fermentation they are macerated to extract their full potential. The resulting most is then settled in new French and American oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. This second fermentation ensures the wine gains in complexity and aromatic intensity, it also stabilises its colour.
Fully ripened and concentrated fruit aromas with balsamic and spicy mineral nuances, notes of blackberry and blueberry preserve wrapped in creamy oak, caramel and milky coffee tones. The palate is concentrated, unctuous in the centre, balanced, sweet, with fine tannins. Very long finish, expressive, clearly marked with the character of the soil.
Hiru 3 racimos is a complex wine and so is its pairing with food. We must consider two options, either drink it in light sips so that the wine itself is the star of the feast, or serve with solid dishes that can match its vigour. An Iberian pork loin with roasted peppers, steak with mushrooms and plums, wild boar stew or pheasant in port are dishes that blend incredibly with this characterful wine.
Colgin Cellars Jubilation Napa Valley is made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot.
In keeping with the extraordinary growing season, the 2021 Jubilation by Colgin Cellars is brimming with intense fruits and pure mineral notes of stone and graphite. Vivid aromas of black cherry, baking spices and savory herbs resonate on the nose. Sleek, yet silky tannins glide across the palate with a graceful feel. The succulence of the palate lingers with subtle flavors of cocoa and licorice.
Review:
Splendid aromas of plums, bark, earth, cedar and some light chocolate and wet earth undertones. It’s medium- to full-bodied, with creamy and very fine tannins giving it depth and length. A blend of vineyards, including Colgin Vineyards and Vine Hill. Gorgeous now.
James Suckling 97 Points