Ophiolite Cellars Merlot Russian River Valley 2022

Winemaker Nicole Lee’s background in Geology informs her techniques and style of winemaking with every wine she makes. In establishing her brand, Ophiolite Cellars, she seeks to highlight the foundation of soil composition and its impact on the grapes grown in California. Nicole’s own words are simple – “rocks are flavor.” They are the “building blocks” upon which we plant all vineyards and are emblematic of the nature side of the winemaking relationship. Nicole implements sustainable practices to showcase the “purity of earth” in her wines, representing the other half of this relationship: craftsmanship.

The winding road of Nicole’s wine career started on the East Coast, where she earned a degree in geology from SUNY Oneonta. After graduation, she quickly moved across the country to California and began working in a laboratory. However, working indoors proved incompatible for her, and she pivoted to work at a wine bar while seeking a position that would allow her time in nature. Fatefully, she met a winemaker who regularly visited the wine bar and offered to take her on as a full-time employee and mentor her. She worked for his winery, Rominger West, for three years before moving to Yolo County at Putah Creek Winery for four years, and then interning for harvests in Napa and New Zealand. Upon returning to California, she earned a winemaking certificate from UC Davis and became the winemaker at Berryessa Gap Vineyards. And in 2024, she launched Ophiolite Cellars with her flagship wine, Russian River Valley Merlot.

Nicole is most intrigued by the vineyards she’s worked with in California, as the geological sources and soils are the most varied. Her Merlot comes from the Pedroni Vineyard in Russian River Valley and lies at the far western edge of the sub-AVA of Chalk Hill. While the namesake white soils appear chalky, they comprise quartzite volcanic ash, clay, sand, and silty loam. This mix is a winning combination for grape growing as it is not particularly fertile, forcing vines to struggle and root deeper and preventing high yields of less flavorful fruit. Pedroni’s higher elevation from the valley floor also provides a cooler climate and allows the Merlot to ripen over a more extended period, achieving balanced, nuanced berries.

Ophiolite defines micro-winery as Nicole produced only two barrels of the 2022 Merlot. Nicole hand-harvested the grapes before cold-soaking them ahead of fermentation. After fermentation was complete, she pressed the grapes using a traditional basket press into once-used French oak barrels. With 20 months of aging, the finished wine is silky soft on the palate with rounded tannins and a refreshing zip of acidity along the finish. Blue and red fruit notes lead the aromas with highlights of jammy, spiced tones that give way to underlying earth and floral layers.