Santa Cruz de Coya (Henriquez-Herrera) 2019. Bió-Bió. 200 Yr Old País vines.
This is getting me stoked for a month+ in Chile this fall!
Green pepper (Piper Nigrum) on the nose. Really suave and velvet texture on the top. Grape-driven fruit. Beautiful compact body. Heads towards plums and Mexican grape candy gum on the finish. Lovely low alcohol (12%.). Very alive and caged energy. Too glou.
UK supermarkets chain Marks and Spencer has a new range called ‘Found’ of wines from unusual varieties or place. They have a standard label with a B&W photograph on the front.
One of the half-dozen red wines in the range is a Pais from Chile made by Villa Indomita. I was expecting a rather thin pale wine, but this had a good bright red colour and depth of flavour. It was really drinkable with character and interest. Cost £9 including all duty, wine tax with 20% VAT on top.
Chile is interesting as it not only has so much Pais that’s been forgotten for centuries, but the vines are so old as well. Phylloxera free as they are, they’re also own-rooted. A unique place in that regard. I think the Argentinian and Peruvian vines had phylloxera - the louse just couldn’t cross the Andes.
Glad to see some of them getting a bit of love these days and reaching export markets.
2019 Sabelli-Frisch Mission Hernan Somers Vineyard
So the question was “Does a bottle of Mission pair well with a charcoal grilled ribeye steak?” Unfortunately the questions remains unanswered because we finished the bottle before the steak was ready. I served the wine blind to a couple of Francophiles, one of them immediately screamed “Poulsard”, the other thought it was a Pinot/Gamey blend. If I have to make a comparison I would go with Poulsard as well. This is my second experience with the grape and I understand that Adam’s intension is to take Mission to a serious level and I think that in this case he nailed it. While the wine seems light in every aspect, color, nose and palate, that’s only the first impression, because there are some complex multi layered elements going on. After the initial attack of ripened red cherries the acidity and spices quickly kicks in and leads to an harmonious transition into a clove-like aftertaste (is this the small percentage of new AO?). Unlike the previous bottle of mission that I had a month ago (2019 Cara Sur Criolla Chica), there were no noticeable tannins on this one. Serious wine indeed, but at the same time easy and fun to drink ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
2020 Wonderwerk Free Your Soul Red Blend (Mokelumne River, Lodi, CA)
67% Mission (Somer’s Vineyard), 33% Petite Sirah (Jag’s Vineyard)
Violet, fig, mixed berry, licorice, baking spice, and pine tar. Medium bodied with moderately high acidity. There is a coolness the crunchy fruit flavors. Punchy, saline finish with pronounced tobacco/earthiness. This wasn’t very expressive at first go, so I’m glad I saved some for today.
I can see some similarities to the Free Your Mind, which is nice to see.
The following Wine Anorak article provides an in-depth history of how the fortunes of the Mission variety were tied to Spain’s colonization of the Americas. I am happy to say that, although the writer focuses almost exclusively on South American bottlings, this is not another low-effort fluff piece.
Wine Anorak
“País, Mission, Criolla Chica: the Beaujolais of the Americas?”
by Lisse Garnett
June 18, 2021
"Much like the Gamay of Beaujolais, twenty years ago País was seen as fit for only commonplace, lowly table wine. Today a combination of rediscovered low yielding old vines, exquisite wine making and the consumer’s taste for fresh light reds is rewriting the narrative of this ancient grape.
"…País is incredibly hardy, flourishes in old age and needs almost no vineyard management to produce generous yields. The grape is disease resistant, grows deep roots and therefore does not require irrigation. Early picking is required to retain acidity and carbonic maceration is a good fit for its short chain tannins. Not unlike Beaujolais, the nose is raspberry rich and floral. It makes wines gorgeously pale pinkish red in colour with crisp light tannins.
“…Today a small cohort of appreciative converts have emerged from the shadows to find a market for this grape outside Latin America…”.
Just wanted to mention that I visited Story Winery in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County earlier this week, partly because I wanted to check out their old Mission vines and their Mission wine. The photos below show these. The vines were planted in 1894, and I believe there’s less than one acre of them remaining at Story. I was hoping for more from the wine, but I didn’t think it showed much Mission character. It was pretty ripe, and I felt the oak treatment also probably didn’t help with letting that character come to the front. The style is very typical for many Amador wines, and I’m sure it’s popular with the winery’s customers but it didn’t do much for me. I bought a bottle anyway, so I’ll give it another chance sometime soon.
The coolest thing about Story was their recent importation of wines made in Georgia under the Story label - met the Georgian winemaker there. Most of the Georgian wines I tasted there were quite good (see photo of wine list below), and I preferred them to the label’s California wines that I tasted. I asked whether they were planning to plant any Georgian varieties at their vineyard but he said that they would not likely be well-suited to the area. They are embarking on a program of fermenting more of their California wines in qvevri - they’ve purchased a lot of them and have fermented a few wines in them so far. Maybe a qvevri Mission coming up?
Agreed, never much cared for the Story Mission. Always seemed a bit closed and mushroomy, somehow.
About two thirds of the way through this article from the Oregonian is some interesting news regarding Mission.
Interesting. Makes it some of the oldest Mission in the country, if so. Also didn’t think it made it that far up. Be very interesting to see a cold climate Mission.
Just got the 2020 Rusack’s in. If you haven’t tried it, it’s one of the best Missions made in CA (in my opinion). And unlike most others who take fruit from either Deaver in Amador or Somers in Lodi, this is from their own estate grown old Mission vines in SB, so pretty unique terroir.
The vines in Ballard Canyon came from cuttings of old plantings on Santa Cruz island off the Santa Barbara coast.
-Al
Trivia & History
In my recent internet surfing adventures, I found a couple of interesting details related to the Mission/Pais variety.
Pix: The Drop
"The New Wave of an Old Wine From Chile: Chilean vignerons are finding a new respect for País, part of the landscape for hundreds of years"
by Amanda Barnes
September 20, 2021
“…As Chile’s sixth most-planted variety, some winemakers have turned their focus onto reigniting the fortunes of País and connecting it with several trends taking form in Chile. País’ comeback embodies Chile’s search for their own unique identity in the wine world, and País is undeniably Chilean. With less than 850 acres in Argentina, 400 in the U.S., 25 in Mexico, and barely 75 left in Spain, and most plantings in Peru and Bolivia going toward brandy production, Chile can claim País as its own.”
Missions from the Spanish California period
Prior to the influx of other varieties in the middle of the 1800s, the Mission/Pais grape dominated West Coast vinifera plantings. link
The following passage, occurring near the ruins of the Presidio Santa Barbara, is from a 19th Century travelogue:
[u]Up and Down California in 1860-1864[/u]; the Journal of William H. Brewer
Edited by Francis P. Farquhar with a preface by Russell H. Chittenden
Yale University Press, 1930
"Tuesday, March 12th
"…Yesterday three of us rode again to the hot springs five miles east, and took a refreshing bath in the hot waters. On the way we passed the most remarkable grapevine I have ever seen. Although not quite so large at the main stalk as a wild one at Ovid, and none of the branches so long, yet it was much more remarkable, as it was pruned and under good cultivation. It was at Montecito, about four miles east, in the garden of José Dominguez. It was planted by his mother about thirty years ago.*
"It stands in the center of a sort of garden, and its branches occupy the whole of it. It is trained up in a single stalk, like a tree, about six feet, then branches off into about twenty branches from six to twenty inches in circumference, running in every direction. The main stalk is from thirty-one 60 to thirty-five inches in circumference in its various parts - the branches extend over a horizontal framework about seventy feet in diameter each way. In summer the foliage is very dense over the whole of this surface, some 3,600 to 4,000 square feet, or about one-tenth of an acre. The vine was well pruned, and the yield of grapes is as extraordinary as its size, being from three to four tons per year - good years the latter quantity is estimated. One year 6,300 bunches were counted and that was hardly more than a third - sixteen thousand bunches was considered a low estimate for that year. Single bunches have weighed as high as seven pounds, as can be attested by many witnesses!
“I question if the world can produce its equal, especially if we consider its youth. None of the old vines of the Old World are as great, so far as I can remember. The woman who planted it was old at that time—she is now about a hundred years old. She sat watching it like a child, with a stick to keep the fowls away. It is not yet in leaf for this year. A little sancha (artificial stream) runs near it, from which it is irrigated by hand. It is about three miles from the sea, high, steep mountains rise to the north of it to shelter it from the north winds. Men have visited it from all parts of the world, all pronounce it the king of vines.”
Google Books link:
At my fav wine bar in Santiago, I just had one of the best Pais.
Pa tel 2019 from Maturana. A dollop of Black Muscat and Riesling kick this up 10x. And the near coastal vineyard I think help. Balanced and elegant while not losing the Pais rustic guapo.
Their Naranjo is also one of the best I’ve had as well. Torrontel.
I love Chile.
I stumbled across this Mission varietal bottling from Birichino on CellarTracker just a couple of minutes ago…
I presume that this is a very limited production wine. The “Besson Vineyard” harvest wrap-up Facebook post by Birichino (Oct 21, 2021) states that some old-vine Mission grapes are planted to this property.
Perhaps other vintages exist of this wine?
*** EDIT ***
2019 Birichino “Besson Vyd” Mission
"From centenarian vines planted to California’s original variety first brought by the Spanish padres to California. Only 700 acres remain of this seminal variety, and we aim to keep these 40-odd vines around for the next century.
"Relegated to footnote status in modern California viticulture, Mission vines were traditionally used for making a sweet, fortified sacramental wine. We chose, instead, to produce a dry red that showcases its fresh light-bodied salted strawberry charm, undergirded by a surprisingly grippy core.
“132 bottles produced.”
Have had a bunch more while here. We are off to bop around Patagonia and not really a wine-focus, so may not be anymore notes on Pais. Trip was a bit stressful with a quarantine on the front. Gonna try to return soon to visit some vineyards and see those tree-trellised vines!
Notes below. Nothing as good as the Pa tel though the De Martino was close.
Posted from CellarTracker
Thank you Andrew! Great notes. Too bad most of them unavailable in the US.
Am at the Santiago airport to head home. Went to Bocanariz for a long lunch prior and found one of the most remarkable País I’ve had. Long time winemaker for Altair (super premium Chilean wine) who now has an amazing touch for this grape. This and a Grenache from 2000m vineyards were great ways to end this Chilean trip. (Earlier, I had one other País-Cab-field blend from Cacique Maravilla who sparkling rosé is the bomb - it was awful.)
If I read correctly, 200yr old País vines + a little spell in amphora make this a really special expression País
Posted from CellarTracker
I’ve had Envinate Benje, 2018 and 2019 in the past year or so and I loved both of them. Light in the glass, elegant style, super peppery as noted in this thread, with a pleasant earthyness. Is there a little Brett? Perhaps just a touch, but didn’t bother me.
I’ve also had the 7 Fuentes and La Solana bottling from Suertes del Marqués as well as a red from Vintiago. I think all of these are Lisan Negro however. But I find much of the aromatic profile to be similar to what I’ve had from the Listan Prieto in Benje from Envinate.
I’d describe them generally as having the weight of Pinor Noir with some of the pepper and early aromatics of the Northern Rhone. Hugely appealing profile to me. I can’t get enough of it.
92 yo Mission at auction right now: K&L Wine Merchants - Sign In or Create An Account
