A little pre-#BD13 tasting of a BD wine from last year. Have enjoyed Adams wines that I’ve tried.
2019 Sabelli-Frisch Mission La Malinche- USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi Mokelumne River (1/22/2022)
A very interesting wine. Pours a nearly clear, pinkish-rust color. Looks like tea. Smells like tea. Soft red fruit, pepper and Asian spice. Served a bit chilled. Very delicate on the palate. Almost pinot-noir like, yet not. A Very restrained touch. Easy to drink. Would like to explore further.
I have not opened my one bottle of 2019, but I really liked the 2018 bottling! Just as you described, light, easy to drink, pretty unique, and very enjoyable!
Popped a bottle last week, damn this is delicious and intriguing stuff. From my CT note: Lovely, bright Ruby red leaning towards rose, cherry rhubarb nose, a touch herbal, floral notes kinda rose-y, really lush upon first sip, surprisingly so given the color, long lasting burst of bright Not quite ripe fruit, simple but not at all simple, so interesting and fun.
Tried this last year, and happy to pick up a case this past Berserker Day.
PNP. Color of rust, quite light and transparent. Bright red fruit, strawberry, watermelon, cherry, baking spices, ginger. Fresh, with a structure that belies the light color. In the vein of Pinot noir, but uniquely different.
What an odd duck of a wine, and I say that in a positive way. Surprises are fun. This is nothing like what I had expected. Probably a very fun wine to throw into the mix in a blind pot luck sorta of wine tasting structure.
The color is disarming. Quite translucent, showing some old red brick coloration, suggesting like an aged rose, think Cotat. But on the nose and palate, is this a light California Gamay or Pinot? Definitely some herbal tea on this wine. Full red spectrum of wild, peppery, crunchy fruits. Tart (and sweet at the same time), crisp and almost tannic finish. I had this with BBQ of all things, and damn thing is, it worked. Kudos to Adam on this cool wine! (90 pts.)
Exactly my thoughts. The others I was drinking this with had trouble getting past the color. We don’t care for rose as we have had some horrible rose over the years that just soured us it. I didn’t care for this it either at first but after some air and retrospect it has grown on me. I am glad that Adam is making serious wine from varietals most other would never touch. I mean White Zinfandel? Glad there are some that don’t follow the same path as everyone else.
I have been waiting on mine, slowly helping the sediment settle by upright and then sideways placement. Today (Independence Day) would be a great day to open. Kudos Alf.
My recommend is to serve Mission at white wine temperatures. Tends to manage the Campari-notes better. Pax recommends the same for his, as another data point.
I had someone who’s palate I trust open the 2018 a few months back and said it was holding up really well, which prompted me to open one myself (hadn’t had it for awhile - you get tired of your own wines). And I was surprised as well. I only have the 6 vintages I’ve made it to go on, but so far, the 2018 is showing no signs of getting tired yet. Who knew.
To delve a bit deeper, I think the herbal, tannic-like, Campari notes, which I’m actually not quite sure are tannins at all, but rather an ester/phenol, allows it the ability to go into aging - or what might trick your palate into thinking so, at least. It’s funny, because I did a Mission rosé last year (that I aim to release in spring) and it has those same phenolic markers, just dialed down quite a bit.
The grape is built that way and it’s probably what keeps it ticking with age. It’s as if you blended in 10% of Vermouth into a regular wine. I think the padres were on to something with their use of it for Angelica etc.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Glad there are some that don’t follow the same path as everyone else.![[highfive.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/db21b9263a9105e51f6f8b11e61dd4de095611f9.gif "highfive"){kind=small}