Mission - 'Rosa Nega' - Mencia & Godello - Ribeira Sacra, ES - 2019

an unexpectedly beautiful wine from Ribeira Sacra in Galicia - Spain's northwest green-zone. All the soft plushness of Mencia with the subtle yet driving mineral and acid backbone of Godello. Just a perfect summer sipper that plays just as sexy by the fire in the middle of a snowstorm. Sexy. Wine.

Mission wines are of seriously limited quantities and tread the fine artisanal line between homemade and professional.

The wines are unadulterated by chemicals (aside from a bit of sulfur for stability) and hand made through every step of the vinification - from picking in 18kg cases to being stomped under foot for the initial crush and gentle punch downs. They are all aged in neutral French oak barrels for as long as they need, with racking kept at a minimum and no use of filters. As a result the wines may be a shade cloudy, like unfiltered craft ale as opposed to squeaky-clean Coors Light.

My mission to make wine started as a cellar rat in Keermont Vineyards in Stellenbosch, South Africa at which I learned of the finesse required to make natural wines of exceptional quality. I thereafter crossed the South Atlantic to Mendoza, Argentina to sharpen my conventional winemaking skills. The Ribeira Sacra of Galicia is where I have settled to make my wines, a region of outstanding potential and truly unique terroir, at a humble winery located here.