The Archetype of Northern Rhône Syrah

While the Purple Label Combier Crozes-Hermitage has been one of the most popular wines we’ve sold at Mission over the last few years, rightly so given its supreme value for the quality, our wine team has recently gone crazy for the next step up on the hierarchy: the 2021 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage, a wine that sees longer fermentation times and extra maturation in used oak.

The point of organic farming isn’t just to be kind to the earth, but also to bring out the true flavor of the fruits and vegetables being harvested—a full symphony of flavor, free of the muting chemical agents. Simply put, the flavors in the 2021 Domaine wine are the archetype for what Northern Rhône Syrah should taste like. Dark berries, smoked meats, freshly-cracked black pepper and violets galore.

If you note James Suckling’s glowing review below, you’ll see those are the flavors he clearly highlights in his description. In short, this is the wine you use to teach people what French Syrah is supposed to taste like.

If you’ve ever been curious as to why Northern Rhône wines are so expensive, and would like to test drive a beautiful bottle before plunging further down the rabbit hole, this is your wine.

Laurent Combier is a man who truly believes in the power or organics. "My father once had the dream to make the farm completely self-sustaining, making bio-fuel with the help of the animals on the farm," he stated during a conversation with importer Charles Neal. It’s clear from one sip of this wine that whatever he’s doing works!

2021 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage $31.99

92 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - An aromatic nose of dark cherries, black pepper, smoked bacon and tons of violets. It's medium-bodied with silky tannins. Fresh and floral with elegance and poise. Well-rounded and transparent with a vivid finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Limited Allocations of 2021's Top Wine

When famed critic James Suckling recently handed out a perfect 100 point score to Hirsch’s 2021 Raschen Ridge Pinot Noir, collectors everywhere took notice. When Antonio Galloni from Vinous followed suit with a second 100 point score, Jasmine Hirsch had everyone’s attention. The 2021 Hirsch Pinot Noirs were clearly something special.

Antonio Galloni wrote: “My tasting at Hirsch was one of the most impressive I have had at any property anywhere in the world. The 2021 Pinots are off the charts.”

While you had to be a member of Hirsch’s private wine club to secure the 2021 Raschen Ridge, the accolades didn’t stop with the members-only editions. The Block 8 Pinot Noir grabbed an almost-perfect 99 point score, and the esteemed San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir snagged a 96. More awards would soon follow.

It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Hirsch Vineyards will win American winery of the year in 2024 and these Pinot Noirs will be the stuff of legend for years to come. Not only is the 2021 vintage a magical one for Hirsch, but it serves as a coming out party for Jasmine Hirsch who took over for her father David as head winemaker a few years back. Located along the remote Sonoma Coast with some of the best vineyards in the state, Hirsch’s long-burning star is shining brighter than ever.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t secure enough of the Block 8 to justify sending an email out to consumers, but we have managed to piece together a few small cases of the 2021 Hirsch San Andreas, while supplies last.

This is the type of wine where you buy as many as you can afford, put them away in your cellar, and thank your lucky stars that you managed to get what you got.

There are very few bottles available and they will not last.

Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault Sonoma Coast 2021 $74.95

96 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - So much fresh flowers with hibiscus and honey blossom. Dried citrus like lemon zest. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that are super integrated. Zesty finish. Lots of focus and beauty. The tannins are perfectly melted into the wine. Drinkable but even better in two to three years.

94 POINTS: VINOUS - The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate San Andreas Fault is a blend of thirty parcels across the vineyard. Vibrant and super-complex, the 2021 screams with precision right out of the gate. Dark red-toned fruit, dried herbs, mint and sage are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. The purity of the flavors here is so compelling. My tasting at Hirsch was one of the most impressive I have had at any property anywhere in the world. The 2021 Pinots are off the charts. To their credit, Jasmine Hirsch and Consulting Winemaker Michael Cruse have made all the right adjustments over the last few years. The 2021s were done with no stems, a departure from the past. Two thousand twenty-one is quite simply a magical vintage for Hirsch. The wines I tasted were all magnificent, to the point that picking favorites is really a matter of personal preference more than anything else. Readers will not want to miss these extraordinary wines. Bravo!

2023 Whisky of the Year Returns With Lower Pricing

When Glenglassaugh took home the Whisky Advocate’s prestigious #1 Whisky of 2023 award, people were in a bit of shock. How could this little Scottish distillery no one had ever heard of be making the best single malt on the planet?

While the resurrection of Glenglassaugh originally took place by a private owner back in 2008 (it had been shuttered in 1986), the real progress took hold when Brown-Forman purchased the distillery back in 2016, along with Highland stalwarts BenRiach and GlenDronach. The latter two names are quite familiar to most of our Scotch whisky lovers, but Glenglassaugh had remained quietly in the background until last year.

Even the Whisky Advocate had to acknowledge that it had “plucked a relative unknown from a group of big-name contenders,” adding “little did we know there was an upset in the making. Winning in a nearly unanimous vote, single malt scotch Glenglassaugh Sandend became our 2023 Whisky of the Year.”

Here’s the really exciting part: we originally sold the Sandend for $70+ after it won the big award, but we’re thrilled to announce today that we’ve secured another round of the record-breaking whisky for just $59.95 this time around.

Glenglassaugh Sandend Single Malt Whisky $59.95

95 POINTS: WHISKY ADVOCATE - #1 WHISKY OF 2023 - Glenglassaugh Distillery is situated on the north coast of Scotland, perched upon high ground overlooking the North Sea. The whisky is often described as a “coastal” Highland malt, which seems a fair assessment. This non-age statement expression, named for the bay offshore, is bright and delicate, with aromas of citrus and minerality leading to a luscious palate filled with layers of flavor revealing peach, apricot, honey, pound cake, and vanilla, all accented with a touch of sea salt. Rolling spices help create an explosive, long-lasting finish. It’s gentle yet complex, but above all it’s an easy sipper you can just sit back and enjoy. And at $70, it represents pretty fair value for a single malt scotch.

Why is Glenglassaugh so little known? Primarily because it has spent more time being closed than open in its nearly 150-year history. Founded in 1875, it was shuttered in 1907 for 53 years. It then reopened only for brief periods before closing in 1986, this time seemingly for good. But in 2008 Glenglassaugh was purchased by an investor group that restarted production, and it subsequently was acquired by Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman in 2016. It still hadn’t been heard from much until recently, because stocks needed replenishing. But now Glenglassaugh is ready to roll, and judging by this stellar release, patience is being rewarded in spades.

The Thing About Burgundy in California

The San Francisco Chronicle published an interesting article a few weeks ago about the California wine industry’s little-known secret: few of its winemakers seem to drink California wine.

So what are the professionals drinking? Burgundy—and tons of it. Somms and winemakers across the state are selling you California, while drinking all the good French Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. If you go to dinner at someone’s house in the CA wine business, you’re likely drinking Chablis or Savigny-les-Beaune.

Here’s the other dirty little secret about the California wine industry: many restaurants and retailers keep their top Burgundy allocations for themselves, rather than make them available to their customers.

Not at Mission, however. We’re not hoarding the Burgundy. In fact, we’re hunting out the harder-to-find, small production farmers so that you can drink something delicious and rare, yet affordable, and be excited about that experience.

Enter Alain & Cyril Gautheron, sixth generation farmers and winemakers located in Chablis who manage a tiny 25 hectare domaine with 15-55 year old vines planted in coveted Kimmeridgian soil, composed of fossilized sea creatures from thousands of years ago (it helps the grapes retain acidity and zest). Their wines are remarkable, and yet still within reach due to their insider status.

Cult Chablis winemakers like Dauvissat or Pinson sell their basic labels for $90+ a bottle, while even more reasonable producers like Fevre are at least $40 just to get in the entry level door.

To find a top quality Chablis for less than $30 these days—one that sings of lemon peel, oyster shell, and supreme salinity—requires diligence. Few selections these days give you that mineral drive, and that’s because they’re likely produced by large brands who purchase bulk wine and blend it for scale.

Yet, we’ve managed to bring in the 2022 Gautheron Chablis for just $27.99…AND…we’ve added in their stellar Bourgogne Blanc for just $21.99. Both wines represent everything we look for in Burgundian Chardonnay: depth, complexity, minimal oak aging, hands-on farming, and incredible grace. The only thing missing is the crazy price tag.

We don’t have much to offer, but you can be certain that we’re offering what we have and not keeping it in the back for our employees! **While the new 2022 vintage releases have yet to be reviewed, the Gautheron wines consistently receive 90+ point scores from Vinous, Suckling, and Parker—**you can easily look them up!

2022 Alain & Cyril Gautheron Bourgogne Blanc $21.99

Composed entirely of Chardonnay from vineyards around Chablis, this rustic and old school expression is a far cry from the milder, and rather tame Bourgogne blanc selections we find on the market these days. Crisp stone fruits, snappy acidity, fleshy fruit on the mid-palate, and a mineral tang on the finish. It’s like you’re sitting at a Parisian bistro getting a glass of the local stuff, rather than settling for the supermarket options in America.

2022 Alain & Cyril Gautheron Chablis $27.99

Using the 15-55 years old parcels across all 20 hectares of vineyards, Alain crafts this complex and calculated expression with elegance and style. Few straight Chablis wines offer this caliber of quality for less than $30. The quintessential flavors are clean and focused from the first sip: oyster shell, lemon, stone fruit, and a classic chalky minerality on the finish.

Dalmore 18 for Just $119.99?!

It’s been a while since the independent market offered a huge price discrepancy like this one! Fifteen years ago, it was quite common for independent labels like Gordon & MacPhail or Signatory to offer out aged Macallans or Laphroaigs at half the market price, but in the modern era those deals are long, long gone.

Today, however, we’re rolling back the clock with this stunning deal for Alexander Murray’s 18 year old Dalmore single malt whisky—coming in $180 cheaper PER BOTTLE than the official bottling!!

How is this possible, you ask?

There are a number of reasons. First off, Dalmore has been on a decade-long marketing campaign to compete with Macallan as Scotland’s top luxury whisky. As a result, they’ve raised their prices to be in line with Macallan’s top marks. When Alexander Murray purchased these stocks from Dalmore fifteen years ago, the price for those casks wasn’t anything near what they would cost today.

Second, while the Alexander Murray edition of Dalmore 18 year does have some Sherry cask maturation, it’s not the same dark, dense Sherry influence found in the official release. The 2001 Dalmore is a marriage of refill Bourbon and Sherry casks, creating a harmonious balance of fruit and texture. You do get the rich, raisiny flavors, along with the baking spices and the orange peel, but it’s done with far more restraint. For fans of a more classic Highland style, inline with the pre-luxe Dalmore of old, this is your malt. The finish is full of brown sugar and tobacco and the whisky demands your attention, even at 40% ABV.

At the end of the day, Dalmore is still Dalmore and a deal is still a deal. You can grab a bottle of the official Dalmore 18 year at $299.99 and do a little side-by-side comparison, or you can grab two of these incredible bottles from Alexander Murray and still have $60 left over.

While they last!

2001 Dalmore 18 Year Old Alexander Murray Single Malt Whisky $119.99

A Perennial Underappreciated Northern Rhône

Just about every major wine reviewer out there has nothing but praise for Jérôme Coursodon and his incredible Syrahs from France’s esteemed Northern Rhône region, especially his prices compared to his peers.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, for example:

“Arriving in the village of Mauves from the south, one first passes Domaine Pierre Gonon, then Jean-Louis Chave and finally Coursodon, all within a few hundred yards of each other. It’s a stellar trio of vignerons to be sure, with Jerome Coursodon not at the same level of stardom as the others, but he’s not too far behind, either. For consumers, it’s a good opportunity to purchase some top-flight Saint-Josephs before price escalation sets in.”

Jeb Dunnuck agrees:

“I’ve raved about the quality coming from this estate in the past, and the young Jerome Coursodon continues to deliver the goods in every vintage. All of his wines come from steep, east, and south-facing, granite soils located outside the village of Mauves, in the southern part of the Saint Joseph appellation.” 

As does the team at Vinous:

 “This 16-hectare domaine, whose holdings are centered in the highly desired granitic soils of Mauves, has a fiercely loyal European clientele that always snatches up their user-friendly but stealthily age-worthy wines as soon as they are offered, meaning that the Coursodons are often sold out of everything just a couple of months after release. These wines deserve to be better known.” 

At Mission, we’re suckers for the Syrahs of the Northern Rhône with their meatiness and subtle smoke, their violets and their dark-fruited elegance. We’re also used to paying $100 or more for that experience.

Which is why paying $49.99 for an outstanding specimen of Northern Rhône’s true character is such a big deal (hence, why we’re sending you this email. 

Jerome’s grandfather Gustav was one of the leaders who organized the St. Joseph appellation in the 1950’s. Domaine Coursodon has been at the forefront of the region’s qualitative standardization since its inception, yet its wines are still not as well known as its neighbors. That’s a good thing for your cellar and your wallet.

2020 Domaine Coursodon L’Olivaie St. Joseph $49.99

95 POINTS: VINOUS - The style of Saint-Josephs at Domaine Coursodon ranges widely across bottlings, from the vibrant, up-front and fruit-driven Silice to the often lavishly oaked and age-worthy La Sensonne. Relative to his peers, Jérome Coursodon bottles on the early side because he thinks it preserves freshness and helps ensure the wines’ age-worthiness. I can vouch that bottles with ten to fifteen years of age on them drink exceedingly well, so it's hard to fault his logic and practices. Inky magenta. Heady aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, incense, exotic spices, violet and olive paste. Densely packed and energetic on the palate, offering intense dark berry preserve, cherry-cola, floral pastille and salty olive flavors, plus a hint of minerality and building spiciness. Finishes subtly chewy, focused and impressively long, with well-knit tannins adding grip to echoing dark fruit and floral notes. 

Elsewhere $300+!!!!

Combining Masterful Blending with Daring Design, Grab These Stunning Editions of 21 Year Blended Scotch Whisky for a $70 Discount

Chivas’ Royal Salute 21 year old—an homage to the royal family—has long been an elite staple of the blended Scotch whisky world. When the house recently launched its limited edition collaboration with designer Richard Quinn in stunning porcelain flagon, master blended Sandy Hyslop used the design as an inspiration for a new blend, offering elegance and richness with floral notes and candied fruit on the finish. 

To be clear, this is NOT the standard Royal Salute 21 year in a fancy bottle. It’s an entirely new and bespoke blend of 31 different single malts—each over 21 years of age—along with grains of the same heritage. 

Rich and fruity overlaid with notes of red apples and peaches, combined with creamy crème brulée, hazelnut chocolate, zest of orange and distinct floral notes, the palate is a masterpiece of indulgent apricot and mango notes, followed by vanilla, chocolate and ginger spice.

GIven that most stores are selling these outstanding whiskies at $300 and above, take advantage of our low price of $229.95 while we still have bottles to sell!

Chivas Royal Salute Richard Quin Orange Roses Fashion Edition II 21 Year Old $229.95

Chivas Royal Salute Richard Quin Daisy Fashion Edition II 21 Year Old $229.95

Amazing Brunello For Just $49.99

Ready-to-drink wines with bottle age from classic, old world appellations at ridiculous prices are becoming our specialty here at Mission, and we’re thrilled to see so many new faces perusing our wine aisles as of late. 

Continuing with that theme, let us introduce you to the outstanding deal we just secured for a fantastic Brunello that is ready to adorn your dinner table tonight—no further aging required! La Poderina’s quality is well documented in the wine world and the 2017’s accolades are clear. 

Hand-harvested Sangiovese grapes, 20 months of oak aging, top quality vineyard sites, and some of the oldest vines in the region to create a stellar Brunello. 2017 was a warm vintage, so the wines are built for short-term drinking rather than the long haul. Enjoy the supple tannins, ripe cherry flavors, savory aromatics, and mouth-coating texture. Grill up a steak with fresh rosemary and olive oil, or grab some of your favorite BBQ for an incredible pairing.

Elsewhere $65+, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Brunello this good for $49.99.

2017 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino $49.99 (ELSEWHERE $65+)

94 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - Plenty of dark cherries, cedar, sandalwood and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with firm and polished tannins that nicely melt into the wine. Pure and beautiful fruit. Give this time to open. Better after 2023.

92 POINTS: ROBERT PARKER - The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is characterized by some of those same earthy notes of crushed limestone and baked clay that we saw so clearly in the other two entry-level red wines released by this estate. Wild cherry and dried raspberry cede to oregano, basil or balsam herb. The tannins are on the dry side, and perhaps the heat of the vintage reveals itself there with greater clarity. This wine is best served in the near term.