Mission Somers Vineyard
⏳ Drinking Window
2005 - 2010
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Charcuterie boards, roasted pork, grilled salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Pax's expression of Mission from the historic Somers Vineyard in Lodi is a vibrant tribute to California's viticultural roots. The Mission grape, originally known as Listán Prieto, was brought to the Americas by Spanish missionaries in the 16th century and established California's very first vineyards. Sourced from the Somers Vineyard, where old vines thrive in the fine, sandy soils along the Mokelumne River, winemaker Pax Mahle revives this heritage variety using minimalist, low-intervention techniques. By employing whole-cluster fermentation and aging in neutral oak, Pax coaxes out a light-bodied, pale red that is remarkably fresh, earthy, and aromatic, transforming a historic grape once dismissed for bulk production into a celebrated, terroir-driven modern classic.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2000 by Pax and Pam Mahle, Pax Wines emerged as an influential champion of cool-climate California viticulture, initially earning renown for single-vineyard expressions of Syrah. Operating out of an urban winery and tasting cellar in Sebastopol's Barlow district, the domaine collaborates closely with growers across coastal Sonoma County, Mendocino, and the Sierra Foothills. Viticulture centers on organically and sustainably farmed heritage plots, frequently anchored in fractured shale, marine sandstone, and decomposed granite. While early vintages leaned rich and assertive, Pax evolved toward an uncompromising low-intervention ethos characterized by whole-cluster foot stomping, spontaneous fermentations driven by ambient yeasts, neutral French oak aging, and minimal sulfur. Beyond benchmark Syrah bottlings such as Alder Springs, Griffin's Lair, and Castelli-Knight Ranch, the portfolio explores esoteric and heritage white varieties, notably old-vine Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, and Pinot Blanc, celebrated for their tensile acidity, savory transparency, and mineral cut.
🍇 Grapes
Mission
🍷 ABV
12%