Highlights: Pax Mahle Wine Somer’s Vineyard Mission 2019 Lodi, California
Mission is the Californian name for the Listán Prieto grape variety, introduced to the Americas in the 16th Century. It started off in Mexico (as Misión) and Peru (Negra Corriente and Rosa del Perú), and was also introduced to Chile (País) and Argentina (Croilla Chica). Once important, then relegated to jug wine, it’s now on the ascendancy. This wine is made from Old Mission vines grown in Lodi, California, and it is quite lovely.
Pax Mission Somer’s Vineyard 2019 Lodi, California
12.5% alcohol. Pale red/orange in colour, this has a complex, spicy, slightly animal, gamey nose with notes of pepper and iodine under the sweet cherry and berry fruits. The palate is juicy and focused with light red cherry fruit as well as some apple notes, finishing with sour cherry and some grippy tannin. There’s a complex savoury, mineral dimension here too. It has massive drinkability bit also some grip and a savoury twist. Such an intriguing wine that is really hard to categorize: I’d probably say it was a dark rosé. 92/100 (UK agent Indigo Wine)
A video tasting note:
For more on Mission and friends, see this article by Lisse Garnett.
Find this wine with wine-searcher.com
