Sabelli-Frisch

The producer

Adam Sabelli-Frisch was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and an Italian father, spent decades as a cinematographer shooting commercials and music videos in Hollywood, and then asked himself what he could see doing for the rest of his life. The answer was California's forgotten grapes. He began making wine commercially in 2018 and independently from 2020, and his signature is Mission, the grape that built California wine and then spent a hundred and fifty years being maligned for it. Around it come Flame Tokay, Alicante Bouschet, old-vine Zinfandel, Syrah from vines planted in 1964, and Angelica, his version of the oldest wine continuously made in America. Everything is fermented naturally with nothing added, in tiny lots of fifty to a hundred cases, about fifteen hundred cases a year in all, aged patiently before release. Wine Spectator scored his very first Mission 91 points.

At a glance

Home

Los Angeles, fruit from Lodi to Santa Barbara

Made

About 1,500 cases in 50 to 100 case lots

Focus

California heritage grapes, Mission above all

Cellar

Natural ferments, nothing added, minimal oak

First vintage

2018, independent from 2020

Wines in our book

• "Mariedam” White Zin, 2022
  White · Central Valley · White Zinfandel
• El Aliso Angelica, 2018
  Red · Central Valley · Mission
• Inedal Zinfandel
  Red · Mokelumne River · Zinfandel
• Linnae Chardonnay, 2023
  Red · Santa Barbara County · Chardonnay
• Milk Fed 10 - Sparkling White
  Sparkling · California · Riesling, Mission
• Milk Fed 5 Petit Manseng
  White · El Dorado · Petit Manseng
• Milk Fed 9 - Mission rosé
  Rose · Mokelumne River AVA · Mission
• Mission del Sol Late Harvest Mission, 2020
  Red · Central Valley · Mission
• Obie Riesling, 2021
  White · Santa Ynez Valley · Riesling
• Anchia Zinfandel, 2023
  Red · Clements Hills · Zinfandel
• Lanterna Flame Tokay, 2022
  Rose · Mokelumne River · Flame Tokay
• Mariedam White Zinfandel, 2023
  White · Clement Hills · White Zinfandel
• Milk Fed 7 - Flame Tokay, 2020
  White · Mokelumne River · Flame Tokay
• Milk Fed 8 - Red Blend
  Red · California · Red Blend
• Napa Valley, Grenache, 2023
  Red · Napa Valley · Grenache
• PicPoul, 2023, 2022
  White · Mokelumne River AVA · Picpoul
• “Bund” Riesling, 2022
  White · Mokelumne River · Riesling
• “Eserra” White Zin, 2021
  White · Central Valley · White Zinfandel
• “Marina” Mission, 2020
  Red · Mokelumne River · Mission
• Syrah Knowles, 2022
  Red · Mokelumne River · Syrah
• White Hawk Syrah, 2023
  Red · Santa Barbara County · Syrah
• “La Malinche” Mission, 2018
  Red · Central Valley · Pais
• “New Gold Dream” Riesling, 2022
  White · Arroyo Seco · Riesling

Press

• 2018 Mission, his first vintage, 91 points, Wine Spectator, 2025

More about Sabelli-Frisch

Official websiteInstagram