Sabelli-Frisch Hernan Mission

Adam Sabelli-Frisch works with some of the oldest vines in America. He takes these rare old plantings and makes the wine in an urban winery in Los Angeles. Mission is the oldest grape in America and is partly to thank for what we have today from one of the best wine-producing countries in the world. Today it’s a very rare grape (also known as Pais in Spain and the old world), almost fully replaced by more fashionable varieties.

Somers Vineyard might have some of the oldest Mission vines in the US, estimated to be planted around 1900. The site is situated right next to the river in the Mokelumne River in Lodi, California.

Different to the Malinche Mission, Hernan is harvested later to provide more body and concentration in the juice and then 4-months in a clay amphora to extract more tannins from the skins) before oak ageing to add elegance and mouthfeel. It is rounder and more elegant than its sibling Mission. It has a nose of red fruits and a defined herbaceous element; in the mouth, the classic markers of strawberry and pepper pop out along with crunchy berries and a tannin stalkyness. Darker, deeper and more age-worthy than the other, this drinks in a more serious style. Another superb expression of these very old vines.