Gerald Casale Visits Mission Pasadena

Every Spring we’re lucky enough to have Devo frontman and rock legend Gerald Casale in the Pasadena store to pour his latest 50 By 50 Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir and sign autographs for the fans. Yesterday, we had a huge crowd of DEVOtees in the building the the rosé was flowing!

Gerald is a wealth of wine knowledge as well and took the time to sit down with our Pasadena wine team to break down all the specifics. A big thank you to Gerald Casale for making this an annual tradition at Mission!

The Best Wine We've Tasted In 2023 (So Far)

When you taste a wine so good that your knees buckle, your heart flutters, and your brain practically explodes, you know there's something special in your glass. That's almost precisely how the wine team at Mission felt this week after tasting the 2019 Domaine Chambeyron-Manin Côte-Rôtie--a wine so good, so special, and so rare that it may be the best wine we taste all year long. 

What exactly makes Domain Chambeyron-Manin so good? Let's start with the producer. 

First off, Christianne Manin and her family operate a small market offering locally-produced meats, cheeses, and produces, including a large amount of vegetables they grow themselves like radishes, spinach, chard, and a variety of lettuces. Her prowess for produce is of high renown in southern France. She also happens to make a small amount of wine.

How small? How about half a hectare!!

Yes, a teeny-tiny half hectare of 40-50 year old Syrah vines is farmed in Côte-Rôtie, of which a mere 165 total cases is made for the entire world!! Farmed entirely by hand, with hard-to-reach wines on steep slopes, the entire process of production is the definition of small artisanship.

As you might imagine, only a small percentage of that wine is shipped to the United States which means the few cases we have currently at Mission represent some of the miniscule bottles made available to American customers as a whole (not to mention the Mission staff members who are also buying this). 

What does it taste like? Like the most lushy, mouth-filling, concentrated fruit known to man, accented by violets and smoked meats, with a five minute finish that leaves you longing for more. 

Will we taste a better wine at Mission this year? Perhaps! There's still plenty of time ahead of us in 2023. But as of this moment it's our leading candidate for wine of the year. 

94 POINTS: VINOUS - Brilliant violet color. Highly perfumed, mineral-accented dark fruit liqueur, floral, olive and cracked pepper scents show excellent clarity and vibrant lift. Offers juicy blackberry, boysenberry and candied violet flavors that display fine clarity and subtly chewy texture. The impressively long, floral-tinged driven finish features discreet tannins and reverberating spice and mineral notes.

The Inspiration for Didier Dagueneau

Every now and then we come across a wine that lives up to just about everything we adore in the Mission wine department: amazing wine from a thoughtful producer in a beautiful bottle that defines the typicity of its regional character.

The 2019 "Les Herse" Silex Sancerre is an example of a wine that likely tastes far more interesting today than it did at the time of review (and the reviews were still good back then). Putting down Sauvignon Blanc to cellar isn't something we're used to in America, but the best Sancerre wines are capable of aging 5-10 years if not longer. Today we're focused on one such specimen. 

In today's Loire Valley lore, few producers carry as much esteem and prestige as the late Didier Dagueneau, whose mineral-driven whites become a wine geek calling card in the aughts of the 21st century. Yet, what few know is that Dagueneau took inspiration from the Gitton family's "silix" flint slopes in Sancerre, having studied with Pascal Gitton himself in the 1990s before soaring to international fame. Both his philosophy and winemaking style was shaped by his time with Gitton in Sancerre.

Pascal's cellar of Sancerre dates back to the 1980s and his wines are legendary for their ability to age decades while maintaining freshness. The chalky white silex slopes of Gitton's property create Sauvignon Blanc wines with electricity and ample fruit, balancing suppleness with freshness in a style that continues to evolve over time. These bottles already have three-plus years of cellaring done for you. As good as the 2019 already tastes, expect it to continue gaining complexity.

92 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - Gooseberry, lime, nettle and juniper on the nose. It's medium-bodied with bright tangy acidity. Compact, mineral and sleek with saline and spice undertones. Drink now or hold.

91 POINTS: WINE ENTHUSIAST - Fruity, crisp and with good acidity, this wine is just settling into balance. Touches of the wood aging are there along with brightly herbal green-fruit flavors. The wine is rich, with acidity as well as hints of tropical fruits in the background. Drink now.

Our Best Daily Drinker From Italy

There are Super Tuscans that use Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to add volume and sweetness of fruit to the famed Sangiovese wines of Tuscany. Over the last 20 years, they've become some of the most expensive and homogenized wines in the world, let alone just Italy. 

Then there are Super Tuscans that use historic and native Tuscan varietals like Canaiolo and Malvasia Nera to accomplish the same task, softening the edges of Sangiovese to create an immediately drinkable wine that remains Italian at its core, rather than pandering to Bordeaux or Napa.

We're happy to tell you that today's email wine--the 2019 Fattoria di Piazzano--is the latter of the two and for just under fifteen bucks it brings classic Italian deliciousness home for an unbeatable everyday price. The estate dates back to 1948 when the Bettarini family purchased the land for winemaking. Farmed organically and sustainably today by Ronaldo and Ilaria Bettarini in the western hills near Chianti, almost all of the wine is sold and consumed locally in Tuscany. In essence, this is the table wine of choice for Italians in nearby Sienna, home to some of the most delicious cuisine in the world.

Fattoria di Piazzano Ventoso Toscana 2019 750ml - $14.99

Bursting with a purity of fleshy black fruits, luscious tannins that melt in your moth, and a surprising amount of acidity given the ripeness, it's a wine that can pair with just about anything, from a plate of prosciutto to a grilled steak to a bowl of steaming pasta with ragu. Give it a whirl and see what you think. For $14.99, we think you'll be pleased. 

92 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - Intense aromas of blackberries, flowers and bark. Medium to full body and firm, chewy tannins. Delicious finish. Drink now.

Italian Reds For Your Summer Patio

Only a decade ago, most of the conversation surrounding Italian red wine was based on the French-ification of classic varietals. Whether it was adding Cabernet and Merlot to Tuscan Sangiovese for texture, or fleshing out the tannic gripe with a little ripe Syrah, the intent was to make Italian wines more palatable to the global palate. The resulting homogenization of the market created a backlash from Italian wine purists who looked to the past to dictate the future. 

Ten years later, Italy is having something of a renaissance with classic, indigenous grapes. Rather than striving to be something they are not, winemakers are returning to ancient vineyards, hands-off viticulture, and old fashioned country to rusticity to the utter delight of Italian wine drinkers around the globe. 

At Mission, we're 100% on board with this movement.

As lovers of both Italian food and Italian wine, we're constantly overwhelmed by the amount of exciting new wines coming out of Italy and today we're going to tell you about a few of them. While each represents a different varietal from a different region, what bonds these wines is their commitment to classic Italian typicity and the purist expression of what each grape has to offer. 

Barbaresco is a famed region in Italy's northern Piedmonte region that makes wine from Nebbiolo. While Nebbiolo can be light in body and color like a fine Burgundy, its robust tannic structure can be overpowering when the wine is young. That makes finding a young Barbaresco you can drink today a challenging task; hence, when we find one that fits the bill we get excited!

Serio & Battista Borgogno Barbaresco 2019 750ml - $36.99

What makes the Serio & Battista Borgogno estate so exciting is the location of its Nebbiolo vineyards. With 15 hectares along the rolling hillside of Cannubi, the family could sell just its real estate holdings today and retire as multi-millionaires. When the estate was established in 1897, it was one of the only vineyards on Cannubi hill. Today, you'll hear Cannubi mentioned by wine drinkers in the same breath as Grand Cru Burgundy, and Borgogno still farms all its grapes today with the same reverence. 

The Barbaresco from Borgogno needs some decanting but it reveals everything we love about Nebbiolo already at this young stage: violets and rose petal on the nose, dusty tannins, red berries and earth, with a fresh and grippy finish. Try it with grilled meats and be enthralled. 

91 POINTS: ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - Classic, crisp and compact, the Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno 2019 Barbaresco reveals a traditional approach in which the freshness and purity of the grape is given top priority. The grape's potential power is downplayed, and the wine's texture is quite lean and streamlined. This precise house style is reflected across this flight of new releases. 

While Barolo and Barbaresco get all the attention in Piedmonte, Barbera is a grape that has made huge inroads as an under-the-radar and affordable Italian red wine of quality--particularly Barbera d'Asti. If you're out to eat at an Italian restaurant and you're unsure of what bottle to order, Barbera is a safe and generally value-oriented pick.

The story of Ferraris and its wines is one rooted in California history, as well as Italian. Currently run by winemaker and owner Luca Ferraris, it was his grandfather who traveled to California at the turn of the 20th century and struck it rich while mining for gold. Using that newfound wealth, he purchased the family estate in 1921 and began selling his grapes to cooperatives in the area. Eighty years later, a chance encounter with famed winemaker Randall Graham at a wine festival in California turned into a partnership that allowed Luca to invest further in his family's vineyards. 

The sheer juiciness of Luca's Barbera d'Asti Del Martin is evidence of that investment. The symphony of berries, spices, herbs and textures is something to behold. Try this with just about anything grilled, as well as meat and cheese boards. It's bold enough to pair with a steak, but buoyant enough to drink on its own. 

94 POINTS: WINE ENTHUSIAST - This vibrant and exuberant Barbera opens with aromas of boysenberry, tart blueberry, fresh violets and roasted herbs. The palate is plump with juicy ripe cherries, wildflowers and a distinct minerality giving the wine a balance that is buoyed by crisp acidity on the finish: A top-notch wine.

91 POINTS: WINE SPECTATOR - A seductive Barbera, this is silky and charming, featuring violet, blackberry, black currant and mineral aromas and flavors. Easy to enjoy now, yet this should develop over the next 5 years. Drink now through 2028.

The Pappy of Rum Returns

Most serious whiskey drinkers have a bottle of Foursquare Rum in their collection even if they don't particularly drink a lot of rum. 

The reason?

Foursquare in Barbados has long been the darling of the American whiskey scene with its dedication to purity, zero additive policy, and rich, Bourbon cask-aged flavor that often clocks in well over 60% ABV at full proof. In short, it’s rum made by the most stringent of whiskey geek standards.

For the 22nd release in Foursquare’s Exceptional Cask Series, the distillery teamed up with the esteemed Camus house to finish its rum in Cognac barrels. Two batches of rum were used for the marriage, the first aged in ex-Bourbon casks for five years with an additional nine years in French oak ex-Cognac barrels. The second batch was aged twelve years in ex-Bourbon and an additional two in the ex-Cognac barrels. While the process was the same for both rums, the time variations created completely different expressions that were then expertly married by Foursquare’s team.

Foursquare Touchstone 14 Year Old Single Blended Rum 750ml - $149.99

More importantly, the rums were aged on Barbados in the tropical climate (rather than a European warehouse) and the richness achieved from those conditions is clear from the first sip. Tropical fruits abound on the nose with Bananas Foster front and center. The palate has more of that richness, but it’s married with an earthy, leathery note that should have cigar smokers running to their humidor for the perfect pairing. The finish turns into stone fruit and spice with hints of coconut from the American oak. The XXII clocks in at 61% ABV, so it packs quite a punch; so much so that you’ll need multiple glasses to truly unlock and comprehend its complexity.

If you’re even remotely interested in rum, this is a must-have bottle from Foursquare. Find out what the fuss is all about for yourself.

Bordeaux's Best Rosé

Bordeaux producers have long made rosé wines from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, even some Cab Franc, but they have typically been darker in color and richer on the palate. While darker rosés can still be dry as a bone on the palate, a large population of the wine drinking world still associates that deeper concentration with a sweeter style of wine. 

For that reason, Margaux’s third-growth superstar Château Giscour went back to the drawing board. In 2019, it designated a plot of its prized Cabernet Sauvignon vines solely for rosé production and kept that development completely confidential. For two years, Giscour’s team experimented with making a lighter, more terroir-driven style of rosé—in line with some of France’s most coveted producers.

Le Rose X Giscours Rose 2022 750ml - $39.99

Keep in mind: Giscour’s standard 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon-based red just received a 96 point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and a 97 point score from Vinous. The fruit comes entirely from one of Margaux’s historic classified properties, and the rosé is sourced from the same vines. Now imagine that caliber of Cabernet Sauvignon vinified into a crisp and clean rosé wine that can elevate your patio parties all summer long! 

The risk that Château Giscours took in dedicating its prized Cabernet fruit to an experimental rosé is as bold as it is shocking, but we think the result will have you spellbound. Pale pink in color, the wine is brimming with beautiful notes of red currant white peach, combined with subtle floral notes of verbena and rosebuds. It has exceptional freshness and depth of flavor, which speaks entirely the quality of the fruit being used. 

La Staffa Verdicchio Is the Spring White You Need

In case you haven't been following the wine industry as closely as we do here at Mission, there's been a revolution over the past decade happening right before your eyes. Gone are the days of big, rich, sweet, extracted flavors that were the result of manipulation and extraction. Here today are wines with balanced alcohol, fresh acidity, restraint, and terroir. It's a new age for Italian wine as well, as growers are beginning to establish the quality and reputation of their finest vineyards to showcase the specific terroir of their regions.

"Terroir" is a word that gets thrown around far too often, but what it refers to is a wine's ability to express a sense of place--a characteristic or flavor profile that could only come from grapes grown in that piece of earth, in that part of the world. For those of you unfamiliar with Verdicchio, it's one of Italy's most beloved native white wine varietals, known for its lip-smacking acidity and fine ability to pair with a number of foods.

 When Oliver McCrum introduced us to the new Verdicchio wines from La Staffa recently, we knew we finally found the terroir-driven Italian whites our department sorely needed. Clean, zippy, mineral-driven, and vibrant on the palate, these Verdicchio expressions not only offer more class and panache than the standard Italian fare, they offer complexity and a look into the vineyard practices in the Castelli di Jesi region of the Marche, where Verdicchio is grown near the Adriatic.

At 1300 feet above sea level in limestone-rich clay soils, the high altitude and cool air helps to preserve acidity in the grapes and the organic practices of La Staffa's vineyard team keep the flavors precise. There are four expressions of Verdicchio from La Staffa, so let's break them down now: 

La Staffa Verdicchio Classico Superiore 2021 750ml - $19.99

Straw in color with snappy flavors of green apple, almond skin, and a light herbaceousness, this 100%-certified-organic Verdicchio comes from a high-altitude vineyard planted originally in 1985. The wine is aged for six months in cement tanks before bottling to keep it fresh, and is aged on the lees for four months to add texture and weight. Drink this with seafood, light pastas, meat and cheese boards, or just a sunny day on the patio! 

La Staffa Rincrocca Verdicchio 2019 750ml - $38.99

This is where things get very interesting! La Staffa's reserve Verdicchio has a few years of bottle age and comes from the oldest plots of vines in its Castelli di Jesi vineyards. Planted in 1972 with five different clones of Verdicchio (two of which don't exist on the market in any other wine expression), the wine spends 10 months in cement, 12 months on the lees, and 20 months in bottle before release. There is more weight and richness to this Verdicchio, but the acidity is still there and it adds an incredible counterbalance. This is a showstopping white that stands on its own, but can turn a roast chicken meal into a serious event.

La Staffa Petillant Natural Mai Sentito! 750ml - $21.99

Mai Sentito means "unheard of" and you can be sure that we had never heard of a pet-nat made from Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio until we tasted this one. And WOW it's delicious! Better than any Prosecco at this price and a serious competitor for best sparkling wine around $20 from anywhere, this cuvee is made of 80% Verdicchio and 20% Trebbiano with the second fermentation happening in the bottle just like Champagne. If you've been in the mood for a clean and easy-drinking sparkler, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than this for the price.

La Staffa Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Selva di Sotto 2019 750ml - $79.99

Produced only in the best vintages, this tiny vineyard located in the middle of a steep forest is difficult to farm, yet produces Verdicchio grapes of unparalleled character. Aged three years before release, the richness of this wine is astonishing and the complexity of flavors--white flowers, honeysuckle, apricot, and a mineral streak-- compete with some of the finest white Bordeaux. For serious fans of Italian wines, this is a bottle not to be missed!