Coopersmith sits on the rolling Laguna Ridge near the town of Sebastopol, just west of the wintertime lake - Laguna de Santa Rosa.  Merry Edwards and her husband Ken Coopersmith purchased the nine-and-a-half acre apple orchard in 1999.  They planted this Russian River Valley vineyard to Pinot Noir in the summer of 2001. 

Practicing sustainable farming, Merry and Ken pampered the young vines with micronutrients derived from generous applications of organic oak-based mushroom compost, provided by their neighbor, Gourmet Mushrooms.  Originally the home of Haven Best’s organic apples, the site is proving itself even with the first production.  The inaugural 2004 bottling of Merry Edwards Coopersmith Pinot Noir presents aromas lush with chocolate and cherries, and rich, supple tannins.

Acreage:                     9.5 acres; 8.5 planted

Exposure:                   South/south-east

Soil type:                    Sebastopol Sandy Loam

Rootstocks:               10114 and Schwarzmann

Scion wood clones:    Dijon 828
                                   UCD 37 (isolated by Merry Edwards
                                   at Mount Eden Vineyard, aka the
                                   Merry Edwards selection)

Vine Spacing:            5 x 8 feet, vertical trellis

Appellation:               Russian River Valley