Founded in 1997 by Merry Edwards, the second woman to graduate UC Davis's enology program and early winemaker at Mount Eden and Matanzas Creek; the Sebastopol estate is known for Sauvignon Blanc and single-vineyard Russian River Pinot. Acquired by Louis Roederer in 2019; Heidi von der Mehden now leads.
Merry Edwards is one of California's most respected winemakers and a pioneering figure in the state's modern Pinot Noir movement. The second woman to graduate from UC Davis's enology master's program in 1973, she went on to make wine at Mount Eden Vineyards (1974–77) and Matanzas Creek (1977–84) before consulting widely through the 1980s and '90s for Liparita, Pellegrini, and others. In 1997 she founded Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol with husband Ken Coopersmith, focusing exclusively on Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir alongside a benchmark, lees-influenced Sauvignon Blanc that became one of California's most celebrated examples of the variety.
Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc — The signature white; barrel-fermented, lees-aged, and widely regarded as one of California's best.
Meredith Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From Merry's first estate vineyard (planted 1998), grown on her own UCD 37 clone.
Klopp Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — A richly fruited single-vineyard bottling.
Olivet Lane Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From a venerable old-vine site on the Santa Rosa plain.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — The flagship appellation blend; a benchmark for the region from the "Queen of Pinot."
In 2019 Maison Louis Roederer of Champagne acquired Merry Edwards Winery, marking the French house's entry into Russian River Pinot Noir and extending its California portfolio beyond Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley. Merry remains involved as winemaker emerita; the day-to-day cellar work is led by Heidi Bridenhagen, who joined Merry in 2008. The Sebastopol winery and tasting room sits on Gravenstein Highway near the Olivet Lane corridor, with single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings from Meredith, Klopp, Olivet Lane, and Coopersmith estates anchoring the lineup. The Sauvignon Blanc remains a flagship. Visits are by reservation with seated educational tastings and limited library wine experiences.
A Sonoma County native and trained chemist, Heidi von der Mehden earned a chemistry degree from Santa Clara University in 1997 and taught high school chemistry in Tanzania with the Peace Corps before putting her science background to work in wine. She returned to Sonoma County as a lab technician, then enologist, at Kenwood Vineyards, spent three years as assistant winemaker at Mauritson, and in 2007 joined Arrowood as associate winemaker under Richard Arrowood, succeeding him as winemaker in 2010. Merry Edwards hired her as associate winemaker in 2015 and, at the start of the 2018 harvest, named her as successor — only the second person to hold the winemaker role at the acclaimed Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc house. She worked alongside Merry until the founder's retirement in 2020, and continues to craft the winery's single-vineyard wines, including the flagship Meredith Estate Pinot Noir.
Merry Edwards was one of California’s first women winemakers — and one of its most influential. After an enology degree at UC Davis, she became founding winemaker at Mount Eden in 1974 and then Matanzas Creek, and developed the celebrated UCD 37 Pinot Noir clone that still carries her name. In 1996 she bought land in the Sebastopol Hills and founded her namesake winery, building a benchmark program of single-vineyard Russian River Pinot Noir and a cult Sauvignon Blanc. She sold to Champagne house Louis Roederer in 2019 and retired from winemaking, leaving a legacy few in California can match.
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Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc — The signature white; barrel-fermented, lees-aged, and widely regarded as one of California's best.
Meredith Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From Merry's first estate vineyard (planted 1998), grown on her own UCD 37 clone.
Klopp Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — A richly fruited single-vineyard bottling.
Olivet Lane Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — From a venerable old-vine site on the Santa Rosa plain.
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — The flagship appellation blend; a benchmark for the region from the "Queen of Pinot."
Merry Edwards is one of California's most respected winemakers and a pioneering figure in the state's modern Pinot Noir movement. The second woman to graduate from UC Davis's enology master's program in 1973, she went on to make wine at Mount Eden Vineyards (1974–77) and Matanzas Creek (1977–84) before consulting widely through the 1980s and '90s for Liparita, Pellegrini, and others. In 1997 she founded Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol with husband Ken Coopersmith, focusing exclusively on Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir alongside a benchmark, lees-influenced Sauvignon Blanc that became one of California's most celebrated examples of the variety.
In 2019 Maison Louis Roederer of Champagne acquired Merry Edwards Winery, marking the French house's entry into Russian River Pinot Noir and extending its California portfolio beyond Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley. Merry remains involved as winemaker emerita; the day-to-day cellar work is led by Heidi Bridenhagen, who joined Merry in 2008. The Sebastopol winery and tasting room sits on Gravenstein Highway near the Olivet Lane corridor, with single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings from Meredith, Klopp, Olivet Lane, and Coopersmith estates anchoring the lineup. The Sauvignon Blanc remains a flagship. Visits are by reservation with seated educational tastings and limited library wine experiences.
A Sonoma County native and trained chemist, Heidi von der Mehden earned a chemistry degree from Santa Clara University in 1997 and taught high school chemistry in Tanzania with the Peace Corps before putting her science background to work in wine. She returned to Sonoma County as a lab technician, then enologist, at Kenwood Vineyards, spent three years as assistant winemaker at Mauritson, and in 2007 joined Arrowood as associate winemaker under Richard Arrowood, succeeding him as winemaker in 2010. Merry Edwards hired her as associate winemaker in 2015 and, at the start of the 2018 harvest, named her as successor — only the second person to hold the winemaker role at the acclaimed Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc house. She worked alongside Merry until the founder's retirement in 2020, and continues to craft the winery's single-vineyard wines, including the flagship Meredith Estate Pinot Noir.
Merry Edwards was one of California’s first women winemakers — and one of its most influential. After an enology degree at UC Davis, she became founding winemaker at Mount Eden in 1974 and then Matanzas Creek, and developed the celebrated UCD 37 Pinot Noir clone that still carries her name. In 1996 she bought land in the Sebastopol Hills and founded her namesake winery, building a benchmark program of single-vineyard Russian River Pinot Noir and a cult Sauvignon Blanc. She sold to Champagne house Louis Roederer in 2019 and retired from winemaking, leaving a legacy few in California can match.
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