Vinous Media 98
"The 2021 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is towering and statuesque in bearing from the very first taste. I dont think I have ever tasted a Sonoma Hillsides with this much finesse, this much purity. A wine of vertical energy, the Sonoma Hillsides possesses tremendous depth from start to finish. In many vintages the Hillsides leans towards a darker expression of Syrah. The 2021, on the other hand, is marked by more of a red/purplish fruit profile, with bright floral and citrus overtones that confer freshness. Once again, Pax Mahle made one of the truly epic wines of the year. His Sonoma Hillsides has been one of the very finest wines in Northern California for a number of years now. - By Antonio Galloni on January 2023"

The Wine
100% Syrah 100% Whole Cluster, undergoes passive carbonic maceration 3 Vineyards: Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffins Lair, Sonoma Coast, and Nellessen Vineyard Aged in neutral French Oak Puncheons for 6 months & concrete for 6 months 12.9% abv

The Estate
Pax and Pam Mahle moved to California in 1997 to pursue careers in wine, and after a few years of tasting and sourcing wine from all over the state for Dean & Deluca, Pax realized he needed to be on the frontlines of winemaking rather than behind the scenes, and made the decision to start his own brand in 2000. The Mahles made the bold choice of favoring the untapped potential of the Syrah grape at that time. Initially known for his rich and powerful expressions of Syrah that put him on the map, Paxs style took a major turn to fresher, lower alcohol profiles as he began working with new vineyard sources in cooler, coastal areas of Sonoma. His wines today are balanced and elegant, with a nod to the Old World.

Paxs all-star lineup includes vineyards such as Alder Springs, Castelli-Knight Ranch and Griffins Lair for his Syrahs, and recently the brand has evolved to include new and exciting varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Mission and Carignan. The Trousseau Gris that we know and love from his former brand Wind Gap is also being bottled under the Pax label as well as some of the other vineyard sources from that project. He is no longer making Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Pax believes that great wines can only be made from great vineyards, which guides their highly selective decision-making process in choosing sites that are farmed sustainably by dedicated growers that will produce healthy grapes with balanced acids and sugars. All wines are crushed by foot and hand, and fermented using only natural yeasts. Their goal is to produce wines with as little intervention as possible.

Farming Practice:Sustainable