Pax Tasting

A few of us got together to taste a selection of Pax wines, enjoy some food and celebrate a 30th birthday.

Roussanne

• 2005 Pax Vénus 86 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  A big, oily and flabby wine. Waxy fruit flavors of melon, plum and pear. No detectable acidity. It seems as though this wine has steadily declined. Not sure it will bounce back. There are no "off" flavors to note (corkiness, oxidation, etc.), just a lack of acidity.

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• 2006 Pax Vénus 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Wow. While the 2005 seemed to steadily decline, this has improved significantly. Cloudy and straw-colored, it offered a nice bouquet of flowers and tropical fruit. Tropical fruit flavors mingle with white peach dominating. A refreshing citrus zest and firm minerality carried the wine across the palate. Nicely balanced and overall great stuff!

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Syrah

• 2004 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  This has evolved nicely. Pretty and dark in color. Ripe fruit on the nose. The fruit is less jammy than previously noted. Delicious flavors of blueberries, blackberies with a touch of spice grace the palate with highlights of leather. In perfect balance. This wine is elegant and graceful.

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• 2005 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  This wine hasn't evloved much over the past year. Dark and purple in color. Dark berries (blackberry, blueberry) fill the palate, along with some smokey, vanilla oak. The wine is quite lush and mouth-coating. Still a little tight, some minerality was evident after a 4 hour decant. Delicious now (especially with a generous decant), but I will attempt to hold mine for 3-5 years.

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• 2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

  I had suspected this would be one of the tighter wines of the group and that suspicion was confirmed. Initially tight with rich cherry notes, this wine opened up in the decanter over 4 hours. There were of course, layers of dark cherry and berry fruit but a very nice herbal character evolved. Potentially from the stems? Almost a eucalyptus note. The wine was bananced and graceful. The tannins were smooth and soft, with no hard edges. Really great and can hold for an easy few more years.

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• 2006 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Easily the most tannic wine of the lot (as expected). After 4 hours in the decanter this wine revealed the salty, spicy, smokey meat character that makes this wine great. Ripe friut plays nicely with the meat and spice character. Too early to drink for sure, but I love cracking into this wine. Will drink one again in 2011, when I hope it will be singing!

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Overall a great night with good food, good wine and great friends. My WOTN is the Griffin's Lair, as I think this has the most potential. I would give the 2006 Venus the runner-up spot as it was a delicious surprise (especially following the 2005). I also see both 2005 syrahs improving with time.