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Thursday, November 16, 2017

Wine Review: Mercer Sharp Sisters Red Blend 2015

Mercer Sharp Sisters Red Blend 2015

I'm reviewing three wines by Mercer this month. I love this winery, guys, because they make good wine in the most comfortable of price ranges for the average fine wine consumer. They're a relief to see on a wine list full of Mirassou's and Dark Horses (aka fermented Pixy Stix), because you know they're going to be solid. I also love Mercer because I love Horse Heaven Hills. And because I love Washington State. I'm starting off with their 2015 Sharp Sisters Red Blend, then going to their 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, and topping it off with their 2015 Malbec.

The Mercer family came to the United States in 1747, and they made it to Washington in 1886 when Willis Mercer decided to hang his hat in Prosser. Here they were mainly sheep herders, and for almost two hundred years they used Willis' land for sheep and other forms of farming before wine got involved. It wasn't until 1972 that they decided to try some viticulture. Bob and Linda Mercer started growing grapes on their "Block 1" lot, the very first vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is now a rather large region within the Columbia Valley of Washington, and it makes some of the best new-world Merlot I've ever had.

The 2015 Sharp Sisters Red Blend is 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Syrah, 18% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot, 10% Grenache, and 2% Carignan, all from estate vineyards. The Merlot is from Dead Canyon Vineyard, the Cabernet Sauvignon is from Eagle & Plow Vineyard, and the Petit Verdot is from Milt's Vineyard. Then the Grenache, Syrah and Carignan are all from Spice Cabinet Vineyard. Each lot was aged for 18 months in French and American oak barrels separately, and blended before being bottled. It has a final ABV of 14.8%.

Right away you can tell that the Syrah in this blend owns the wine. The purplish red for color and the aromas on the nose scream "It's Syrah, mothabitches! Come get some!". There's aromas of plums, blackberries, black olive, and vanilla with other spices. This nose smells sticky. Like if you put your finger in the wine it would stick to your finger and you could pull the liquid up with it.

On the palate it's rich and full bodied with a good salty savoriness and sweet, sticky tannin. There's flavors of plums, raspberries, blackberries, vanilla, black pepper, and green peppers. What a fruit bomb with intriguing additions. It finishes with blackberries, vanilla, and that salty savoriness.

This is meant to be a juicy quaffer without pretension and that's exactly what it is. If you know somebody that's into Apothic or Ravage or Carnivore or any of those other fakers posing as quality wine fruit bombs, slip them a bottle of this. This is how a juicy quaffer of a quality wine fruit bomb is done, homie.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $20
Rating: 3.5/5 = Satisfying / Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.


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