Mercer Wine Estates to open Downtown Walla Walla Tasting Room

k engels

2 years ago

Mercer Wine Estates announces the Grand Opening of their new tasting room at 18 E. Main Street in Walla Walla Washington on July 27, 2024

Finding the historic Martin’s Jewelers space and joining other amazing tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla has been a dream for the Mercer family. For many years, members of the Mercer family have travelled to Walla Walla for recreation, wine tasting, shopping and dining. Brenda (Remus) Mercer graduated from Wa-Hi in 1985, so opening in Walla Walla just feels natural to her. “My first pair of earrings came from Martins. I do feel a sweet connection here”, says Brenda Mercer.

The Mercer family enthusiastically announces the opening of their second tasting room (first tasting room located in Prosser WA, opened 2009). This location will offer the full line of Mercer Small Lot and Reserve wines, plus the new addition of a natural wine brand aptly named Sonova Sage. All Mercer wines hail from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and are grown, harvested, processed and made into wine by the Mercer team. The new location, previously Martin’s Jewelers and originally the People’s Bank of Washington has been renovated with great care to save and showcase some of the original architecture. This interesting setting is a fantastic place to enjoy the nuances of Mercer wines. Days and Hours: Monday through Sunday from 11am-7pm.

RSVP via TOCK – walks-ins welcome.
Purchase Tickets Here

Reagan Mercer, 5th generation of this farming family, will launch and help manage the tasting room. She grew up in Prosser and Richland, graduated college from SMU in Dallas, and has been working for Breakthru Beverage in Chicago for the past few years. She looks forward to this new adventure. “It is thrilling, and it feels special to be able to bring my father’s family wines to my mother’s hometown”, says Reagan Mercer.

Mandy Walters was brought on board as the Hospitality Manager for her leadership, hospitality experience and joyful spirit. Together the two women have put together an eager and educated wine team to offer a top notch, interesting and inviting wine tasting experience. Ashley Stephens and her winemaking team in Prosser plan to spend time in the Walla Walla Tasting Room helping to share the Mercer/Horse Heaven Hills wine story. Sean Kendall, Mercer Wine Estates General Manager worked closely with the building’s owners and the City of Walla Walla to get this project up and running. The Prosser Tasting Room team and Mercer Vineyard team have also been a huge asset in training staff and contributing to this new venture. It is, whole-heartedly, a team effort.

Mercer’s wines will be available by the glass or in a tasting flight format, along with thoughtfully curated light bites. The space will offer indoor and outdoor seating, a grand tasting bar, table seating and lounge seating. The upstairs mezzanine will offer a more casual space to enjoy a glass of Mercer wine and charcuterie. The space will be available to rent for parties or private events, while offering unique experiences for the local public to enjoy.

Mercer offers three collections of wines: Mercer Small Lot wines, consisting of carefully blended single-varietal wines, along with some specially blended wines; a small but distinguished RESERVE collection offering elegant wines with longer barrel programs, special fermentations and aging practices; the Eagle & Plow BLOCK 93 – a veteran-inspired charitable Cabernet Sauvignon (100% of proceeds go to organizations supporting our service men, women and their families – with over $275,000 donated already). Alongside the opening of the new location in Walla Walla, Mercer will launch Sonova Sage Natural Wine made with organically grown grapes, minimal sulphites and wild yeast fermentation. Stay tuned for more information on this gem. “Washington state holds a unique and enviable terroir to grow wine grapes and produce elegant food-friendly wines. The Cabernets are world class and represent some of the very best wines being produced”, Rob Mercer exclaims. Mercer wines have proudly received thousands of accolades for their consistent wine offerings.

In 1886, the Mercer family homesteaded in Prosser and the Horse Heaven Hills, approximately 75 miles west of Walla Walla. Willis Mercer brought his family to southeast Washington and eventually began a sheepherding operation. This continued until 1968 when the Mercer brothers implemented the first irrigation pumps on the Columbia River, allowing the region to grow into the agricultural haven that it is today. In 1972 Don Mercer and his family planted the first wine grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon) in the Horse Heaven Hills, paving the way for its AVA designation in 1983. Some of these original vines were sold to Champoux Vineyards, renowned for multiple 100-point wines. This area has become one of Washington’s premier appellations.

The Horse Heaven Hills have grown agriculturally over the past 50 years and now contribute about 25% of the state’s wine grapes. It also boasts many of Washington’s top 100-point wines. The fertile, basalt laden and sandy soils of this area are the main contributors to its unique terroir. Steady, strong winds, coupled with dozens of canyons and micro-climates differentiate this AVA from others. This AVA is well known for its beautifully developed Cabernet Sauvignon grapes – brimming with color, dusty-tannins and a unique richness. Dappled among the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, wine enthusiasts will also find a spectacular array of Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Riesling (to name a few) vineyards producing the backbone of many favorite Washington wines.

One of the interesting parts of attaining the Martin’s Jewelers space has been to learn the rich history of this deep, three-level downtown location. Mercer contracted with Lindsay Ryan of Skie Architecture Studio and Civil Built, LLC in Walla Walla to design and engineer the remodel. Together they researched and gathered old photos of the building from its original construction. A huge effort was made to preserve and recreate key elements of the building’s past. Before the 50 years as Martin’s Jewelers, the building served as the People’s State Bank, which was sadly the first in the area to fail during the depression. The building still houses several of the original vaults and safes. Lindsey Ryan comments, “As we demolished the remodeled portion, the original neo-classical design slowly unveiled its beautiful details, with the highlight being the discovery of the amazing terrazzo floors, a testament to the enduring charm of bygone eras.” Gerrit DeVos of DeVos Builders jumped on board to help with the restoration and remodel. They were able to work with local contractors such as Walla Walla Electric, WIT Plumbing, Grassi HVAC and Perfection Glass. DeVos has been able to partially restore the floors to their original beauty and recreate the damaged parts of the plaster walls. And in uncovering the walls and ceiling, tasters will enjoy a gorgeously vaulted ceiling and art deco plaster walls. The family hopes that the space serves as an amazing tasting room for their wines and also as a valuable statement of Walla Walla’s early downtown history.

Mercer Wine Estates began making wine in its Prosser location with a first vintage in 2005. The production facility, crush pad and barrel room were finished in 2007. A national wine sales program began in 2008. And the Prosser Tasting Room doors opened in 2009 (3100 Lee Road in Prosser, WA). Mercer Ranches has received numerous Environmental and Sustainability awards for its efforts to preserve this farmland for future generations. Some of the awards include: 2010 Association of Washington Businesses Award of Environmental Excellence for Leading Environmental Practices, Benton Conservation Districts 2010 State Wildlife Farm of the Year, Wine Press Northwest 2016 Winery of the Year, SUSTAINABLE WA certified vineyards accreditation and most recently, New York International Wine Competition Washington Winery of the year 2023.

Visit Mercer Wine Estates

Content and Photos courtesy Mercer Wine Estates

Footnote: Mercer Estates Winery is owned and operated by Rob & Brenda Mercer out of Prosser Washington. Mercer Ranch and Vineyards lie 30 miles south of Prosser in the Horse Heaven Hills, the high plateau overlooking the Columbia River and Oregon’s northern border. The Mercer’s have shepherded this same land since 1886. The family goal is to care for this land and to farm for 1,000 years.