2017 Sandlands Mission Amador County- USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County (1/27/2020)
From the Deaver Ranch Vineyard in Amador Co. planted in 1854…four years younger than the state of Ca!! Wonderful translucent, deep rosé color ala Tavel…crunchy and sour red fruits, lite, yet has a viscosity to it…reminds me of a Trousseau, with a little more strawberry jolly roger sweetness, less structure. Dry and somewhat tannic…very pretty cranberry and strawberry perfume…dusty tobacco/earth…a mellow subtle wine…finishes a little dry and short. I’d drink it like a rosé…little chill on it. More intriguing for the history here…definitely FUN stuff! (91 pts.)
Great note, Buzz. When I had my lone singleton of this a few months ago, it didn’t remind of the Trousseau…honestly, to my palate, it tasted unabashedly like the “grapey” Mission variety, albeit exactly in the style of Tegan/Sandlands. It was one of my favorite bottles of Sandlands yet, very much wish he made more of it.
And here’s Ken Deaver in the Mission vineyard talking with Bryan Harrington and Wes Barton, May 2019:
Much different than the old Mission vines we used to get in the Lodi area, right next to the Mokelumne River - photo from 2015 with Bryan for comparison:
Don’t know - Tegan may have planted or grafted some there. The Lodi-area vineyard shown in the photo is Somers Vineyard. Harrington got fruit from there from 2015-18, and since 2015 some other vintners have also gotten Mission fruit from Somers, including Broc, Sabelli-Frisch, and Pax Mahle.
