Mercer Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Mercer Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Mercer Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, From Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Valley, Washington.

Aromas of ripe blackberries, black current, savory herb, and sweet ripe tobacco are highlighted by barrel spices of vanilla and mesquite. The ripe fruit flavors carry through in the palate with a light touch of acidity. Sleek tannins lead into powdery tannins on the finish.

A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux’s Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.

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.

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.