I last had this wine in early 2015, and said that it needed to sit for a while to develop further complexity. I almost waited long enough. It took 24 hours to really open up, but when it did the sparks were flying. Red meat, dark berries, touches of earth, smoke and tar all showed up. The fruit was ripe, to the point of adding a distinct richness, but never obscured the savory elements. It balanced out very well, and could have waited 2-3 more years, perhaps even longer. Tannins were a bit grippy on the finish, but not drying. This was a very fine bottle, and I wish I had more fo the future.
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A PnP. Tarry nose with concentrated blackberry fruit, fennel, and ham on the palate. Drinks fine now but in hopes of more secondary development I'll wait on my remaining two.
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Opened for an hour and poured though a vintorio. Dark berries on the nose. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, dark coffee, wood and spice. A full finish.
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Seems to be in a sweet spot here. This is a nice wine. Soft fruit for a syrah; less of the garrique and herbal terroir that one gets from Rhone Syrahs, but the fruit seems like a cousin. This is round and needs a few minutes to come together in the glass but works as a PnP. I’m not sure time will help this wine.
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We pnp'd through a vintorio. Dark berries on the nose, the palate was dark berry, dark cherry, charred meat, forest floor, hints of licorice and spices which came out on the long finish. Went really well with the Labor Day BBQ.
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Really a standout wine. PnP. So much smoke/bacon fat on the nose that I don't think this wine is OK for vegetarians. Continued meaty palate with still grippy tannins and enough acid to balance things out. A bit like a braising liquid (with some additional herbal/savory notes), but one that you actually want to drink.
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Lots of black pepper, spice and smoke. Very savory. Ann thought it was over the top, but I didn't think so. I'm not sure I wouldn't have guessed Rhone if this was served blind. Lots of acid and no alcohol signature. I'm not sure why this was bottled under Pax instead of Wind Gap. I'll wait a while before drinking my last bottle. 13.5%
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Very similar experience to my tasting note from December. I still stand behind my comments on this being more old world Syrah in style than new world. I picked up more blue fruit / blue pen ink on it tonight and gobs of white pepper on the finish. Pax makes a serious Syrah and this is their low end offering.
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I purchased this wine expecting a big, juicy, California Pax Syrah. However, what I found was this wine is an exceptional old world expression of the Syrah grape from the Rhone. If blinded, this could easily be confused for a Cote-Rotie. But to me this is an exact replica of a Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Syrah. While it has great fruit concentration, its signature is not from California. A great ringer for a blind N. Rhone Syrah tasting.
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very big, black/opaque, smoky, yet quite balanced. probably benefits from more time, but delicious now.
black olives, big fruit without "jammy round" fruit.
interesting to have this next to 2012 gonon - a classic northern rhone. both the gonon and the pax were impeccably balanced and hit similar notes - parallel frequencies - but the pax was much bigger. just more of everything - more fruit, more body, structure, deeper, darker, bigger.
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Solid balance of rich fruit and herbal notes. Not as ripe and jammy as some say. Drinking well now after 1 hour decant and significantly better after 2+. Still has really high pitched acidity and grippy tannins.
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The nose showed intense red fruits with musky currant and sweet spice. On the palate, it was dense with lean red fruits and brisk acidity keeping the senses alive and seeking for more. This finished floral with tart red berry.
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This was the riches wine in the flight, and the group favorite due to the non-geeks who appreciated the volume being turned up a bit. Lots more dark berry fruit in this wine than any of the others, and as such the earthy/meaty/herbal elements were pushed into the background. It took a good bit of coaxing to get beyond the ripe (though not at all goopy) fruit, and find additional complexity. My other bottle is going to sit in the cellar for a good long while, to allow additional characteristics to come out.
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Some Syrahs on a Saturday afternoon (Loretta Paganini School fo Cooking): Very nice showing for this wine. The nose has charred earth, black raspberries and grilled herbs. On the palate, there is a very nice chalky quality that is intriguing. Lots of black raspberry fruit. Complex. Delicious. I don't think I have had this recent a Pax (since he got his name back) and this was much more expressive than I expected.
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The color is inky, dense, and opaque. The aromas are mineral, blackberry, tar, and pepper notes. The tastes are pepper, sour dark fruit, blackberry, stone, espresso, and garrigue. The tannins are course satin and the fimish is long and earthy. A distinctive flavor profile.
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Paired beautifully with the holiday rib roast. It was deep dark purple in color, had strong deep tastes of blackberry and boysenberry, and was medium to full bodied.
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Eek, two notes? Let me help add to the perspective. This is my only bottle I bought and our of curiousity and to share with a couple other Wine Berserkers, I opened it today. Has about 60 mins of air. Whole cluster here in the aromatic, no doubt--herbal notes, as well as dried potpourri and cracked spices. Whole cluster signature. Was a bit savory on opening and this persists with a cooket meat and drying palate to some extent yet with air, the boysen/black berry fruit starts to fill in and add some volume to the palate, too. I suspect more air will unwrap the wine.....fast forward another day, simply left on counter overnight under cork. There is a tanginess to this wine, laid against the blue and savory red fruit. I want to be careful to not call this syrupy but there is a glossy, riper sense to the texture and the fruit against the whole cluster at this point seem to clash for me. With that said, I'd wait on drinking these a few more years to see what the whole cluster does. FWIW, this wine is labeled at 13.5% and while there is no alc signtaure on this wine, the ripeness level as I perceive it seems higher than I appreciate in the other wines from Pax, the Wind Gap wines, which I regularly support and enjoy.
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The color is purple garnet, opaque and densely colored. The smells are blackberry, blueberry, briary floral notes, lavender, and stony aromas. The tastes are also blackberry, blueberries, mineral, briary notes, tar. This wine is powerful and elegant with a lengthy finish.
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Cool climate new world syrah done right (so says my palate, at least). Meaty, peppery, savory, herbal, and earthy. Thoroughly enjoyable within an hour of opening, with fruit more prominent around hour four. Sad I only have one more bottle left!
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3/18/2023 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious boysenberry, mineral, and white pepper on the nose and palate with savory whole cluster notes on the long finish.
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10/14/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Took to the Okanagan for Canadian Thanksgiving. Cooper's note describes it well.
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10/10/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Decanted for sediment removal. Excellent showing with black fruit, tar and espresso.
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10/9/2021 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Fairly opaque dark red. Great nose, beef broth, bacon, black berry, pepper and iron. Dry berry and bacon flavours and a really balanced berry finish.
Loved this with our road trip Canadian Thanksgiving.
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11/2/2019 - Rieslingfan wrote:
I last had this wine in early 2015, and said that it needed to sit for a while to develop further complexity. I almost waited long enough. It took 24 hours to really open up, but when it did the sparks were flying. Red meat, dark berries, touches of earth, smoke and tar all showed up. The fruit was ripe, to the point of adding a distinct richness, but never obscured the savory elements. It balanced out very well, and could have waited 2-3 more years, perhaps even longer. Tannins were a bit grippy on the finish, but not drying. This was a very fine bottle, and I wish I had more fo the future.
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10/6/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:
A PnP. Tarry nose with concentrated blackberry fruit, fennel, and ham on the palate. Drinks fine now but in hopes of more secondary development I'll wait on my remaining two.
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6/2/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened for an hour and poured though a vintorio. Dark berries on the nose. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, dark coffee, wood and spice. A full finish.
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5/31/2019 - Bluethunder wrote: 91 Points
Decanted an hour. Blackberries, spice and herbs and a long finish. Drinking well now.
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5/31/2019 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great tension and balance. You can drink now, but no need to hurry.
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11/25/2018 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Seems to be in a sweet spot here. This is a nice wine. Soft fruit for a syrah; less of the garrique and herbal terroir that one gets from Rhone Syrahs, but the fruit seems like a cousin. This is round and needs a few minutes to come together in the glass but works as a PnP. I’m not sure time will help this wine.
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11/3/2018 - Jahull03 wrote:
Structured, savory, smoky. In a good spot and likely, in my view, to stay there for many years.
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6/30/2018 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Paired nicely to roast pheasant with mushroom duxelle. Drinking well at nearly 8 years of age. Little funk, lot of green olive.
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12/24/2017 - Isalasdad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good.
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9/3/2017 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
We pnp'd through a vintorio. Dark berries on the nose, the palate was dark berry, dark cherry, charred meat, forest floor, hints of licorice and spices which came out on the long finish. Went really well with the Labor Day BBQ.
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3/5/2017 - 10centpower Likes this wine:
Really a standout wine. PnP. So much smoke/bacon fat on the nose that I don't think this wine is OK for vegetarians. Continued meaty palate with still grippy tannins and enough acid to balance things out. A bit like a braising liquid (with some additional herbal/savory notes), but one that you actually want to drink.
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6/16/2016 - Outplaying wrote:
Lots of black pepper, spice and smoke. Very savory. Ann thought it was over the top, but I didn't think so. I'm not sure I wouldn't have guessed Rhone if this was served blind. Lots of acid and no alcohol signature. I'm not sure why this was bottled under Pax instead of Wind Gap. I'll wait a while before drinking my last bottle. 13.5%
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4/24/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened for about 45 minutes before drinking. Blackberries, tart red berries, spice and a touch of forest floor on the palate with a nice long finish.
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3/25/2016 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very similar experience to my tasting note from December. I still stand behind my comments on this being more old world Syrah in style than new world. I picked up more blue fruit / blue pen ink on it tonight and gobs of white pepper on the finish. Pax makes a serious Syrah and this is their low end offering.
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12/12/2015 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I purchased this wine expecting a big, juicy, California Pax Syrah. However, what I found was this wine is an exceptional old world expression of the Syrah grape from the Rhone. If blinded, this could easily be confused for a Cote-Rotie. But to me this is an exact replica of a Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Syrah. While it has great fruit concentration, its signature is not from California. A great ringer for a blind N. Rhone Syrah tasting.
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11/23/2015 - raydawgone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pine on nose. Mocha java. Very Cote Rotie like. Stones, bramble, briar patch and stewed plums. Big, bold but with nice balance.
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11/11/2015 - Jahull03 wrote:
very big, black/opaque, smoky, yet quite balanced. probably benefits from more time, but delicious now.
black olives, big fruit without "jammy round" fruit.
interesting to have this next to 2012 gonon - a classic northern rhone. both the gonon and the pax were impeccably balanced and hit similar notes - parallel frequencies - but the pax was much bigger. just more of everything - more fruit, more body, structure, deeper, darker, bigger.
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10/13/2015 - DBunk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Juicy blackberries, forest floor, spice and cool climate acidity but still holds a big body throughout.
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8/17/2015 - Silveradoup wrote: 94 Points
Amazing, a Cote Rôtie with Cali fruit. Yum
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6/5/2015 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid balance of rich fruit and herbal notes. Not as ripe and jammy as some say. Drinking well now after 1 hour decant and significantly better after 2+. Still has really high pitched acidity and grippy tannins.
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3/3/2015 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 90 Points
The nose showed intense red fruits with musky currant and sweet spice. On the palate, it was dense with lean red fruits and brisk acidity keeping the senses alive and seeking for more. This finished floral with tart red berry.
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1/31/2015 - Rieslingfan wrote:
This was the riches wine in the flight, and the group favorite due to the non-geeks who appreciated the volume being turned up a bit. Lots more dark berry fruit in this wine than any of the others, and as such the earthy/meaty/herbal elements were pushed into the background. It took a good bit of coaxing to get beyond the ripe (though not at all goopy) fruit, and find additional complexity. My other bottle is going to sit in the cellar for a good long while, to allow additional characteristics to come out.
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1/10/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Some Syrahs on a Saturday afternoon (Loretta Paganini School fo Cooking): Very nice showing for this wine. The nose has charred earth, black raspberries and grilled herbs. On the palate, there is a very nice chalky quality that is intriguing. Lots of black raspberry fruit. Complex. Delicious. I don't think I have had this recent a Pax (since he got his name back) and this was much more expressive than I expected.
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12/11/2014 - hackey37 wrote: 93 Points
The color is inky, dense, and opaque. The aromas are mineral, blackberry, tar, and pepper notes. The tastes are pepper, sour dark fruit, blackberry, stone, espresso, and garrigue. The tannins are course satin and the fimish is long and earthy. A distinctive flavor profile.
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11/27/2014 - Isalasdad Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired beautifully with the holiday rib roast. It was deep dark purple in color, had strong deep tastes of blackberry and boysenberry, and was medium to full bodied.
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6/7/2014 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Eek, two notes? Let me help add to the perspective. This is my only bottle I bought and our of curiousity and to share with a couple other Wine Berserkers, I opened it today. Has about 60 mins of air. Whole cluster here in the aromatic, no doubt--herbal notes, as well as dried potpourri and cracked spices. Whole cluster signature. Was a bit savory on opening and this persists with a cooket meat and drying palate to some extent yet with air, the boysen/black berry fruit starts to fill in and add some volume to the palate, too. I suspect more air will unwrap the wine.....fast forward another day, simply left on counter overnight under cork. There is a tanginess to this wine, laid against the blue and savory red fruit. I want to be careful to not call this syrupy but there is a glossy, riper sense to the texture and the fruit against the whole cluster at this point seem to clash for me. With that said, I'd wait on drinking these a few more years to see what the whole cluster does. FWIW, this wine is labeled at 13.5% and while there is no alc signtaure on this wine, the ripeness level as I perceive it seems higher than I appreciate in the other wines from Pax, the Wind Gap wines, which I regularly support and enjoy.
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5/25/2014 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The color is purple garnet, opaque and densely colored. The smells are blackberry, blueberry, briary floral notes, lavender, and stony aromas. The tastes are also blackberry, blueberries, mineral, briary notes, tar. This wine is powerful and elegant with a lengthy finish.
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4/16/2014 - Gordonium Likes this wine:
Cool climate new world syrah done right (so says my palate, at least). Meaty, peppery, savory, herbal, and earthy. Thoroughly enjoyable within an hour of opening, with fruit more prominent around hour four. Sad I only have one more bottle left!
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