Merry Edwards, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2009

 Named after her husband, Ken Coopersmith, this Pinot Noir has a family resemblance to the Merry Edwards’s Meredith Estate bottling, showing richness and power without being over the edge.  Despite its reliance on younger vines, it’s even more complex at this stage with leafy and spicy elements supporting deep black fruit flavors. Additional mouth-filling flavors emerge with each sip.  But the balance and liveliness is what’s so remarkable about this powerful Pinot Noir.  Similar to the Meredith Estate (also reviewed this week), it too, was better on the third night.  The 2009 Coopersmith is another excellent choice for the cellar.  If forced to drink it now, decant it several hours in advance.