Big Teepee Vineyard, a small 5-acre site, sits adjacent to the Mercer family farm office (hence, the name). It is a bit of an enigma with regards to terroir. First planted primarily as a landscape improvement, the vineyard consistently produces a Cabernet of extremely deep color with a very healthy dose of rich tannins.
LOCATION: Alderdale Region (35 miles SW of Prosser, WA)
APPELLATION: Horse Heaven Hills
YEAR PLANTED: 2000
SIZE: 5 acres, 1 block
ELEVATION: 640 ft.
VARIETALS: Cabernet Sauvignon 100%
SOIL SERIES: #274 Prosser: generally associated with basins, a silt loam with 2 to 5 percent slope, this soil was formed under bunch grasses and sagebrush in silty alluvium and wind-deposited material overlying basalt bedrock.
MICRO-CLIMATE: Warm – Long Term Average GDD 3054. Semi-Arid – Annual rainfall averages 6-9 inches, primarily in the winter months
AVERAGE YIELD: 3 tons per acre
ASPECT: Predominantly south-west to north-east row orientation
MERCER WINES FROM THIS VINEYARD: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Cavalie, Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
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