Mark your calendars for the fourth annual Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival on August 10 at Four Points by Sheraton. This is our favorite local summer wine event. Whether you live in Bellingham, Birch Bay, other parts of Whatcom County, or the Vancouver and Seattle areas, save the date and prepare to have fun. More than 55 wineries from Washington, Oregon and Idaho will be pouring up to 150 different wines. Two local distilleries and at least one northwest brewery will also participate.
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Tag Archives: Mercer wine
Mercer Estates
Mercer Estates has been growing grapes in Prosser since 1972, the first to plant in Horse Heaven Hills. Of note, Block 1 later became the highly acclaimed Champoux Vineyard.
But the family’s history in Prosser began in 1886, three years before Washington became a state. In 1915, the family began herding sheep; In 1958, Mercer Ranches incorporated.
The Mercer family made their first vintage of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, in 2005. Four years later, their Prosser tasting room opened. (Earlier this year, a second tasting room opened in Seattle.) In 2011, Don and Linda Mercer received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. Last year, Wine Press Northwest named Mercer Estates the “2016 Washington Winery of the Year.”
Wow! So it’s not surprising that we have been fans for quite a few years now, and Mercer’s recent releases continue to impress. The winery produces three tiers of brands: Mercer Canyons is the most affordable; Mercer Estates is mid-range; and Mercer Reserve has the highest price point.
We were fortunate to receive samples of three new releases — Malbec, Sharp Sisters Red Blend and Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to three Cab Sauvs from all three tiers. First, the new releases.
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