Vibrant and pronounced black fruit, violet and black olive on the nose and palate. After 90 minutes in the decanter more smoke, savory, and gamey notes appear. Moderate alcohol at 12.5%, fresh juicy acidity and moderate smooth tannin. Finish is moderate at 10 seconds. Very enjoyable and in my opinion it is the best iteration of Sonoma-Hillsides I’ve tasted. Drinking well now but has the structure and flavor intensity to develop positively over the next decade. Haven’t had a Pax wine in a while and this got me thinking of my history with the brand.
I started drinking Pax wines around the 2011/2012 vintage and really fell in love with the wines. Pax Castelli-Knight 2012 was the wine that opened my eyes to what California Syrah could be. My favorite cuvee at that time was “The Hermit” due to its style and affordability. As time progressed, I started exploring other styles and regions and naturally bought less and less from Pax. Then the 2016 Sonoma-Hillsides got 100 points from Vinous and my attention gravitated back towards Pax. Never got to taste the 2016 but bought a half case of 2017 and man was that a controversial wine. 2018 released and bought a 3pack and it was considerably better but still lacking. Next purchase was the hyped 2021 release and I wish I bought a case.