TN: 2005 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

WINE TALK
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  • 2005 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/22/2010)
    I have a lot of Pax, but this is the first Kobler that I have opened. Popped and poured at The Willett House in Portchester($25 corkage). The first blast on the nose was a strong fruit melange of cherry and blueberry which had a clarity that surprised me and made me say “Wow, that’s nice.” This was different from other Pax wines I have had, with a more delicate (relatively) flavor. The palate was lighter on the fruit than the nose, with smokey meaty flavors mixed in. There was plenty of flavor so you did not have to go searching for it and it stood up to a steak dinner, but it was not so strong as to hit you in the face. Extremely smooth mouth feel without any syrupy component. Some spiciness but relatively light for a syrah. Excellent balance. Very easy to drink. Longer than average finish with no negative characteristics on the wine. I had not paid a lot of attention to the bottle when I pulled it out of the cellar to bring to the restaurant, but as I tasted it, I thought cold climate syrah without the (some say over-the-top) really strong flavors of warmer climate CA syrahs. I then checked out the label - it’s an RRV vineyard, so that qualifies as cold climate. No one could argue it’s an “alcoholic mess,” so I checked the label on another bottle this morning (restaurant was too dark and it was in 4 pt type). “Only” 13.6%. Outstanding effort over all. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Next time I slip “our” Jay Miller a Pax, I’ll choose this one. I think he might like it.

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Great note, Jay.
$25 corkage include bottle ‘removal & disposal’? [basic-smile.gif]

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Yes, they got rid of the big fat overweight bottle. I also gave the guy an extra tip because he had to spend 5 minutes chipping away the obnxious sealing wax capsule.