Brave New World

Technology has always been something of a fascination, and the integration of said technology with the world of wine is long overdue, I think I heard someone saying at some juncture in time (or at least the ravings of my own paranoid mind).  I’ve dabbled in it before, the use of Skype® in a wine tasting, primarily as a wine blogger in a former life, with organizations such as Wines of Chile, as well as working with distributors, but nothing like what we did this past week with Mercer Estates from Washington State.

I make no bones about my love affair with Washington Wine.  It’s pretty apparent whenever you spend more than a few moments with me in the store.  I’ll figure out some way to wiggle Washington into our conversation.  So I was more than a bit pumped when we hooked up with Mercer winemaker Jessica Munnell to help launch our little Virtual Wine Tasting series – which we have yet to come up with a cool BRAND name yet.

We had some technical difficulties – if you knew me, that would certainly be synonymous with yours truly – and true to form, it was down to the wire when we got everything dialed in, yet the event came off pretty well, as Jessica led our guests through 6 of her wines, as well as a little virtual wine tour of my favorite state.

Mercer Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014.  Not too tart, this lemon-themed, crisp white wine surprised a lot of folks.  There were hints of cilantro, white pepper and jalapeno skin intermingled with lemon and lime notes, and a touch of guava.

Mercer Estate Chardonnay 2015.  Seeing some barrel fermentation and malolactic fermentation, this creamy white wine gives you green apples, pears and a hint of pineapple with its notes of baking spice and vanilla custard.

Mercer Estate Viognier Spice Cabinet Vineyard 2013.  It’s interesting that questions began really once we tasted this beauty, a single-vineyard white Rhone wine that along with its notes of peaches, apricots and honeysuckle, really evoked thoughts of a Sunday brunch with some nuances of cantaloupe and banana.

Mercer Estate Merlot 2013.  I feel like Mercer really shines when you get to the reds, and this Merlot doesn’t disappoint.  Juicy and full-bodied, there is a lot of lovely red and blue fruit from start-to-finish.  Blended with a little bit of Syrah and Cab to give it more depth, this is a killer example of how Washington Merlot shines brighter than California.

Mercer Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.  Blended with Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot, this big, bold red shows off full-bodied black fruit, espresso bean and mocha notes.
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Robert Willis Malbec 2013.  This is the wine Jessica and her team are really excited about – Malbec from Washington State.  Mercer has made a big stake in the Malbec biz, and this expressive, richly-textured red is bold, full-bodied and full of smoky, jammy blue and black fruits, oak spices and hints of leather, plum and crushed violets.  A lot of new believers after this one!

In many ways, it was a glimpse into the future here at Jungle Jim’s, as we (and the boss man included as he was there in attendance) saw the infinite possibilities of integrating technology and wine nerdiness together in a new collaboration for the future.  I personally want to thank Jessica Munnell and everyone at Mercer Estates for helping us take a giant leap forward into the postmodern world of wine.  

​Stay tuned!  We’re just getting started.