Mercer Bros. Chardonnay 2016
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Notes of butterscotch, honey, fresh lime, toasty crème brulee greet you on the nose finishing off with undertones of fresh Granny Smith apple. The full bodied fruit is balanced by clean bright acidity that leads into a soft, savory finish.
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Mercer, a pioneer of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in southeastern Washington State, first settled in the area in 1886 as part of the sheep, cattle, and farming business. This bright, spritely white offers aromas of peach and vanilla. The playfulness continues on the palate with notes of Gala apple, peach, and brioche. A charmer that offers amazing value.
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Mercer Bros. Will and Rob continue the independent spirit of their great grandfather, who settled in remote eastern Washington’s Columbia Valley in 1886 to begin the family farm. In 1972 the third generation Mercers pioneered wine growing in the area, planting on the same land the vines that produced Washington’s first 100-point wines from Robert Parker. The Mercers founded the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, now Washington’s highest scoring appellation for Cabernet Sauvignons. Mercer Bros. wines are predominantly estate grown, including some of Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines dating to 1972.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
"Surely this is Horse Heaven!”
Its wide prairies and rolling expanses led an early pioneer to proclaim that the region looked like “horse heaven,” and as a result, the area was appropriately named. Horse Heaven Hills is in south central Washington state, geographically bound on its northern border by the Yakima River and in the south, by the larger Columbia River.
Its proximity to the Columbia River contributes to a variety of climactic factors that dramatically affect its grapes. In particular, an increase in wind from changes in pressure along the river, which flows from the cool and wet Pacific Ocean, inland to Washington’s hot and arid plains, creates 30% more wind than there would be otherwise. These winds moderate temperatures, protect against mold and rot, reduce the risk of early and late season frosts, diminish canopy size and toughen grape skins.
The vineyards bordering the river are on steep, south-facing, well-exposed slopes, with well-drained, sandy-loam soils. But the soils of the appellation are diverse throughout, ranging from wind-blown sand and loess, Missoula Flood sediment, and rocky basalt. Horse Heaven Hills has an arid continental climate with elevations ranging from 200 to 1,800 feet.
The first vines of the appellation were planted in 1972 in an optimal spot now referred to as the Champoux Vineyard. Today it remains the source of some of Washington’s most desirable and expensive Cabernet Sauvignons. In fact, the appellation as a whole boasts many of Washington’s top scoring wines. Its primary grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.