Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard wines from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The winery is known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity as well as its aromatic, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio.

In 2013, Merry and husband Ken purchased a new home in the Sebastopol Hills region of Russian River Valley. This 23-acre property has a lovely hillside facing the ocean, which is seven miles to the west. Just one-half mile down the road from our Meredith Estate vineyard, this site has full benefit of coastal morning fog and cooling afternoon breezes. The soils are well-drained Goldridge sandy loam. Merry’s UCD37 clone and Schwarzmann rootstock were chosen for the 10-acre Pinot Noir vineyard planted on the site in 2015.

The name of the vineyard has its origins in Ken’s family history. He grew up on a 40-acre citrus orchard in Southern California. The family home there was surrounded by an amazing garden tended by his grandfather, B.G., whose last name was Richardson. “Rich” from B.G.’s name was combined with the word “haven” in naming the estate Richaven.

Grapes for this bottling were harvested on Sept. 7, 2022. The Pinot Noir was handpicked and hand sorted in the field and at the winery. Berries were 100% destemmed, with whole berries placed in the fermenter. The fruit was cold soaked for 11 days prior to initiating fermentation. After fermentation finished, the grapes were gently pressed and the resulting wine was aged nine months in 56% new French oak barrels. Bottling was done on Aug. 3, 2023.

This vintage of Richaven has an enchanting perfumed nose, with floral aromas of rose and hibiscus, as well as subtle toasty oak, cocoa, vanilla cola, black pepper and tobacco. In the mouth, sweet oak and red fruit notes support round, rich and very structured tannins. Bittersweet chocolate, bay leaf and thyme linger on the finish.

Sunny days early in the 2022 growing season in Sonoma County led to an early budbreak that began in February. A cold, hard frost that followed threatened the young buds, but proper frost protection limited the damage. The remainder of the spring and summer were quite mild, allowing for steady development and ripening. Harvest began early because of the early budbreak. Warm days in the second half of August and into September allowed the grapes to fully ripen. Yields were lighter than average. Fruit quality was stellar, with smaller berry and cluster sizes, leading to concentrated and flavorful wines.