Nearly fifty years ago the Mercer family planted the first wine grapes in the Columbia Valley’s Horse Heaven Hills, on land our great-grandfather settled in 1886. We strive to maintain Willis Mercer’s independent spirit in our wines, grown predominantly from these original vineyards – tended by us, made by us.
This wine gives aromas of ripe red fruit, blackberry pie, dried cranberries with hints of brown sugar and warm baking spices. Powdery tannins lend structure to this wine, while maintaining elegance and ending in a long lingering finnish.
estate vineyards:
The fruit for this wine was grown at our estate vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. The fruit is exposed to dappled sunlight, allowing for uniform ripening and flavor development. Well balanced crop levels have allowed us to create wines with great depth and concentration.
WINEMAKING:
These grapes were picked and immediately sorted in the vineyard. The fruit was not crushed in order to preserve as much whole-berry as possible. At the winery, individual lots were fermented in stainless steel tanks. Twice daily pumpovers allowed gentle extraction of color and tannins. The wine barrel aged for 16 months in 25% New French and 75% American Oak.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
APPELLATION : Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley
BLEND : 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 3% Syrah
ALCOHOL : 14.5%
T.A : 0.53 g/100 ml
PH : 4.01
Pedigree:
2016 Vintage:
91 pts Wine Spectator
91 pts Tasting Panel
91 pts Wine & Spirits
2017 Vintage:
91 pts James Suckling
90 pts – Smart Buys -Wine Spectator
Double Gold – San Fransisco International Wine Competition
TRADE:
Our Chardonnay opens with notes of fresh pear, caramel apple, and honeydew melon surrounded by notes of toasted marshmallow and vanilla cream. A core of acidity keeps the wine fresh on the palate to help balance it’s rich and creamy midpalate.
estate vineyards:
Horse Heaven Hills; our estate Eagle and Plow and Spice Cabinet Vineyards.
WINEMAKING:
The grapes were harvested in the very early hours of the morning so they would arrive to the winery cool. Once at the winery, the grapes went directly to the press where the juice was gently pressed away from the skins. The juice was allowed to cold settle for two days before racking. The juice was inoculated with a Chardonnay specific yeast and allowed to ferment cool over 30 days. A portion of the blend was fermented in barrel to add rich mouth feel and complexity. We inoculated the barrels for malolactic fermentation to help contribute to the creamy mouth feel while preserving the bright natural acidity. All of the barrels were hand stirred throughout malolactic fermentation, further adding to the roundness in the mouth feel.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
APPELLATION : Horse Heaven Hills
BLEND : 100% Chardonnay
ALCOHOL : 13.9%
T.A. : 0.50 g/100 ml
PH : 3.8
RS : Dry
Pedigree:
2018 Vintage:
Berliner Wine Trophy Gold
90pts James Suckling
TRADE:
Notes of candied walnuts, ripe raspberry jam, plum, and dried cranberries mingle with sweet coconut and vanilla. In the palate, the fruit is mocha and blueberries. This wine has a structural core of powdery tannins that are lifted with a touch of acidity. This big, bold Merlot will pair well with many dishes and has amazing aging potential.
estate vineyards:
The grapes for this wine come from our estate vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. The Merlot came from Dead Canyon and Zephyr Ridge vineyards, and the Syrah from our Spice Cabinet Vineyard.
WINEMAKING:
These grapes were sorted in the vineyard with the selective harvest on our Pellenc harvesters. The fruit was not crushed in order to preserve as much whole-berry as possible. At the winery, individual lots were fermented in stainless steel tanks. Twice daily pumpovers allowed gentle extraction of color and tannins. After draining the wine and pressing the skins, the wine was racked to a blend of French and American oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in barrel for 20 months before being blended together for bottling.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
APPELLATION : Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley
BLEND : 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Syrah, 9% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
ALCOHOL : 14.5%
T.A : 0.44 g/100 ml
PH : 3.84
Pedigree:
2017 Vintage:
Outstanding, Great Northwest Wines
Judges Choice, Alberta Beverage Awards
Berliner Wine Trophy Gold
TRADE:
This wine leads with aromas and flavors of bursting ripe, black cherry and plum with notes of milk chocolate, coffee and sweet smoke. All of this lends to a balance of plush fruit and powdery tannins in the mid-palate, ending with a long lingering finish with notes of bing cherry and spice.
estate vineyards:
The fruit for this wine is grown at our acclaimed estate vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills. The fruit is exposed to dappled sunlight, allowing for uniform ripening and flavor development. Well balanced crop levels have allowed us to create wines with great depth and concentration.
WINEMAKING:
These grapes were picked and immediately sorted in the vineyard. The fruit was not crushed in order to preserve as much whole-berry as possible. At the winery, individual lots were fermented in stainless steel tanks. Twice daily pumpovers allowed gentle extraction of color and tannins. This wine barrel aged for 16 months in 25% New French and 75% American Oak.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
APPELLATION : Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley
BLEND : 41% Syrah, 40% Merlot, 13% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon,
2% Grenache
ALCOHOL : 14.5%
T.A : 0.47g/100ml
PH : 3.94
Pedigree:
2017 Vintage:
92 pts, James Suckling
2016 Vintage:
Outstanding, Great Northwest Wines
Editors Choice, Tasting Room Magazine
TRADE:
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