Same as? Las Veletas is one of the producers involved with Almaule. Not had any of these wines though.
Context : Vigno is a label designation that can be used by any producer who follows the production rules for the Carignan. The Almaule is the same thing for Pais.
This article came out today, written by wine writer Randy Caparoso for the Lodi Winegrape Commission.
Mission — the historic varietal that refuses to die
It’s on the Mission grape variety in general and Somers Vineyard in particular. Nice to see how many wineries are now working with this fruit. Would have been nice to see a mention of Bryan Harrington, who was the first vintner to make a higher-quality Mission wine from this fruit in 2015 until he closed down his winery following the 2018 vintage, or Chris Brockway, who also made fine Mission wines from this vineyard for several years starting in 2016, but of course the focus here is on Lodi rather than the vintners.
Randy is a friend, but not sure I agree with him that Mission lacks tannins. In my limited view, I think it has a pretty big tannic grip, unless I’m conflating things. The light color fools people into thinking otherwise, tends to take them by surprise and is often commented upon.
I would agree, Adam. I think that from Somers Vineyard, Mission has reasonable though not great acidity, but as you say the tannins can be more than you’d expect.
Amanda Barnes has a short piece on Almaule: Almaule - giving soul to País wines from Maule . Chile Wine Guide
Not in the Descorchados article and very interesting:
The wines also have to be affordable (less than US$15) so that they can be enjoyed by everyone as an everyday wine
Anyone had Monte Rio Cellars Mission? Picked up a 2021 today and know nothing about producer or wine. Not sure when I will get a chance to open it.
Haven’t tried this but the fruit was from Somers Vineyard in Lodi, as with Sabelli-Frisch, Pax, earlier Missions from Broc and Harrington, etc.
https://www.monteriocellars.com/shop/mission-2020-lodi
Monte Rio is somm Patrick Cappiello’s brand. He makes the wine at Pax facilities. Nice everyday drinkers with very good QPR. His Mission is more carbonic and bright in style.
A nice find of a glass pour in Charleston, SC:
Posted from CellarTracker
Visited with Bichi today. Great time. About a mile from the winery, we drove past what I immediately thought had to be an old criolla type vineyard but they told me private when I tried to drive in. Turned out to be where Bichi gets the 150 yr old Mission and Rosa del Peru!
Did you happen to ask what the difference is between their Mission and Rosa del Peru? As far as I know they’re synonyms for the same grape variety.
Interesting question. RdP is normally a synonym for Moscatel Tinto. But there is a pretty distinct difference between what you see in Argentina and Peru and what is here
. And in the cellar, the Bichi Listan and La Santa are very different. .
The plants of RdP are clearly different. When I am at PC, I will find an example. The RdP plants are much taller. Stick out in vineyard. Noel thinks the RdP here might be a natural cross of Mission and Muacat de Alexandria. And the Argentine one is a later import.
James Sligh and I were joking that unraveling Moscatel Tinto is our summer goal.
Can’t say that I know anything about Moscatel Tinto but Moscatel Negro (perhaps they’re the same grape?) is yet another Mission synonym, and is noted as being what the Bichi Rosa del Peru is. Perhaps the distinction between the Mission and Rosa del Peru is similar to that between Zinfandel / Primitivo or to Vermentino / Pigato / Favorita. It’s possible that they may look different in the vineyard and and could taste different when vinified but the DNA tells us that they’re actually the same variety.
According to the “Wine Grapes” book, Moscatel Negro is a name used in the Canary Islands for Listán Prieto, even though it is unrelated to any type of Muscat variety.
Yes, Moscatel Negro. Sorry.
I think (but could be confused) that not all Moscatel Negro are Mission/LP/RdP. A quick look in wein.plus (which is often more up to date that WG) shows several MN.
Noel thinks - but I don’t believe has DNA - that his RdP is likely a cross between Mission and a Muscat family. A bunch of the Criolla grapes seem to be that way.
This vineyard has Mission, RdP, Palomino and some other things like Flame Tokay.
When I’ve talked to winemakers and others in Argentina/Chile/MX, they flip back and forth between names as well as the vineyards often have random oddballs in them. I suspect that these super old vineyards are a mix of cuttings and/or spontaneous crosses at the margins. But that is just a personal theory.
I am sorry to say.
I am sad to report.
The Monte Rio does not taste like Mission, Pais
Listan Prieto or any of that sort.
A bit on the nose, but massively on the palate it is overwhelmed by noses like bad still cuts. It was undrinkable for me (as my vision dimmed.)
OTOH, 2019 Macatho País Segundo Flores is fucking sick. Really dials into how Chilean Pais has its own cut and personality (epigenetics?). Interestingly not that high in altitude, but has the profile and acidity. Makes me wonder if cooling effects from ocean and elevation are the same assist on the grape.
Thanks for the note, and sorry to hear about the Monte Rio. I actually came across some today and was thinking about picking up a bottle but didn’t. Guess I won’t bother to get one.
It would be very interesting to see a colder climate Mission planting in CA. But not holding my breath that someone in Santa Barbara will allocate some of the most expensive real estate in the world to Mission… That said, Rusack produces a few barrels from their estate Mission in SB and it’s really good! So maybe there’s something there!
I was bummed. I have a co-ferment from them to taste later and curious if this raw spirit note is something inherent in their house or just this wine. Others might be less sensitive, but I worked with enough micro spirits to be disgusted when I taste this in wine which happens a couple times a year.
Also had 2019 Roberto Henriquez País Tierra de Pumas Cuvée Viticole last night. It was really good (~92 pts) for 30-45 minutes and then there was a dusty and irritating aspect to the acidic notes that I didn’t like.
OTOH, maybe it was just a root day yesterday.
You have to watch out a bit with Mission - it has a tendency to come across as hot or blustery even when it’s not necessarily - it has to do with its tannins and flavor profile in combination with the alcohol level. That Campari- or port-note often enhances alcohol notes. My '18 - which is a whole 1% ABV riper than the '19 - veers little bit more towards the hotter scale in perception, despite only being 13.5% ABV.
The Monte Rio is 11.5%.
What I am talking about isn’t alcoholic heat. It was the smell and strongly flavor of making still cuts not aggressive enough so that fusel oils come through. A little in a spirit can add character but when some new micro distilleries started up during the boom phase, they either didn’t know enough or were on such tight margins that they weren’t taking the ‘heart’ of the distillate.
For me, these notes (which can be acceptable in spirits) to be wholly off-putting in wine. No idea what the origin is, but I find it in a few wines every year. No commonality of grape or region either.