California,  Sauvignon Blanc,  Sonoma

Exceptional White

Merry Edwards 2011sb_label

Merry Edwards 2011 Sauvignon Blanc

Warm weather is finally arriving so it’s time to pop open a Sauvignon Blanc, but not just any Sauvignon Blanc, let’s kick off the summer with one of the best.  One of California’s first woman winemakers, Merry Edwards began her career at Mount Eden Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1974.  She went on to become the founding winemaker at Matanzas Creek in 1977 and remained there until 1984.  For the next decade, Merry consulted for numerous wineries, large and small, in Oregon and many diverse appellations of California.

In 1997, family and friends joined Merry to found Merry Edwards Winery, with a focus on producing Pinot Noirs with a sense of place from Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.  Living her dream, she and her husband, Ken Coopersmith, now manage five estate vineyards: Coopersmith, Cresta d’Oro, Flax, Georganne and Meredith.  They maintain collaborative relationships with several other dedicated growers to supplement their estate production.  Two regional blends and six vineyard designates are bottled.  In 2001, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc blend was added to the portfolio.  Merry and Ken completed their state-of-the-art winery facility in 2008 on the site of Coopersmith Vineyard, and in 2013, Merry celebrated her 40th year as a winemaker.  Congratulations Merry!

Opening a bottle of Merry’s 2011 Sauvignon Blanc I was enticed by the pale-yellow color and fragrant aromas of citrus fruit and peaches.  This is one of the few Sauvignon Blancs that are barrel-fermented which adds a wonderful toasty oak flavor which is not expected, but sets this wine apart from the rest.  The palate builds nicely with fresh fruit, lemons, grapefruits, peaches and Asian pears, with the slightest earthy tones and a smooth creamy well balanced finish.  This is a 2011 vintage I have tasted, and I believe the 2012 vintage is available.  Can’t wait to taste the new vintage, but Merry Edwards only knows how to make fine wine!  Pick up this gem for around $35.  Also be sure to visit the Merry Edwards website for some fine recipes.  Note: I usually snap a picture of the wine bottle label however I would have only captured a portion of this gorgeous label, so I downloaded the entire label from Merry Edwards.

Cheers!

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