Please The Palate | Following Merry Edwards North

When I first started learning about wine, certain bottles stood out, and I will never forget them. Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was one of them

I was falling in love with Pinot Noir, and this wine struck a chord. I loved the dark cherry aromas and structure of the Russian River Pinot Noirs. Merry Edwards was also one of the pioneering women in California wine. And then there was the label; the image of two hands holding clusters of grapes was distinctive and immediately recognizable.

At the time, Merry Edwards wines were not something I regularly saw on retail shelves. I only saw them on restaurant wine lists, so when I found a bottle, I got excited.

More than two decades later, I traveled north to visit Merry Edwards Winery. But this time, my journey did not end in the Russian River Valley. I continued farther north to Anderson Valley, where Merry Edwards has established a new outpost and is exploring another cool-climate expression of the grape that has defined the winery.

The timing of my visit was particularly fitting. Merry Edwards was recently named the 2026 American Wine Legend in Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Awards, recognizing her pioneering role in California winemaking. While the award celebrates her remarkable career, my visits to the winery’s Russian River Valley home and its newer Anderson Valley outpost offered a chance to see how her legacy continues to evolve.

I recently shared my visit to Merry Edwards in the Russian River Valley and the Anderson Valley on Please The Palate Substack.

Continue reading the full story here.

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