July 16, 2022 - Even more savory and delicious than the last bottle!
July 11, 2022 - Tasty plum, violet, and savory notes on the nose and refreshing palate with moderate tannins and finish. Quite enjoyable!
June 16, 2021 - Impressive stuff- I wasn't /entirely/ convinced that the combo of big alcoholic fruit and attempted elegance/complexity was fully realized, but it certainly came close. Very enjoyable and interesting, although with some idiosyncrasies that made it only so-so QPR for me around $50 (purchased at the Pax Winery.)
Deeply pitched fruit on the nose, broad-shouldered and although it's not exploding from the glass, it's still pretty pungent. It smells really "dense", a big wine of course but more concentrated and packed-in rather than blowsy or overripe. Lots of spiced plum, dark reddish currant, blackberry pie, maybe even apple pie (!) with that good dose of baking spice- the fruit and spice were accented with notes of black licorice and even a slightly musky tone, which evolved into a sort of a glazed meat thing that worked really well. Loved the nose, not crazy complex nor ultra rich, but definitely inviting.
The palate didn't have as much charm- it had some of that delicious dark fruit, not jammy and the heat was easily balanced by the ripeness and even acidity. At times the acidity felt miraculously well-integrated, while other times it felt awkwardly tart and didn't match the ripeness. I appreciated the energy in either case.
The biggest detractor for me here was the tannic structure. Even after 11 years, this was absolutely RIPPING with tannins, chalky and quite harsh as the fruit had relaxed slightly, but seemingly without the grip loosening at all. Weirdly, I had a really similar experience with the other older Pax wine I've tried, a 2012 Griffin's Lair Syrah- that was even harsher, with very faint fruit and an absolute sandpaper palate, like a super young Barolo even at 8 years old. Thankfully in this case, the tannins were tamed nicely with food, but the harsh structure was still an inharmonious part of an otherwise beautiful wine.
April 12, 2019 - I think this wine is delicious. The James Berry fruit sings, but mysteriously, through the particulate in this unfiltered wine. I only bought one bottle of this, but I could drink another six and be very happy with them.
March 11, 2019 - The best of the three bottles i purchased. One dimensional, subdued fruit, but balanced. Drink up.
August 25, 2018 - Mixed performance from this bottle. At best an hour or so after opening when it presented as a decent middle weight Grenache. Prior to this point the heat from the alcohol added a jarring note to the wine. That heat never went entirely to the background but food (in this case duck) helped to tame it. Agree with a prior note that waiting any longer threatens to bring the heat into sharper focus.
May 28, 2017 - Opened and let sit for an hour then poured through a vintorio. Mixd berries on the nose, the palate was dark plum, dark cherry, pepper, charred meat and a hint of spices. A nice long finish. A perfect match for our Sunday night BBQ.
May 1, 2017 - PnP. Some earth, herbal notes on the nose. Meat bomb on the palate - a bit of smoke, grilled meats, hints of bacon fat. A bit of dark fruit cherry/plum on the finish but it's secondary. Plenty of acid, so although it's big it remains balanced throughout/ Improved over an hour in the glass. Would decant next time but it's drinking really well right now.
February 7, 2017 - Bright cranberry fruit. Vibrant acid. Popped and poured into decanter and enjoyed over a leisurely meal of decadent short ribs. Enjoyed this wine completely!
December 13, 2016 - Juicy fruit explodes on the palate with a remarkable amount of acid. Fairly integrated tannin fill in the much of the body but there does seem to be a hole of fruit weight. The alcohol makes itself known but doesn't interfere; especially with food. The wine is showing pretty well now, I'd fear the alcohol will show itself more with age.