Mission Brewery

Sandlands

Amador County Mission 2019

From arguably the oldest vines in California, the Mission vines at Deaver Ranch were planted by John James Davis in 1854. While the Mission variety may be considered obscure by today’s standards, back in the day, it was the common variety being cultivated in California. It’s a versatile variety which served multiple purposes. Anymore, it’s rare to find a serious dry wine made with Mission. Thankfully, Tegan Passalacqua has been known to occasionally make such a wine from these historic plantings.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2019 pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of confected cherry, watermelon Jolly Rancher®️, strawberry, rhubarb, semi-dried hay and soft minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. There is something unexplainable about how remarkable this wine is. There’s humility to it A wine full of wisdom. I wish I had more to try down the road alas, I was only allocated a single bottle. However, I am so grateful for the one and to be able to share it with some old friends and some new friends. Drink now through 2034+.
— 3 days ago

Scott@Mister, Douglas and 11 others liked this
Douglas Braun

Douglas Braun Influencer Badge

Yes super interesting varietal made some for fun from an old planting two vines thought to be seedlings from the mission period ( from the Santa Ynez Valley)literally the trunk was as big as a tree it made light colored wine with earthy , spice characteristics I believe it was identified as Pais from Spain - but what a treat to try from a producer with some experience with the variety
Jay Kline

Jay Kline Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Douglas Braun yes!! Pais is the same aka Criolla. Thanks for sharing your story.

Buena Vista Winery

The Sheriff Sonoma County Red Blend

Fruit forward and very jammy. Silky and velvety smooth. Full bodied. Rich, excellent! — 8 months ago

Chateau Grand Traverse

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Whole clusters used instead of de stemming. Lemony tartness upfront then a mineral finish.- almost a hint of tannins. But not tannins. A different taste for a Riesling — 9 months ago

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Cru Classe des Graves Red Bordeaux Blend 1997

Wow! Young, this black prince riding a shiny polished tannin armor. Complex, layers of dark and red fruit, body and sweet tannins. A baby, as good as it gets — 6 days ago

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Graves Red Bordeaux Blend 1990

Decanted 3 hours prior - but kept evolving in the glass. Typical flavor profiles, was initially closed but then nicely opened up. Very smooth and just pleasurable to drink on this New Year’s Eve. — 3 months ago

Somm, Rob and 6 others liked this

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

Quite bright medium ruby , ruby pink rim . Quite elegant and reserved , some red cherry, violet , summer fruits , scorched earth , touch of spice . On the palate quite elegant also , summer fruits, blackberry , blackcurrant , red plum . Good balanced acidity , herbal touches on the medium length , saline tinged finish . Quite polished but still grippy tannins . This is showing well , especially with food , but has a relatively long future , from now and over the next 5-10 years. A very successful second wine . — 4 months ago

Ira, Scott@Mister and 14 others liked this

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2011

Second bottle of the night - not bad for a pop & pour. — a month ago

Joe, Austin and 8 others liked this

Château Haut-Brion

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — 2 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 6 others liked this

Château La Mission Haut-Brion

Grand Premier Cru Bordeaux 1989

Lovely complete and complex fruit. Plum and red cherry. Herbs. Blood and iron. Complex. Excellent — 5 months ago

Matt LichtenbergPaul Woolls
with Matt and Paul
Paul, Juan and 8 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Had the ‘89 HB last weekend…based on your notes above, it was a bit more elegant, yet just as complex. A stunner on a table of worthy wines.