This is the second release of the Sonoma Coast Syrah. Pax Mahle first made this wine in 2020, when he decided not to bottle his top wine, Hillsides, after a challenging growing season. Instead, he bottled all his Sonoma Coast fruit as one new wine: a baby Hillsides. Now almost a permanent fixture in the range, the 2021 blend sees contributions from several coastal vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA.
The organically farmed, sandy Nellessen Vineyard, planted in 2000 and located west of Sebastopol (where the Pax Wines Cellar Door is located) in the Russian River Valley, gives fruit with profound aromatic intensity. The coastal Armagh Vineyard in the cool centre of the Petaluma Gap, planted in 1997, is farmed organically and gives fruit with a distinct savoury character. The Majik Vineyard, adjacent to Nellessen but with a northerly aspect, lends pepper spice and umami tones. And the Griffins Lair Vineyard, also located in the cool Petaluma Gap, planted in 1990 and farmed organically, rounds things out with a marine, salty tang.
The winemaking is similar to the North Coast Syrah. Clocking in at a cool 12.5%, Pax describes this as a true “coastal Syrah” with nervy freshness and slightly lighter body. As for Mahle’s note below, many in the Rhône would love to claim this wine’s spicy vibrancy for themselves.