Punch Down Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast Reviews
 |  Merry Edwards has been called the Queen of Pinot (Reine de Pinot) and with adept reason. Edwards, a veteran California winemaker, who Vineyardist Ken Coopersmith, Edwards' husband and partner, is no mere espoused to the Queen of Pinot, since he is known in vino circles as "Roi de Sauvignon Blanc." Ane more mention (I hope) of wine royalty: There is at least one other woman winemaker making a claim to the Pinot crown, although her selection of title outwardly appears to take little to do with wine. Lane Tanner, of Lane Tanner Wines in Santa Maria, refers to herself as the Pinot Czarina. For longer than near Californians care to call up, there has long been a political, economic and social struggle, more often than not under the radar, betwixt Northern and Southern California and what nosotros have hither might but exist another attempt to wrest bragging rights in one role or another in the Gilt Land. But that's a story for another column. My never-ending quest to notice new Pinot Noirs and their makers, while non ignoring the tried and truthful winemakers, has brought me to the door of the Merry Edwards Winery. For more than two decades, Edwards made wine at Mountain Eden and Laurier and when I beginning met her, she was with Matanzas Creek, in Bennett Valley. She was making Bordeaux-style reds then, though her middle was with Pinot Noir. Merely Edwards didn't desire to just brand Pinot Noir whatever sometime way; she wanted to employ the outstanding grapes being grown in the Russian River Valley, one of the premier regions in California for Pinot. Vineyard pick is an important office of Edward's approach to making Pinot Noir. She sources grapes from eight different Russian River Valley Pinot vineyards, four of which are estate (Coopersmith, Cresta d'Oro, Meredith, Georganne), the others under long-term contracts. The current 2007 releases include single vineyard Pinot Noirs from Flax, Coopersmith, Tobias Glen, Klopp Ranch and Meredith Manor. In Why Russian River and non Carneros, Santa Barbara or Anderson Valley for Pinot Noir? "Russian River Valley is unique in its kaleidoscopic fruit graphic symbol and full rich texture," says Edwards. She cites the wide summertime temperature swing--as much as 50 degrees from day to night--as a major gene in the production of tannin and colour compounds. Would she consider fruit from another noted Pinot Noir growing expanse? "We are intimately involved in farming our own vineyards and those we purchase from, presently Klopp Ranch and Olivet Lane. With this winegrowing philosophy, it does not make sense for us to purchase fruit from a distant site. Our investment is in the Russian River Valley because we believe this is the all-time place in the world to grow Pinot Noir." Clonal textile is commonplace today for a number of varieties and Pinot Noir is no slacker in the clone section. Bring a agglomeration of Pinot Noir winemakers together and the chat is likely to veer off into a coded chatter of words and numbers: Pommard, Swan, Martini, Dijon 115, 677, 777, 828, ad infinitum. But is it important to lucifer specific clones to a select vineyard site? "Relatively few clones or field selections brand peachy Pinot Noir. Thus it'south critical to brand the 'right' pick," claims Edwards. She adds that Pinot Noir has a high charge per unit of mutation and so it's of import to match the site with the specific clone and not just autumn dorsum on what's currently fashionable. Fashion is indeed au courant in many Pinot Noir vineyards and you lot might fifty-fifty say in the winery likewise with such popular cellar techniques every bit pump-over vs. punch-downwardly, oak butt selection and fermentation processes similar "Methode Ancienne" vs. stainless steel. Reasons for using more traditional fermenting methods with Pinot Noir vary. When asked by British wine writer Jancis Robinson to explain the front label term Methode Ancienne on his Pinot Noir, Ted Bennett, possessor of Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino's Andersen Valley said, "Methode Ancienne is a fancy way to say 'old fashioned manner,' and it refers to the fact that we gently punch down the cap of our fermenting Pinot Noir rather than pumping over. It is a labor intensive way to make Pinot merely it helps minimize harsh tannins and enhances the brilliant fruit." Merry Edwards says that the method allows her "to pamper the wines a bit more as they are fermented in our smallest iii to 5 ton open-acme tanks." She notes that the designation Methode Ancienne will be phased out by 2014 to make room on the front characterization for the required Sonoma Canton appellation. Edwards uses just open tiptop fermenters, equipped with an automated punch down device that takes the hard work out of paw punch downs. In the past, the task of pumping over normally cruel to a junior cellar rat balancing on a plank across the top of an open fermenter, working a long pole with a flat board on the concern end, laboriously punching holes through the dense cap of stems and skins. Today, many wineries have hydraulic dial-downwards devices that can exist moved from tank to tank. Some other "stylish" technique (and topic) among Pinot Noir producers is oak types and cooperages. Although Edwards has experimented with American oak for Pinot Noir, she doesn't recollect it is compatible nor does it enhance the wine. "For our Pinots we use French oak exclusively and all of our Pinots are butt anile for 10 months." Edwards uses barrels from as many as eight French cooperages, with percentages of new oak ranging from 55% to 82%. She adds that Each of Edward's single vineyard Pinot Noirs has its ain personality, normally requiring slightly different techniques in the cellar. Winemakers will oftentimes add a percentage of woody stems and/or whole grape clusters (that include stems) to the fermenting mass, believing it adds structure and dimension not usually achieved by fermenting de-stemmed berries. Edwards supplements the Olivet Lane Pinot Noir with about 25-30% whole clusters, but for the Flax she has found that 10% whole cluster is all-time. Coppersmith and Meredith Estate commonly do not take whole cluster additions. For her, it'due south a matter of personal preference based on lots of experimenting with different vineyards and different clones. Almost winemakers today would be satisfied merely to make wine, just the demands of the modern market require than to do much more than. I asked Edwards how she answers the question of comparing California Pinot Noir with French Burgundy. "I experience that comparisons with other regions are not really relevant." She does allow though that "wines (Pinot Noirs) from California and more specifically from Russian River Valley, are rivaling the French…the wines don't have to exist the same to both exist of equal quality. California certainly has a higher value/cost ratio than Burgundy." Finally, I asked Edwards near contest for Pinot Noir from Syrah and if she thought Pinot Noir was gaining in popularity on Cabernet Sauvignon? "I don't see Syrah as a contender," she said. "It seems obvious that Pinot Noir is gaining in popularity compared with Cabernet. Why else are the Napa Cab producers coming to the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast?" Although some of the 2008 Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs are entering the market place at present, the highly-vaunted 2007 single vineyard Pinots are currently available. "I tin can't think of a previous vintage comparable to 2007," says Edwards. "Perhaps 2000 or 2003 were somewhat similar. Information technology (2007) was a dream vintage considering the high quality of the grapes fabricated winemaking easy. As we were involved with the construction of a new winery that twelvemonth, an easy vintage was a wonderful matter." |  |
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operates out of her eponymous winery in Sebastopol, in western Sonoma Canton, is considered to be one of the leading experts on California Pinot Noir--which is no mean feat when yous count the number of winemakers getting into the Pinot derby of late. 
an odd chip of irony, and another example of questionable authorities activeness, a recently approved regulation will require Merry Edwards and other Sonoma County wineries to redesign their front labels to include the Sonoma Canton appellation by 2014. 
"each vineyard-designated Pinot Noir has its own 'favorite' cooper or mix of coopers that match well with the wine and help heighten or complement specific characters." Source: http://www.winereviewonline.com/Gerald_Boyd_on_Merry_Edwards.cfm
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