One of Italy's Most Dynamic White Wines for Less Than $25

The origins of the Manincor estate date back to the early 1600s, when the family first received a plot of land next to Lake Caldaro from the Emperor of Austria. Located in Italy's Alto Adige region (also known as Südtirol) and nestled into the Dolomites, Manincor's high-altitude, mountainous terrain is famous for producing white wines of distinction and character—brimming with acidity, yet delicate in flavor.

While grapes have been grown on the property for ages, it wasn’t until 1991 that the Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg created the Manincor winery and took the focus of the estate to sustainability and biodynamic farming. They’ve never looked back since. 

Today, the estate is a paragon of biodiversity and a model for new winemakers all over Europe and California.  As Eric Guido from Vinous notes, “You’ll find flocks of sheep roaming the vineyards as well as trees, corn, clover and flowers growing throughout. In the winery, the processes are gentle, employing spontaneous fermentations. What’s most amazing to think about when tasting through this portfolio of high-energy yet deep wines, is that Manincor is also one of the largest family-owned wineries in the region. In the end, their passion shines through in the wines.”

Today, we’re excited to offer one of Manincor’s most beloved white wines for almost $10 less than the standard MSRP. A marriage of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, the Contessa combines fruit from two different vineyards—one cooler and one warmer—to fuse freshness and acidity with ripeness and depth of flavor. 100% biodynamically-farmed and fermented with native yeasts, the purity of the wine is impeccable and truly expressive of its terrain.

Manincor Reserve Della Contessa 2021 750ml - $21.99

Dry and snappy on the palate, the juxtaposition of minerality and weight is truly superb. Think Chablis or Sancerre meets Napa Chardonnay, but with an extra dose of honeysuckle. 

92 POINTS: JAMES SUCKLING - With its effusive nose of white currants and elderberry blossom, you could almost mistake this elegant dry white for a Sauvignon Blanc. Very clean and crisp, but also with a healthy amount of substance and a complex citric and wet-stone finish that’s surprisingly long for an entry-level wine. From biodynamically grown grapes with Respekt certification. Drink or hold. 

An Amazing Single Barrel of Tequila

It’s fascinating how trends in the wine and spirit industry can cross genres and borders, evolving into greater statements about the evolution of consumer tastes. Just a few years ago, there was still a huge demand for big California red wines, as well as heavily-oaked Tequilas. Customers wanted the richest and roundest liquids available.

Yet, as younger generations have graduated into adulthood, looking for alternatives from the sweeter style of alcohol, we’ve seen a huge shift at Mission into lighter, lower alcohol, and even natural wines. More and more people are paying attention to how their beverages are made, which has created ripples in the Tequila market given the fact that so many today are adulterated with artificial flavoring, sugar, and glycerol. 

In the realm of additive-free Tequila, perhaps no figure looms larger than Carlos Camarena—the master distiller for El Tesoro and Tapatìo, whose long-standing commitment to only the finest, purest Tequilas had made him a legend (as well as his brother Felipe, who now manages G4 Tequila). 

While the oakier Añejo Tequilas are often more popular with the whiskey crowd, true Tequila fans tend to prefer Blanco and Reposado expressions because the clean flavor of agave isn’t masked by the wood, allowing the talents of the distiller to shine through. For that reason, we sat down with Carlos earlier this year to select a single cask of his finest Reposado Tequila from La Alteña Distillery, and we are very excited to tell you about its arrival.

This Mission Exclusive single barrel Tequila has an exquisite balance of herbaceousness, sweetness, and spice. The peppery notes from the agave shine through immediately, bolstered by an undercurrent of citrus that is wrapped up and cradled by baking spices and light butterscotch notes from the oak. Overall, it’s a masterclass in “real” Tequila: the purity and quintessence of blue agave, allowed to shine in full glow, with just a little touch of wood for good measure.

We hope you all enjoy this single barrel exclusive as much as we do!

El Tesoro “Mission Exclusive” Single Barrel Reposado Tequila $59.99

A Hidden Gem In Saumur Champigny

As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, there’s a revolution underfoot in the French countryside. The sons and daughters of aging winemakers are taking over their multigenerational estates and choosing to do things differently than their parents. Dominique Joseph from Le Petit Saint-Vincent is a perfect example, having pulled his family’s domaine out of the bulk wine business and converting the entire estate to organic farming a decade ago. 

Today, the 13 hectare domaine is almost entirely planted to Cabernet Franc and his old vine selections have become decidedly famous among younger generations of wine drinkers who have given up on finding (or affording!) a bottle of Clos Rougeard at $200 a pop. American wine critics are also big fans. Jon Bonné, the author of the newly-released and expansive tome “The New French Wine” included Le Petit Saint-Vincent in his top producers, writing: 

“The hidden gem is Les Clos Lyzières, from an even older parcel at the edge of Verrains, a proper clos in concept. This wine is slow to open, but has a remarkable dark mineral intensity and ripe but edgy plum fruit, a quintessence of Cabernet Franc.”

According to Joseph, the vineyard was once a walled-in clos, but the stones have since fallen and no longer remain. “We’re not in Brittany,” he remarked; “They’re not made of granite.” 

If you’re looking for a dark-fruited, expansive, and multi-layered French red, brimming with plummy fruit, yet with an undercurrent of graphite reminiscent of some of the finest Right Bank Bordeaux wines, there are few options this good for less than $100, let alone $30.

2018 Le Petit Saint Vincent “Les Clos Lyzières” Saumur-Champigny $29.99

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.