Just a taste wine clubs - July 2022
The Jefferson Club & The Discover club
The purpose of the wine clubs are Just A Taste assist in our mission of educating our community in the vast ocean of wine. Each club level has a different focus: The Heritage Club presents classic wines from around the world meant to be enjoyed regularly and at leisure (… non-fussy wines). The Discover Club places more import on sustainable farming methods and discovering unknown regions, grapes and producers. The Jefferson Club presents iconic wines from around the world worthy of cellaring or celebrating special occasions. However, for the month of July, we have the great fortune of discussing how new innovations and forward thinking ultimately become classics and what makes a wine “iconic” with one of our favorite Sonoma producers, Pax Wines.
Jefferson: Pax sonoma-hillsides syrah 2018
Winemaker: Pax Mahle
Vineyards: unstated (listed vineyards here.)
Region: Sonoma County, CA
Grape Varieties: 100% Syrah
Viticulture: organic, “hillside” vineyards
Method: 100% whole-cluster; 10 months neutral oak and concrete tanks
Serving Suggestions: decant; serve 60-65F
Age: drink 2022 - 2032
Nose: dried plum, white pepper, kalamata olive
Palate: juicy, crunchy, chalky
Finish: ripe fruit mingles with acidity and lingering minerality
Discover: Pax
Trousseau Gris 2021
Winemaker: Pax Mahle
Vineyard: Fanucchi-Wood Road
Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma, CA
Grape Varieties: 100% Troussea Gris (also called “Grey Riesling”)
Viticulture: organic, old-vines
Method: fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete tank; aged in stainless and neutral french oak
Serving Suggestions: serve at 40-45F
Age: drink 2022
Nose: stone fruit, quince, white flowers
Palate: clean, crisp
Finish: focused energy with lick-smacking acidity
ABOUT Pax wines
“Established in 2000 by Pax and Pamela Mahle, Pax Wines focuses on Syrah and Gamay Noir from cool, coastal sites, as well as a selection of esoteric varieties that showcase the great diversity of California wine. From the vineyard to the cellar, a holistic style of winemaking is practiced. This means that all the fruit is grown using organic, sustainable, or biodynamic methods and no unnatural additions are applied in the winery.
What are now considered ‘esoteric’ varieties like Trousseau Gris and Mission have a long heritage in classic California winemaking. Trousseau Gris was once identified as Grey Reisling, a popular white wine in the 70s, while Mission was likely the first wine grape ever planted in the state.
Only ambient yeasts are used for fermentation, these are the yeasts that ride in on the skin of the grapes or are flying around in our cellar, not cultivated in a lab. Sulfur, a naturally occurring by-product of fermentation, is applied only minimally if needed for stabilization.” - Pax Mahle Website
ABOUT THE WINEs
My first encounter with the wines of Pax Mahle was through Brian McClintic’s Viticole organic wine club. And while this club focused on more natural-style wines by off-the-beaten-path growers, a few more conventional (or at least conventionally-tasting) wines stood out, particularly those of Pax Mahle. McClintic released a unique Pax-Viticole bottling of Sonoma Syrah, and upon tasting it over an even with some friends, we realized “this is good. Beyond good.” Shortly later, Pax’s 2016 Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah was awarded 100 points from Antonio Galloni’s Vinous wine review. However, this highly-lauded and sought-after score isn’t required in seeing just how special Pax’s wines are.
The Trousseau Gris is a unique grape native to the Jura region of France and once had vast plantings in California. Today, the reverse is true - the Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is one of few-known holdings cultivating the grape. The gris clone of Trousseau gives a slight color even to wines vinified as white making a delicate but delicious rose.
Pax’s Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah is in essence his “village” level Syrah, but if anything he captures the true identity of the grape just as well as his single-vineyard bottlings. This wine exemplifies the unique character Syrah can only achieve in cooler-climate sites such as those in Petaluma Gap and Sonoma’s cool coastal vineyards. Dark, brooding fruit aromas are in balance with the savory, carnal undertones that Syrah delivers, and the energy and length this wines offers overdelivers for its modest price point. Though many of Pax’s wines are considered esoteric, he has created a new understanding of what Sonoma Syrah can offer, making this wine iconic to more than just our team.
“Small wineries have the freedom to experiment with small lots and create a variety of wines and blends using different winemaking styles. This innovation leads to fresh and evolving tasting experiences; wine is about expressing a unique time and place, it should never be like coca-cola.”