Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2020 - 75cl
Merry Edwards built her name on Russian River Pinot Noir so precise it became a benchmark, and the winery she founded still sets a high bar. This Sonoma Coast bottling is the more approachable, wider-drawn wine of the range, a blend across cooler coastal sites rather than a single vineyard, and it is a lovely introduction to the house style.
Honesty first, because 2020 deserves it. That summer's wildfires smoked large parts of Sonoma, and plenty of producers quietly declined to bottle their reds. Merry Edwards did release this wine, and the critics backed the call, with James Suckling and others landing it around 93 points. What you get is classic cool-climate Pinot: red cherry and raspberry, a note of cassis and dried fig, sweet baking spice and sandalwood from ten months in French oak, only a fifth of it new. The texture is the giveaway of a good address, silky and fine-boned, with gentle tannin and a rose-petal lift on the finish. Some tasters, myself included, pick up a faint savoury, smoky thread beneath the fruit, subtle, and to my mind more seasoning than fault, but you should know it is there given the year.
So buy it with clear eyes. Don't lay it down for a decade on the strength of the vintage; enjoy it over the next few years while its perfume and silk are singing. If you love Sonoma Pinot and want the Merry Edwards signature without the single-vineyard price, it delivers.
Chill it lightly, pour it into a big glass, and let the fragrance do the rest.
How to Serve
Serve cool, around 16C. No need to decant; a large Pinot/Burgundy bowl shows off the perfume. Drink over the next few years.
Where to Drink It
- The Wolseley, Piccadilly - a glass alongside the roast of the day.
- Dandy, Newington Green - a small, clever kitchen that suits fragrant Pinot.
- Noble Rot, Soho - happy to slot a Sonoma Pinot in beside the Burgundy.
Food Pairings
Roast duck breast with cherries, or seared salmon and pan juices.
