I’m back! Finally wrapped up a long, insanely busy holiday season at the restaurant and enjoyed this Pax Syrah, along with some other wines, with friends.
On the nose, this wine offers ripe, dark fruits like blackberry and plum, and plenty of that smoky, peppery Syrah character even in its youth. Oftentimes, California Syrah is too big and fruity for my taste, but this is already clearly a Northern Rhone-styled Syrah.
The palate is still almost fully fruit forward, with that same dark/brambly profile, but there is good body and structure, with moderate tannins and a great lift of acidity to carry the wine across the palate.
The finish fell a little short for the first hour or so, but eventually some subtle, bright herbaceous notes began to show. Too bad the bottle was almost empty by then!
Overall, this is solid stuff even in youth, with great age potential. I’ve enjoyed one or two back vintage Pax wines – they transform into such Rhône-esque wines with age, and if you have the chance to purchase some older bottles I believe that is where this producer really shines, especially against other Californian takes on Syrah.
by christisanders1
3 Comments
Great juice
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