Tank Talk with Heidi von der Mehden, Winemaker, Merry Edwards Winery

Santa Rosa, California. It's in the middle of wine country. I went to school with kids whose families were in the industry. I now work with many of these former classmates as colleagues.

Well, kind of. Our Maefield Estate Vineyard Guesthouse is located near the town of Forestville and the Laguna de Santa Rosa in an area known as Laguna Ridge. When Merry purchased this property, it contained a small, untended vineyard, fruit trees and chicken coops, and most everything on the site was in general disrepair. In 2015, after significant prep work, the vineyard was planted to Sauvignon Blanc, despite it being on prime Pinot Noir land. (That is how seriously we take our Sauvignon Blanc.) The 2018 vintage of our Sauvignon Blanc was the first vintage where we had the majority of the fruit come from our estate vineyards, which is always our goal. The Maefield house is a 3,000-square-foot home that features en-suite bedrooms, a fully functional chef's kitchen, stunning dining area, sauna and hot tub.

Merry Edwards began her quest to acquire complete control over the winemaking process in 1996, when she purchased land in the Sebastopol Hills of Russian River Valley that would become the winery's premier single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottling, Meredith Estate. We are now farming all of Meredith Estate organically and intend to attain certification eventually, but stewardship of this site has always included the use of sustainable, renewable farming practices. Meredith Estate is the flagship wine of Merry Edwards Winery. It is a wine that balances elegance and power. It has complex aromas of rose petals, wild strawberries, dried violets, tea and baking spice. Its tannins tend to be lush and silky and also full bodied with a lot of depth. It is a wine crafted for aging.

Merry Edwards Winery was founded and built by yes, a woman, more than 25 years ago. And even after Merry's retirement in 2020, we are still a women-led business. We continue to be mentors, innovators and tireless workers like the founder who came before us. Merry was a lot of fun to work with. She was always experimenting with new ideas and trying new things. She liked action, which made it exciting to work with her.

When I started at Merry Edwards, I had already been in the wine industry for almost 15 years. My most recent experience had been taking over winemaking at Arrowood Winery from Richard Arrowood. Therefore, I already had the experience of being able to learn from an industry icon. I understood the balance of respecting a founder's brand and way of winemaking, while moving it forward.

The attention to detail that goes into growing and making our wines is phenomenal. From pruning to the vigor of each vine in winter to bringing in the last grape at harvest, from barrel selection to blending to bottling, each aspect is scrutinized. We firmly believe everything we do has an effect on the end product, so we treat our vineyards and land, our crop and each other with the respect they deserve.

My job is always interesting because I'm at the mercy of Mother Nature. I have to be ready to deal with all sorts of curveballs she throws at me, from frost to extreme heat, to smoke. Also, you almost have to be a jack of all trades, as a winemaker. Aside from making wine, I'm dealing with romantic things like waste water treatment systems, maintenance of a winery building, government compliance, sales and marketing.

My education was mostly on the job. Later in my career I did the UC Davis certificate course. (I received my degree in chemistry from Santa Clara University in 1997.) Some of my other experiences included working in a custom crush winery where I saw a variety of ideas about how to make wine from a diverse group of winemakers. That still helps me to deal with the different challenges that I encounter today as a winemaker.

I would say the fog. It regulates the temperatures so that we get the best flavor development in the grapes. The fog hangs in longer during the day, so it is a cooler area.

No. I find excitement and wonder! There's always something new to observe and think about. It gets my mind turning to new ideas.

Walking the vineyards right before harvest.

All of my harvests, except one, have been in Sonoma County: Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Knights' Valley. I did one harvest at Babich in New Zealand. I love that country.

Pinot Noir it is.

Pinot Noir with barbequed leg of lamb!

Champagne and raw oysters. Sauvignon Blanc with fresh Dungeness Crab.

My go-to is Italian because my mom is of Italian origin. She's an amazing cook. But I truly love any cuisine that is authentic.

I have two little boys, ages 9 and 6, and an amazing husband who takes care of everything for us when I'm in the middle of harvest. The boys love to come to the winery: I have lots of fun equipment to show off and many acres of vineyards to run through.

Now that my two sons are a little older, I'm starting to consider hobbies more seriously again. I am an active person who likes to do a variety of fun things (running, snowboarding, gardening, traveling, camping), but I am not focused on one specific thing at this time.

I served in the Peace Corps as a Secondary School Chemistry teacher after college. I served in Tanzania and I took 2 groups of my students to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro while there.

I loved it too! Thank you.