Oh, my stars! Merry Edwards’ Cuvee Eclipse shines

Have you ever known one of those humans with absurd musical abilities? Someone who succeeds easily in one discipline or instrument but can pick up another and master it in no time?

My father is just that type of person. He excelled early at the piano and from there picked up guitar, bass, accordion, harmonica, drums, and a few more I’m sure I missed. When living in Ukraine, he even taught himself how to play the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian folk instrument with dozens of strings. Meanwhile, I spent years attempting to be a mediocre guitarist, and failed. Some folks just have a knack for it.

Credit: Merry Edwards Winery

I was thinking of this concept as I tasted Merry Edwards’ new sparkling wine, the 2017 Cuvée Eclipse. It’s a Pinot Noir Champagne-method sparkling wine -- which aren’t easy to make. The process is complicated, the fruit needs to be just right, the execution just so. These wines speak so clearly that faults, should there be any, are laid bare.

See, Merry Edwards Winery is a Sonoma Pinot Noir legend. One of the pioneers of Pinot in Sonoma in the 1970s, Merry and her eponymous winery have been crafting elegant, exciting wines from different sites, expressing the diversity and purity of this grape.

But it was another project of excellence that drew me to this winery. It was sometime in the late 2000s when I discovered their Sauvignon Blanc. I had seen some rave reviews and had to try a bottle for myself. Not expecting all that much (Sauv Blanc just isn’t my thing), the wine blew me away, and I’ve returned to it many times over the years.

Since then, I’ve visited the winery several time, tasted dozens and dozens of new releases, and kept up with the winery’s changes and new vineyard sources. Merry retired in 2020, but the transition to winemaker Heidi von der Mehden has been seamless. The Sonoma County native worked side-by-side with Merry for several vintages before taking over, and the last four years have seen an excellent run of releases and stoke-inducing wines, and keeping the same signature and artistic expression alive.

Like my dad picking up a new instrument, the winery has a new player in its orchestra, and it works perfectly.

The new wine dates back to August 21, 2017 – the last total solar eclipse visible from North America. As this amazing event unfolded, the first grapes from the Richaven Vineyard, at Merry’s home, were harvested. After years of work, aging, and refinement, the wine is out and ready – just in time for the April 8 total solar eclipse.

A few very good friends of mine are driving to see the path of totality (in Ohio), but I will sadly not be able to join them. However, when tasting this wine, I get a deep impression of a singular event that, like the coming eclipse, will create lasting memories.

If you’re making plans to view the upcoming total solar eclipse, and you like sparkling wine, this is a no-brainer. But if you’re also just generally a Pinot fan and you want a killer sparkling wine to blind-taste your Champagne nerd friends on, this is a great choice. I really think it’ll excel in the cellar for a decade-plus.

This wine was received as a sample and tasted sighted.

2017 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Cuvée Eclipse - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
SRP: $100
Pale copper color. The aromas are popping with all sorts of red apples, papaya, orange peel, and strawberry, with nuances of chalk dust and limestone. Add in some honeysuckle, whipped cream, bread crumbs, and almond skin and this is just a pleasure to sniff. On the palate, this wine is vibrant and with precise acidity but a rich textural depth, precise bubbles, and the balance is on point. Beautiful fruit expression, a mix of lemon, white peach, yellow apples, crunchy green pears, mixed with elegant tones of almond skin, lemon crème, honeyed white tea, chalk dust, bread crumbs, hints of shaved ginger. Beautiful richness/raciness combination, and the flavors are exciting and dynamic. I’m so glad they tried this wine, and it exceeded my high expectations. 100% Pinot Noir, 8.5 g/l of sugar, and aged six years on the lees. (95 points)