The Wine That Will Change Your Mind About Merlot

I first met Hélène Garcin-Lévêque back in 2016, during a trip to Bordeaux to taste the en primeurs. We hit it off immediately because, while we respect and admire the classic nature of the region and its historic wines, we are both interested in bringing Bordeaux into the modern age. After days and nights of rigid rules-oriented meals, formalized tasting appointments, and pedantic lectures, hanging out with Hélène at her Barde-Haut estate was like a breath of fresh air. Rather than steak and foie gras, we ate fresh salads, light appetizers, and mixed up some cocktails. In a wine genre that can be intimidating and somewhat snobbish, Hélène is friendly, easy-going, and energetic.

For many of us who have spent more than a decade in the business, Bordeaux is still the king of wines. The flavors, the history, the diversity, and the romance of classic French claret incorporates everything cool about drinking, but that being said, there are some serious challenges facing the region as it looks to win over a new generation of drinkers. Today’s budding wine fans aren’t building cellars into their basements, mainly because none of us can afford homes, let alone the rising cost of Bordeaux’s top labels. Given the uncertainty of the times, many of us have no idea where we’re going to be in ten years, so how can we be expected to wait a decade before drinking something?!

But that’s the magic of Hélène’s 2015 Barde-Haut, St. Emilion—a Merlot-based wine with six years of bottle age, that is 100% ready-to-go for tonight’s dinner, with little decanting and no additional maturation needed. Simply put, this is a banging bottle of Bordeaux that delivers the goods for the right price.

If you've been watching Sideways recently, I dare you to tell me you don't like Merlot after drinking the 2015 Barde-Haut from one of the best-drinking Right Bank vintages in recent memory. Plump, but never over the top, the fruit melds seamlessly with ample tannic structure and plenty of earth on the finish, which is why you want it in the first place: that earthiness is what makes St. Emilion so much more satisfying than even the best domestic Merlot expressions.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live Tomorrow With Basil Hayden

After a brief respite, we return to Instagram Live this week with Basil Hayden to discuss the new Toast edition, and the rise of toasted barrels in general with American whiskey at the moment.

See you there at the @missionliquor account.

-David Driscoll

The Original Champagne

Are you ready for the best "Champagne" deal of the year?

While it’s not legally Champagne, history tells that the Limoux region in Southern France was making sparkling wine in the traditional méthode champenoise more than 100 years before Dom Perignon began playing with bubbles in Champagne. As far back as 1532, the people of Limoux were filling their fountains with sparkling wine, celebrating one of the longest running “fêtes” (parties) in all of Europe!

That’s why Faire La Fête was able to trademark itself as “the original Champagne” earlier this year, bringing a welcome attention back to Limoux, and much to the chagrin of the Champenois. 

Legalities aside, it’s important to note that true Champagne is not only made from classified grapes grown within the region, but that the bubbles themselves are the result of a second fermentation in the bottle, rather than pumped-in CO2 like inexpensive Prosecco and cheap sparklers. It’s part of the reason Champagne is usually more costly than its imitators. 

But Faire La Fête also uses the traditional Champagne method, bringing its bubbles to life with the same tirage used to induce a second fermentation inside the bottle. 

And given the fact that Faire La Fête clocks in at roughly half the price of even the most entry-level Champagne labels, it’s a bargain that’s too good to pass up.

Just ask the Hollywood stars attending the Emmy awards this past weekend. A number of them were drinking Faire La Fête instead of real Champagne at their pre-parties. I know this because I personally had to make an emergency delivery to the Waldorf Astoria this past Friday, lugging as many cases as I could fit my car to supply the event. 

Or ask master somms like Peter Neptune, who recently wrote: “Faire La Fête offers a sparkling wine experience that is as good or better than most non-vintage Brut Champagne that I’ve tasted, and at a third of the price.” The Brut is clean and vibrant on the palate, made with 65% Chardonnay, 25% Chenin Blanc, and 10% Pinot Noir, finishing dry as a bone. The Brut Rosé is no different, with just a pinch more Pinot Noir for color, it's racy, fresh, and lively from start to finish.

With the Champagne shortage only beginning, we’ve been telling our customers for weeks to start locking down their holiday bubbles. For those seeking out the best bang for your buck, I don’t think there’s a better deal in town than Faire La Fête.

-David Driscoll,

Pure Inspiration

There are only a handful of major Scottish single malt distilleries I’ve never visited, mainly because they’re located on remote islands that require extensive travel. I’ve never been to Highland Park, nor have I toured Talisker, located on the remote and rugged Isle of Skye off Scotland’s western coast.

If you think Skye is remote, then the Isle of Harris might as well be on the moon. Yet, that hasn’t stopped a few dedicated locals from opening a distillery there.

Sitting even further off the mainland, to the northwest of Skye in the Outer Hebrides, Harris—like Orkney—is old viking territory. The name comes from the Old Norse name Harri, yet a little over half of the population still speaks Gaelic.

In the town of Tarbert (not to be confused with the beautiful town of Tarbert on the Scottish mainland), you’ll find about 500+ Harris residents, along with the Isle of Harris gin and whisky distillery. There, you can purchase a bottle of what is, in my humble opinion, the most inspirational and exciting new gin to hit the market since Four Pillars and Monkey 47.

Not only is the bottle absolutely breathtaking, meant to capture the essence of the sea in its appearance, the gin itself expresses the elements of Harris through its infusion of ocean sugar kelp, foraged locally by hand.

Given simply the gin’s origin, process, and breathtaking package, I would’ve purchased a bottle no matter how it actually tasted. But having finally stirred myself an Isle of Harris Martini last night, I can safely say this gin is worth every penny of its price tag.

I’m not sure what I was ultimately expecting, but I was definitely anticipating seaweed and salt. Yet, rather than bowl your palate over with salinity and sushi, the gin pours over your tongue like a delicate and sensual wave of tranquility. It’s incredibly soft and the flavors themselves are gentle and soothing, nuanced in their expressiveness, only revealing their true nature on the finish.

The kelp is most definitely there, but it’s not singular in anyway, nor is it monotone. How does it ultimately taste? It tastes expensive.

And it’s clearly not inexpensive to produce, given what’s required to collect the kelp and distill a base spirit in the middle of nowhere, handcraft one of the most stunning bottles in booze existence, and then transport those bottles off an island that’s not easy to get to.

I’m heading back into work this morning to purchase a CASE for my personal drinking. I’m fully inspired.

-David Driscoll

Like I Already Said

Get whatever you need NOW.

-David Driscoll

Nulu Arrives With CA Exclusive Barrel Proof Reserve

From the moment I received a Mission email address, I’ve had people asking me nonstop about when they could expect to see the Nulu and Smoke Wagon Bourbons on our shelves. I’m sorry it took as long as it did, but the best things come to those who wait!

We’ve got the Batch 3 CA Exclusive Nulu Reserve in stock right now in Pasadena, and from what I can tell we’ve got a pretty hot price at $59.99 (to match the 59% ABV). Nulu comes from Prohibition Spirits in Kentucky, but is sourced from MGP. Each batch is a marriage of 4-6 year old barrels, and this batch 3 is quite the oaky little number, laced with a bit of bananas foster on the finish. 

Smoke Wagon is also in stock, along with a flurry of other new American whiskey releases.

-David Driscoll

Truffle Hunters

Given how obsessed my wife and I are with truffles, and how interested we are in the hunting of them, we both couldn’t believe we’d never even heard of the recent documentary The Truffle Hunters, chronicling a group of men in Italy who use dogs to sniff out the prized Tubers.

Yet, beyond the obvious subject matter, the real reason to sit down and watch Truffle Hunters is the beauty with which it is shot, and the tenderness displayed by the group with their canines. It really is a feel-good experience; exactly the type of thing we need right now (along with Ted Lasso). It’s almost more of an art film than a documentary.

The part that really hit home for me, however, involves an attempt by one of the men to type out (on an old school typewriter) why specifically he wants to quit truffle hunting. It’s pretty much the exact same reason those of us in the liquor industry think about quitting every single day: greed.

To paraphrase the man’s letter: he’s tired of the lack of respect from modern truffle hunters, ignoring territorial boundaries and even going so far as to poison rival dogs. Now that truffles are worth a small fortune, it’s no longer about the passion and he’s tired of the greed. It used to be that people hunted truffles to be outside, spend time with their animals, see nature, and enjoy the culinary reward, but today that’s no longer the case. It’s a pure competitive business (both for the hunters and for the consumers) and it no longer speaks to him.

Talk to any retail buyer today about Bourbon, and they’ll pretty much tell you the same thing. It used to be about drinking, having fun with your friends, historical education, and passion. Today, it’s a pure speculative business, both for retailers and consumers.

-David Driscoll

The Best Single Barrel Value of the Year

Who said you have to pay $100+ to get a 15 year old single barrel Bourbon right now? While George Dickel prefers the Tennessee Whisky moniker, plenty of other companies are happy to bottle George Dickel as Bourbon under their private labels, but we decided to buy our juice directly from the source this time around. When you find a cracker barrel from Dickel, not only is it a thing of beauty, it’s also the best value you’ll find in mature American whiskey.

Originally put into barrel on June 28th 2005, this particular Mission exclusive edition alludes to every bit of its 15 year maturity on the nose, alluring you in with rich, heavy aromas of barrel spice, crème brulée, and butterscotch with a heavy oak bass note that you only find in the most mature of whiskies. At 100.8 proof, it’s big, but not too big, and all that richness washes over the palate with a finish that balances beautifully between sweet and savory; vanilla and peppery spice. The question isn’t whether you want a bottle, but rather how many?

-David Driscoll