Black, red, and blue fruit, cassis, black licorice, graphite, minerality, cedar, pepper, leather and tobacco. Bit of acidity on the finish. Well-balanced, complex, probably nearing the end of life. A-
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Decanted for sediment (lots, extremely fine) and drunk over a couple of hours. Gosh, what a concentrated wine - although oddly, since it's 14.9%, not a particularly viscous or 'hot' one. Violets, lavender, blueberries and something heady and exotic on the impactful nose. Yet more power on the palate, which was extremely long and linear, with blueberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, Marmite and LOTS of acidity, plus a little touch of salinity and tannin towards the end. I think this will continue to improve given how much there is to the wine, and will try to leave my other bottle for around five years.
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Opened 1 hour ahead. Initially a burst of tapenade and blackberry on the nose. Nice structure with good acid and some dusty tannins. Medium to medium plus body, great balance and not at all OTT. Blackberries, red meat and maybe a little licorice on the palate. This is my 2nd of three - It was the wine of the night and in a great place. I will drink my remaining bottle in the next year. Solid 93 points
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Deep purple to the glass rim, the nose exhibits wild lavender, fennel bulb and classic garrigue elements. The nose has freshness and intensity, along with blue fruits, white pepper and some feral Sauvage tones. A mineral and crushed granite quality, along with the pepper, suggests stem inclusion, and on entry, this is confirmed with coolness and firm, chalky horizontal texture that leads to fairly puckering tannins. A cushion of blackberry paste, blueberry jam and ripe black olive soften the mid-palate, but the strident acidity rises to add further freshness to this tangy, vibrant wine. Quite linear in shape for a Syrah with purity of fruit and this underlying sour cherry skin grip - certainly a nod to Rhone. The finish has more blackberry pastilles that sweeten and give light relief to the back palate. Enjoyable edgy wine with that lovely coolness, powdered stone, and fresh lavender on an extended length.
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Excellent Syrah. Drank it during a power outage at the cabin when we had several Yankee Candles burning, so any aroma was overwhelmed by Apple Cinnamon, Cranberry Chutney, Fresh Lavender Breeze, and Splash of Rain. However, flavors were fantastic with dark fruit preeminent, followed by both black and white pepper, plus smoked meat, and some musty cedar. Really enjoyed the wine.
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Delicious blackberry and lavender notes on the nose and savory palate with refreshing acidity and dusty tannins on the moderate long finish. Drinking beautifully!
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This bottle struck just the right chord with me -- unexpectedly, as the previous bottle I'd just had a few months earlier I was less enthused by. But this! The palate was salted plums and fennel juice; the fruitier elements having receded just enough to reveal some great bones. It seemed serious, but effortless somehow. Delicious!
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High-toned blackberry and black raspberry predominate, intense, almost liquor-like, licorice, with some lavender. I don't get the smoke, bacon, olives or other northern Rhone elements others got. Firm structure, good balance, good depth of flavor. Lots of tannin, although on the second day it was juicier as compared to the very drying impression from the first day. Wins on structure and balance. I can't help but wonder if I drank my bottles too soon.
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Extremely well balanced, blue fruit, a bit of smoky savory, and strong finish. Drinking well now but should stay in the zone for the next several years.
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Long decant, the nose screams out orange rind, black olives, anise. The palate is long lived, with dark fruit making its appearance along with the elements the nose presented. A luscious mouthfeel with a longer finish round out this very northern Rhone like expression, excellent!
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More st jo than cote rotie. This brings an authentic old school version and does not feel pushed or doctored nor do you taste the 14.9 abv. Lacking a tiny bit of structure but the 2012 in norcal would always be hedonistic pleasers and not tannic agers like the 2013. Chocolate, bacon, violets, plum. Pax Mahle makes great juice, I was sad to see him leave wind gap, but maybe the old label will be the better for it.
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Wow, this bottle is completely different from the last one I had. Chocolate, black coffee, dried apricots, orange rind with a little blue and black fruit remaining. Great mouthfeel with dusty tannins. This is everything you want in a maturing Syrah. In short, brilliant now and over the the next 5+ years.
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Hard not to nail this as Syrah if tasted blind. However, the finish is more N.Rhone than other Syrah I've tried in CA. Mix of black and blue fruit, spice, olive, and beef jerky. Smooth, went down quick. Paired great with beef broccoli stew. Definitely could age another 5-10 more years, but drinking great right now.
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Fun, took an hour+ to open up but went from nice tannic balance Syrah to straight up full fruit. Blueberry pie filling on extreme. Very fun wine to spend the afternoon with
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Deep dark with a black and purple mix hue. Sniffy sniff have a delicious factor that are dangerous (One could sniff it all night and don't drink the stuff:) ) American Blueberry and Blackberry cobbler, with loads of cacao and dark spices with a pinch of lavender and a smidgen of bacon fat. On the palate velvety but tannic. Dark fruit and cacao with a lot of spice, like white pepper, black pepper, thyme. Hints of licorice roots and violets as well. No sign of the 14,9 ABV It will probably become more silky the next 3-5 years but will it contain all that fruit? Nice. Cheers Decant , a lot of sediment
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Pax Tasting (NYC): The first in a flight of three Pax wines. Deep dark purple in color. Delicious aromas of fatty bacon and lavender which continue onto the palate with distinctly gamey notes. Long and satisfying finish. Wow, just wow! I cannot get enough of this wine and I'm still thinking about it a couple weeks later. The 2012 Castelli-Knight holds up well, if not better, when compared to its 100 point brother, the 2016 Sonoma Hillsides.
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The 2012 Castelli-Knight is a gorgeous deep purple in color. Red fruits and black pepper spice on the nose. So far so good, classic Syrah (and similar to other Pax Syrahs). You do a double take on tasting though. You know it is 100% Syrah, but it tastes much more like Cabernet Sauvignon. This is still very young and needs time to fully integrate the components and resolve the tannins.
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Opaque purple. Nose of blackberry, black pepper and Mezcal. Flavors follow the nose with the addition of some beef jerky. Full-bodied and mouth coating with surprisingly mild tannins. The alcohol is well-integrated though there’s some heat on the finish. 14.9%abv. Good for the style, but definitely bigger than I prefer. As expected, held up very well on day two.
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Blueberry cobbler, cacao, lavender, monkey pod, wild duck and plumeria. Long and echoing, with many silky tannins. So mouthcoatingly attractive. Still a little shy, another year or so will help with the approachability. Drink 2018 - 2028.
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Spectacular California Syrah from the quintessential producer. Black pepper, blackberry, elderberry, all kinds of cured meats, blood, and black olive. Tannins are still big, so either decant for awhile or lay it down for another few years.
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Slight haze, inky purple, dense color and opaque. Smells are stone, blueberry, tar, soy, and damp earth. Tastes are blueberry, dark cherry, pepper, garrigue, wet stone, and tea. The tannins are sheer and the the acids are savory while the finish is lengthy with a bit of heat.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of meat, smoke and berries. Flavors of raspberries, berries and plums. Tart acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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Inky, dark, and opaque... brooding. The smells are tar, blueberry, floral notes, vanilla, and dark berries. The tastes are blueberry, espresso, garrigue, vanilla, and earthy notes. The tannins are velvety and furry and the finish is fruity and lengthy.
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3/4/2023 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black, red, and blue fruit, cassis, black licorice, graphite, minerality, cedar, pepper, leather and tobacco. Bit of acidity on the finish. Well-balanced, complex, probably nearing the end of life. A-
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6/21/2022 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for sediment (lots, extremely fine) and drunk over a couple of hours. Gosh, what a concentrated wine - although oddly, since it's 14.9%, not a particularly viscous or 'hot' one. Violets, lavender, blueberries and something heady and exotic on the impactful nose. Yet more power on the palate, which was extremely long and linear, with blueberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, Marmite and LOTS of acidity, plus a little touch of salinity and tannin towards the end. I think this will continue to improve given how much there is to the wine, and will try to leave my other bottle for around five years.
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6/13/2022 - sastewart wrote: 93 Points
Opened 1 hour ahead. Initially a burst of tapenade and blackberry on the nose. Nice structure with good acid and some dusty tannins. Medium to medium plus body, great balance and not at all OTT. Blackberries, red meat and maybe a little licorice on the palate. This is my 2nd of three - It was the wine of the night and in a great place. I will drink my remaining bottle in the next year. Solid 93 points
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4/5/2022 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As delicious as the last bottle.
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11/25/2021 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep purple to the glass rim, the nose exhibits wild lavender, fennel bulb and classic garrigue elements. The nose has freshness and intensity, along with blue fruits, white pepper and some feral Sauvage tones. A mineral and crushed granite quality, along with the pepper, suggests stem inclusion, and on entry, this is confirmed with coolness and firm, chalky horizontal texture that leads to fairly puckering tannins. A cushion of blackberry paste, blueberry jam and ripe black olive soften the mid-palate, but the strident acidity rises to add further freshness to this tangy, vibrant wine. Quite linear in shape for a Syrah with purity of fruit and this underlying sour cherry skin grip - certainly a nod to Rhone. The finish has more blackberry pastilles that sweeten and give light relief to the back palate. Enjoyable edgy wine with that lovely coolness, powdered stone, and fresh lavender on an extended length.
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10/9/2021 - CabinConnoisseur Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent Syrah. Drank it during a power outage at the cabin when we had several Yankee Candles burning, so any aroma was overwhelmed by Apple Cinnamon, Cranberry Chutney, Fresh Lavender Breeze, and Splash of Rain. However, flavors were fantastic with dark fruit preeminent, followed by both black and white pepper, plus smoked meat, and some musty cedar. Really enjoyed the wine.
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9/18/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious blackberry and hint of lavender on the nose and savory palate with refreshing acidity and dusty tannins on the moderate long finish.
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2/9/2021 - pjhr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious blackberry and lavender notes on the nose and savory palate with refreshing acidity and dusty tannins on the moderate long finish.
Drinking beautifully!
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11/16/2020 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle struck just the right chord with me -- unexpectedly, as the previous bottle I'd just had a few months earlier I was less enthused by. But this! The palate was salted plums and fennel juice; the fruitier elements having receded just enough to reveal some great bones. It seemed serious, but effortless somehow. Delicious!
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8/8/2020 - ChrisR Likes this wine:
High-toned blackberry and black raspberry predominate, intense, almost liquor-like, licorice, with some lavender. I don't get the smoke, bacon, olives or other northern Rhone elements others got. Firm structure, good balance, good depth of flavor. Lots of tannin, although on the second day it was juicier as compared to the very drying impression from the first day. Wins on structure and balance. I can't help but wonder if I drank my bottles too soon.
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6/16/2020 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Extremely well balanced, blue fruit, a bit of smoky savory, and strong finish. Drinking well now but should stay in the zone for the next several years.
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6/6/2020 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 90 Points
High-toned, orange rind, herbs. This is enjoyable, but not as fleshed out as I may have wanted.
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4/16/2020 - quaffnov Likes this wine: 93 Points
Long decant, the nose screams out orange rind, black olives, anise. The palate is long lived, with dark fruit making its appearance along with the elements the nose presented. A luscious mouthfeel with a longer finish round out this very northern Rhone like expression, excellent!
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1/22/2020 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 91 Points
More st jo than cote rotie. This brings an authentic old school version and does not feel pushed or doctored nor do you taste the 14.9 abv. Lacking a tiny bit of structure but the 2012 in norcal would always be hedonistic pleasers and not tannic agers like the 2013. Chocolate, bacon, violets, plum. Pax Mahle makes great juice, I was sad to see him leave wind gap, but maybe the old label will be the better for it.
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10/25/2019 - jgreco wrote: 96 Points
Wow, this bottle is completely different from the last one I had. Chocolate, black coffee, dried apricots, orange rind with a little blue and black fruit remaining. Great mouthfeel with dusty tannins. This is everything you want in a maturing Syrah. In short, brilliant now and over the the next 5+ years.
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2/25/2019 - JEP007 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hard not to nail this as Syrah if tasted blind. However, the finish is more N.Rhone than other Syrah I've tried in CA. Mix of black and blue fruit, spice, olive, and beef jerky. Smooth, went down quick. Paired great with beef broccoli stew. Definitely could age another 5-10 more years, but drinking great right now.
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2/11/2019 - The wino and I know wrote: 94 Points
Fun, took an hour+ to open up but went from nice tannic balance Syrah to straight up full fruit. Blueberry pie filling on extreme. Very fun wine to spend the afternoon with
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1/19/2019 - AndersN Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep dark with a black and purple mix hue.
Sniffy sniff have a delicious factor that are dangerous (One could sniff it all night and don't drink the stuff:) )
American Blueberry and Blackberry cobbler, with loads of cacao and dark spices with a pinch of lavender and a smidgen of bacon fat.
On the palate velvety but tannic. Dark fruit and cacao with a lot of spice, like white pepper, black pepper, thyme. Hints of licorice roots and violets as well. No sign of the 14,9 ABV
It will probably become more silky the next 3-5 years but will it contain all that fruit? Nice. Cheers
Decant , a lot of sediment
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12/22/2018 - burgbob wrote: 91 Points
Took an hour to fully open then full bodied deep red fruit with a bit of a spicy savory undertone. Slightly short finish.
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10/28/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pax Tasting (NYC): The first in a flight of three Pax wines. Deep dark purple in color. Delicious aromas of fatty bacon and lavender which continue onto the palate with distinctly gamey notes. Long and satisfying finish. Wow, just wow! I cannot get enough of this wine and I'm still thinking about it a couple weeks later. The 2012 Castelli-Knight holds up well, if not better, when compared to its 100 point brother, the 2016 Sonoma Hillsides.
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8/25/2018 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious. Violet, plum, blackberries, a hint of olives and herbs. So clean and fresh. @Pax Mahle you are my Syrah hero.
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8/23/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine: 90 Points
The 2012 Castelli-Knight is a gorgeous deep purple in color. Red fruits and black pepper spice on the nose. So far so good, classic Syrah (and similar to other Pax Syrahs). You do a double take on tasting though. You know it is 100% Syrah, but it tastes much more like Cabernet Sauvignon. This is still very young and needs time to fully integrate the components and resolve the tannins.
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2/17/2018 - Soxwin wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. Still good but not much there. Possibly in a funky?
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12/26/2017 - CMN wrote:
Opaque purple. Nose of blackberry, black pepper and Mezcal. Flavors follow the nose with the addition of some beef jerky. Full-bodied and mouth coating with surprisingly mild tannins. The alcohol is well-integrated though there’s some heat on the finish. 14.9%abv. Good for the style, but definitely bigger than I prefer. As expected, held up very well on day two.
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10/27/2017 - JLoganMurphy Likes this wine:
Wait 2 Years. Opened up after 2 hours in decanter. Beautiful juice.
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8/6/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Blueberry cobbler, cacao, lavender, monkey pod, wild duck and plumeria. Long and echoing, with many silky tannins. So mouthcoatingly attractive. Still a little shy, another year or so will help with the approachability. Drink 2018 - 2028.
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6/27/2017 - bkc1428 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectacular California Syrah from the quintessential producer. Black pepper, blackberry, elderberry, all kinds of cured meats, blood, and black olive. Tannins are still big, so either decant for awhile or lay it down for another few years.
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6/2/2017 - Jahull03 wrote:
Dropped by my 2year old, who loves the orange wax cap. Cellar smells fantastic.
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6/2/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slight haze, inky purple, dense color and opaque. Smells are stone, blueberry, tar, soy, and damp earth. Tastes are blueberry, dark cherry, pepper, garrigue, wet stone, and tea. The tannins are sheer and the the acids are savory while the finish is lengthy with a bit of heat.
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5/16/2016 - Mech-E Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decidedly powerful, overt and over the top. I love it! Dark and brooding.
Dark berry fruit, blood, and a nice tinge of game.
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4/5/2016 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of meat, smoke and berries. Flavors of raspberries, berries and plums. Tart acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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2/29/2016 - camben Likes this wine:
Darker and more tense than the previous.
Great
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2/3/2016 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Inky, dark, and opaque... brooding. The smells are tar, blueberry, floral notes, vanilla, and dark berries. The tastes are blueberry, espresso, garrigue, vanilla, and earthy notes. The tannins are velvety and furry and the finish is fruity and lengthy.
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