Sonoma County trailblazing winemaker Merry Edwards sells Sebastopol winery to Champagne maker

Acclaimed Sonoma County winemaker Merry Edwards, one of California’s first female vintners, has sold her Sebastopol winery and tasting room plus 79 acres of vineyards to French champagne maker Louis Roederer Champagne House.

The sale price was not disclosed. Edwards and her husband, Ken Coopersmith, will continue to work for one year as Roederer searches for a general manager.

The sale follows the October announcement that Edwards was stepping down as winemaker of her namesake brand she founded in 1997 and turning over the reins to associate winemaker Heidi von der Mehden.

The acquisition adds to the growing portfolio in the United States for Roederer, which has so far focused on Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley. The company owns Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars and Domaine Anderson in the acclaimed wine region known for its pinot noir. It owns 620 acres of vineyards there and produces about 138,000 wine cases annually among the labels.

Edwards said in a statement she bonded with Frédéric Rouzaud, CEO and president of Louis Roederer Champagne House, especially given that the company has been in the same family hands through seven generations since 1832.

“In Frédéric, I have found a true soulmate to pass on the company to which I have devoted my life these past 21 years. I know my legacy is in good hands for the years to come as a member of the Maison Louis Roederer family,” Edwards said.