Mersel was a producer I discovered while studying some of the greatest wine lists in the US that I admired. Lebanese wine is inheritly compelling - a melting pot of history and imperialism and perseverance through a perpetual wartime that little elsewhere in the world has experienced. To discover that Lebanon has indigenous grapes, as opposed to the more prolific production of French varietals throughout the region came as a surprise. This wine, comprised of 40% merwah grapes - over 150 years old at this point - give savoriness and spice that's hard to pinpoint but feel distinctive. The rest is Sauvignon Blanc, which lend a playful and fruity component to make this wine imminently drinkable, all the more inviting by the liter sized bottle