Merry Edwards Pinot Noir
Meredith Estate Vineyard
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In 1996, Merry purchased this 24-acre site, an abandoned apple orchard southwest of the Sebastopol city limits. Two years later, she and her husband, Ken Coopersmith, converted the entire parcel to Pinot Noir. Meredith Estate vineyard grows in an area known locally as the Sebastopol Hills. On this cool southern edge of Russian River Valley, summer fog shrouds the area, typically until midday.
Ken and Merry carefully monitor vine growth, guiding a dedicated vineyard crew to position shoots and thin the crop three to four times each growing season. They determine irrigation requirements by measuring precisely the moisture content of the grape leaves.
Stewardship of the land includes the use of sustainable, renewable farming practices. A cover crop perennially reseeds itself between the vine rows, reducing erosion of the steep, sloping terrain and supporting beneficial insect populations. Natural amendments, including grape pomace and mushroom compost, replenish the soil with valuable micronutrients. Merry and Ken installed owl boxes and hawk perches to encourage natural control of rodents and other pests. The irrigation pond, stocked with turtles, trout and catfish, is home to the resident green heron and blue egrets.
Acres: 24 total; 20 planted
Exposure: South/southeast; 8-12% slope
Soil type: Goldridge Sandy Loam
Year planted: 1998
Rootstocks: 10114 and Schwarzmann
Scion wood clones: Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777; field selection: Joseph Swan Vineyard, 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
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