Pax Hillsides Sonoma Syrah 2021

Owners Pax & Pamela Mahle moved to California wine country in 1997 to create a lifestyle that involved working with wine. After a few years of tasting and sourcing wine from all over California, Pax finally found a vineyard in which he felt a kismet connection. Alder Springs Vineyard was the site and subsequently led to the launch of the PAX brand in 2000. The Mahles made a bold choice by favoring the “untapped potential" of the Syrah grape. Their entire lineup of wines came from cool climate vineyards in Sonoma County and Mendocino. These wines were big, rich expressions of Syrah that went on to be highly sought after. As a result, Pax quickly became established as one of California’s premier producers of Syrah.

Presently, Pax Wines has evolved to include new and exciting varieties in addition to Syrah. This includes Trousseau Gris, Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir, and Mission, along with a host of others recently planted.  At Pax Wines winemaking is approached holistically. This is done by taking care to use only grapes that are grown without the use of chemicals and by hand making their wines with as little intervention as possible. As a result, all of their wines are crushed by foot and hand, and fermented using only natural yeasts.

Their Syrah 'Hillsides' is decadent, delicious and densely fruited. After an incredibly extensive tasting of great vintages from the cellar of Raymond Trollat, Pax expressed his interest in creating a wine label designed as an ode to the iconic French winemaker. Raymond immediately led him down to the cellar, shocking everyone by offering him a leftover roll of his very own labels. Someone more fluent in French quickly explained the miscommunication and all was resolved, but the story never fails to bring a smile and a warm feeling to their hearts.

In 2016 Pax & Pamela finally felt that they had created a wine worthy of the label. Inspired by the flamboyant wines of St. Joseph, this 100% Syrah is one of the most exciting and compelling wines they have ever put into bottle. Just like in St. Joseph, the blend is from multiple sites, utilizing the expositions of these hillside vineyards that show the freshness and vibrancy that Syrah can only achieve on cool-climate hillside slopes.