2006 Pax Syrah Griffin’s Lair- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (5/14/2010)
Huge nose, dark and woody with some blueberry. The palate is thick and coating. A bit gritty, hints of blood. Still awfully tannic. Needs some time but I enjoyed it for what it is.
The 2004 is an outstanding wine. Here’s my note from last year:
2004 Pax Syrah Griffin’s Lair- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (7/25/2009)
An outstanding wine. 4 hour decant. Color is extremely dark, almost black. Nose had a bit of funk when it was decanted, but it went away almost immediately. The nose betrays a bit of smooth oak with red fruits. Palate has no noticeable oak. The first flavor is a strong tart cherry, with a bit of plum. There is a background of smooth soft white pepper and an earthy woodsiness that seems to represent a flavor development of age that I have not noticed on prior forays into my Pax collection. Five years is about the oldest one I’ve had. This wine is begining to bridge the gap between explosive fruit forward CA syrahs and the development of complexity reminiscent of good northern Rhones. I’ve got one more 04 Griffin’s that I will try to hold for a few years, but this is wonderful right now. We paired this with a fire grilled butterflied leg of lamb marinated in garlic, EVOO and fresh rosemary. YUMMM. (93 pts.)
Here’s my note on the '06 from January, much better on day two.
2006 Pax Syrah Griffin’s Lair- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/19/2010)
Decanted for 2 hours, consumed over 2 nights. Huge ripe black fruits that stop just short of jammy. Dries out on the finish from what I perceive as oak. Night 2 the oak has fully integrated and now the wine has picked up a salty quality that is quite nice. O.K to drink now with some air- no trace of heat either night.