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Pax Mahle Wines Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah 2016
Ratings on Delectable
Shay A 
Annual Man Cave dinner. 80+ wines accompanied by zebra, oryx, buffalo, bison and any other African meat you can imagine. I bought some of these earlier this year but have been holding them. Luckily, someone brought a bottle so that I could check in on them. The nose on this blew me away...reminded me of a Sami-Odi wine in the way it was heavy, without being overbearing. Floral (violets, lavender) but also fruit (ripe, fresh squeezed blackberries) and smoked meat (mainly peppered strip). Love the low ABV (<13%). This is likely best enjoyed over the next 5 years. Wonderful bottle from @Arden Barnett .
Annual Man Cave dinner. 80+ wines accompanied by zebra, oryx, buffalo, bison and any other African meat you can imagine. I bought some of these earlier this year but have been holding them. Luckily, someone brought a bottle so that I could check in on them. The nose on this blew me away...reminded me of a Sami-Odi wine in the way it was heavy, without being overbearing. Floral (violets, lavender) but also fruit (ripe, fresh squeezed blackberries) and smoked meat (mainly peppered strip). Love the low ABV (<13%). This is likely best enjoyed over the next 5 years. Wonderful bottle from @Arden Barnett .
9.6
John Howard
Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries
Beautiful wine.
Beautiful wine.
9.6
Stephen Solaka
Impressive effort. Iron, pepper, fruit and smoke.
Impressive effort. Iron, pepper, fruit and smoke.
9.3
Steve Matthiasson
Owner/Winemaker Matthiasson Wines
Knowing a little bit about Pax’s vision and sharing his strong belief that California vineyards can whisper poetry, not just belt out arias, this wine is a ten out of ten because it records the whispers perfectly, California Syrah whispers of a successful immigration from the Northern Rhône.
Knowing a little bit about Pax’s vision and sharing his strong belief that California vineyards can whisper poetry, not just belt out arias, this wine is a ten out of ten because it records the whispers perfectly, California Syrah whispers of a successful immigration from the Northern Rhône.
10
Antonio Galloni
Founder, Vinous
Utterly brilliant, magnificent wine. The 2016 is starting to shut down, but it is insanely beautiful and vivid, with a finish that lasts into the next day!
Utterly brilliant, magnificent wine. The 2016 is starting to shut down, but it is insanely beautiful and vivid, with a finish that lasts into the next day!
10
Delectable Wine
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The 2016 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. A wine of extraordinary purity and depth, the 2016 dazzles from the very first taste. The richness and power are simply breathtaking. Bacon fat, smoke, grilled herb and lavender are woven into a graceful, seamless core of inky blue/purplish fruit. Even with all of its intensity, the 2016 remains remarkably light on its feet. The Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend of fruit from Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffin's Lair and Walker Vine Hill, done with 100% whole clusters and aged in a combination of concrete and neutral oak, with no SO2. I am not sure how the 2016 will age, but I am also not sure it will matter, as most bottles will be long gone before that is an issue. Quite simply, the Sonoma-Hillsides is a total pleasure bomb and a modern-day benchmark for Syrah in California. Don't miss it! (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2018)
The 2016 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. A wine of extraordinary purity and depth, the 2016 dazzles from the very first taste. The richness and power are simply breathtaking. Bacon fat, smoke, grilled herb and lavender are woven into a graceful, seamless core of inky blue/purplish fruit. Even with all of its intensity, the 2016 remains remarkably light on its feet. The Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend of fruit from Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffin's Lair and Walker Vine Hill, done with 100% whole clusters and aged in a combination of concrete and neutral oak, with no SO2. I am not sure how the 2016 will age, but I am also not sure it will matter, as most bottles will be long gone before that is an issue. Quite simply, the Sonoma-Hillsides is a total pleasure bomb and a modern-day benchmark for Syrah in California. Don't miss it! (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2018)
10Shay A
What a polarizing wine. Anytime a wine gets a perfect 100pt score, the attention magnifies, but even more so when the release price was $45. I bought four bottles on release just before the score from Antonio came out. This was my last bottle. No SO2 added to this wine, so theoretically, the age-ability isn’t as lengthy. I’ve opened a bottle every year for the last four years and I’ve come to two conclusions: I experienced a bit of bottle variation between all four (as expected), but for the ones that were on fire, they seemed extremely age worthy. I opened this for my local group for a blind Rhône varietal tasting. It was unanimously called Syrah, but it was a mix of new world or Saint Joseph/northern Rhône. 100% Syrah, 100% whole cluster (partial carbonic maceration?) So complex aromatically. Layers of sweet and savory Syrah fruit (underripe blackberries, smoked meat, iron, dark florals), and crunchy stems. I’d buy this scent as a candle if I could. This is very pure and clean. Brambly, but light on its feet. Spicy, but sweet enough fruit to balance. Followed over three hours from the decanter and it didn’t change much but was significantly better with food. While this particular bottle has room for slight improvement, I’d rather not roll the dice…enjoy these now…if other bottles are like this, I’ve got to imagine this was the end goal in mind. Delicious.
What a polarizing wine. Anytime a wine gets a perfect 100pt score, the attention magnifies, but even more so when the release price was $45. I bought four bottles on release just before the score from Antonio came out. This was my last bottle. No SO2 added to this wine, so theoretically, the age-ability isn’t as lengthy. I’ve opened a bottle every year for the last four years and I’ve come to two conclusions: I experienced a bit of bottle variation between all four (as expected), but for the ones that were on fire, they seemed extremely age worthy. I opened this for my local group for a blind Rhône varietal tasting. It was unanimously called Syrah, but it was a mix of new world or Saint Joseph/northern Rhône. 100% Syrah, 100% whole cluster (partial carbonic maceration?) So complex aromatically. Layers of sweet and savory Syrah fruit (underripe blackberries, smoked meat, iron, dark florals), and crunchy stems. I’d buy this scent as a candle if I could. This is very pure and clean. Brambly, but light on its feet. Spicy, but sweet enough fruit to balance. Followed over three hours from the decanter and it didn’t change much but was significantly better with food. While this particular bottle has room for slight improvement, I’d rather not roll the dice…enjoy these now…if other bottles are like this, I’ve got to imagine this was the end goal in mind. Delicious.
9.5
Patrick Derdeyn
The ratings below from Steve Matthiason and Raj Parr tell you everything you need to know about this wine. 2 heroes of California wine singing its praises. On Pax’s recommendation I opened one early, I immediately regretted that decision. Not because it’s not good, it is fact VERY good but I wouldn’t come to find that out until I had it open for SIX days. It took that long for the layers and layers of fruit to peel back to reveal the structure underneath. I can only rate now based on day 6, but in 10 years I might be able to go 100pts just like Steve did.
The ratings below from Steve Matthiason and Raj Parr tell you everything you need to know about this wine. 2 heroes of California wine singing its praises. On Pax’s recommendation I opened one early, I immediately regretted that decision. Not because it’s not good, it is fact VERY good but I wouldn’t come to find that out until I had it open for SIX days. It took that long for the layers and layers of fruit to peel back to reveal the structure underneath. I can only rate now based on day 6, but in 10 years I might be able to go 100pts just like Steve did.
9.4
Rajat Parr
Founder Sandhi Wines & Domaine de la Côte, Evening Lands Vineyards, Seven Springs & Maison l'Oree
An ode to Raymond Trollat with that label!!
An ode to Raymond Trollat with that label!!
9.6
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