A Scottish ancestor brought the Mercer clan to the United States, as a solider and doctor under General George Washington in 1747. More than a century later, Dr. Hugh Mercer’s descendants moved out west to Washington and launched five generations of farmers in the Horse Heaven Hills. It wasn’t until 1972, when pioneering viticulturist Dr. Walter Clore convinced Don and Linda Mercer to plant vineyards on their property, starting with Cabernet Sauvignon that is now the celebrated Champoux Vineyard. Today, the Mercer farms span across 13,000 acres along the Columbia River, including more than 2,000 acres under vine and sustainably maintained as Mercer Estates Winery.
At the helm of the 75,000 case winery is winemaker Jessica Munnell, a Ste. Michelle Estates vet with education and experience in winemaking, viticulture and enology. Well-qualified and well-versed in the program, Munnell’s wines vary in styles from the consumer-friendly Mercer Canyon series to the namesake Mercer Estate wines, exemplified in the 2010 Merlot from Columbia Valley. With fruit from both the Horse Heaven Hills estate property and sourced from the Wahluke Slope, the 2010 Merlot is aged in a combination of French and American oak of the course of two years. 100 percent varietal, the nose is large and in charge with black cherry, earth, cigar box and vanilla oak spice aromas. The palate brings forth bold and dark fruit flavors of cherry and blueberry backed by spice, while a polished and balanced texture enhanced with gripping tannins and bright acid plays out the finish.
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