Pax Wine Cellars - Sonoma Hillsides Syrah 2018
Price: $53.98
| Producer | Pax Wine Cellars |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Sonoma County |
| Varietal | Syrah |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Sku | 02487 |
Pax Wine Cellars Description
The Sonoma Hillsides label was designed by Pax to honor one of his heroes in the Rhone Valley. During a visit with the retired Raymond Trollat, Pax brought up a winemaker named Michal Clotaire who paid homage to Raymond by using a direct copy of Raymonds distictive and classic label on his St Joseph and Beaujolais bottlings. The conversation turned to how much Pax wanted to do something similar and Raymond immediately gave his blessing and in fact took Pax down under the house into the earthen floored cellar and, to Pax’s great astonishment, grabbed a large stack of leftover Trollat St Joseph labels (this would be a good time to point out that Pax’s French is horrendous).
The Pax Sonoma Hillsides label is not a direct copy of the Trollat label, but it is meant to honor the past and look to the future of Syrah. Raymond Trollat was a traditionalist with his handling of Syrah and what he accomplished in the hills above St-Jean-de-Muzols, just outside of Tournon, in the northern Rhone Valley of France, continues to inspire how we think about putting the blend together for this wine.
100% Syrah, whole cluster
Tasting Notes
Vivid Violet hues sparkle in the reflections of this brilliant wine. Aromatically perfect in terms of pure Syrah distinction and purity with all that black pepper, violet and roasted plum. You won’t find any new oak aromas or flavors, just mineral laced fruit, spice and earth harmonizing into a pleasing Syrah elixir. Supple and seamless with teases of chocolate covered cherries, violet candy, coastal forest air, brown figs and ripe plum pie. We drink this wine often and when we do, we serve it at 55 degrees, especially in the summer. You should make an effort to do both of these things as well.
Vinous Media: 96 Points
The 2018 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides is gorgeous. Inky dark fruit, spice, licorice and dried herbs all flesh out with a bit of coaxing. At this stage, the 2018 is remarkably primary, but there is tremendous intensity and richness waiting to emerge more fully. Although the 2018 doesn't quite have the aromatic breadth and layers of the 2016, it is a superb, vivid wine that Pax fans will want to own. The Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend of fruit from Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffins Lair and Nellessen. The grapes are crushed by foot, using 100% whole clusters, and undergo carbonic maceration, an approach that works so well with this fruit. Aging is done in concrete.
-- Antonio Galloni
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