SONOMA HILLSIDES SYRAH

SONOMA HILLSIDES SYRAH

Inspiration.

One night, after an incredibly extensive tasting of great vintages from the cellar of Raymond Trollat, Pax expressed his interest in creating a wine label designed as an ode to the iconic French winemaker. Raymond immediately led him down to the cellar, shocking everyone by handing him a roll of his very own labels. Fortunately, someone more fluent in French quickly explained the miscommunication, and with that the label for the Sonoma Hillsides Syrah was decided.

In 2016 we finally felt that we had created a wine worthy of the label. Inspired by the flamboyant wines of St.Joseph, this 100% Syrah is one of the most exciting and compelling wines we have ever put into bottle. Just like in St. Joseph, we pulled this blend together from multiple sites and utilized the expositions of these hillside vineyards that show the freshness and vibrancy that Syrah can only achieve on cool-climate hillside slopes. This wine is decadent, delicious and all hyperbole aside, will probably be one of your favorite Syrahs after just one taste. It is without any doubt, one of our finest creations.

Composition.

When all the pieces of the puzzle fit seamlessly together, the result is greater than the sum of its parts. This is what we strive for with the Sonoma Hillsides Syrah, a harmony in integration that transcends the limits of the individual.

Vineyards

Holistic winemaking begins first and foremost in the vineyard. The sites we select for the Sonoma Hillsides blend feature blocks with intriguing hillside expositions and cool climates influenced by the coastal wind gaps of Sonoma County. These vineyards are farmed using organic, sustainable and/or biodynamic methods and are among the most heralded sites of this region for growing Syrah. This blend typically includes wines vinified from Walker Vine Hill, Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffins, Felix, Nellessen Vineyards, and perhaps others. The health of these vineyards allows us to use indigenous yeast for fermentation.

Whole Cluster

Stems are what separates a classically styled Syrah from a modern Syrah. We ferment all our Syrahs 100% Whole-Cluster. In wet vintages (2010 & 2011) or a vintage with a very poor set (2013) is the last time we were forced to destem a few small lots. Leaving the grapes on the clusters and gently crushing these whole clusters by foot creates a wine loaded with aromas and flavors achievable only by using these methods. These old school methods bring us one step closer to our goal of vinifying classically styled Syrahs from our new world terroirs.

Carbonic Maceration

The process of carbonic maceration adds another dimension that elevates the Sonoma Hillsides Syrah. This anaerobic fermentation process (fermentation without oxygen contact) is known for producing bright fruity flavors in wines, resulting in a certain vibrancy that harkens back to the Old World. We only use carbonic maceration on certain blocks from certain sites for this wine.

Concrete

We blend the components of the Sonoma Hillsides Syrah early in the year into a large concrete cubic tank. This allows the components to harmonize in a vessel that breathes less than an oak barrel and more than a stainless steel tank. This practice enables the wine to evolve slowly as all its parts synchronize to become a seamless expression of pure, vibrant Syrah from the cool-climate, hillside vineyard blocks of Sonoma County that we love.

Reception.

As soon as the very first vintage of this wine was released in 2017 it began making waves in the wine community and we were honored by a 100 point score by Antonio Galloni of Vinous in January 2018. As three more vintages have come and gone, this blend is becoming a reference point of its own for Syrah in the New World. Each harvest brings its own unique challenges and in 2020, plagued by wildfire smoke, we were not able to put this wine into bottle. The following vintages have redeemed this disappointment in every way.

As of September 2023, we are now at the release of the 2022 Sonoma Hillsides. A very good vintage that will probably end up ranked behind 2021, the wines from 2022 have more acidity, redder flavors, less tannin, and plush vibrant personalities. The exception to this is the higher elevation sites which we could hang longer into the season and eke out all of that high elevation exotic aroma and flavor. All told The 2022 Sonoma Hillsides is as umami packed as 2016 with the plushness of 2021 and the aromas of 2018.

  • The 2022 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is a blend of several sites. Aging in cement helps retain a good bit of freshness, and that gives this wine quite a different feel from the other Syrahs, all of which are aged in neutral oak. The 2022 doesn’t have the immediacy or flashiness of the very best years, or of the other Syrahs in the range, but readers who can wait will find a wine of magnificent pedigree.

    - Antonio Galloni, Jan 2024 © Vinous

  • The 2021 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is towering and statuesque in bearing from the very first taste. I don’t think I have ever tasted a Sonoma Hillsides with this much finesse, this much purity. A wine of vertical energy, the Sonoma Hillsides possesses tremendous depth from start to finish. In many vintages the Hillsides leans towards a darker expression of Syrah. The 2021, on the other hand, is marked by more of a red/purplish fruit profile, with bright floral and citrus overtones that confer freshness. Once again, Pax Mahle made one of the truly epic wines of the year. His Sonoma Hillsides has been one of the very finest wines in Northern California for a number of years now.

    - By Antonio Galloni on January 2023 ©Vinous Media

  • The 2019 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is once again the star of this range from Pax Mahle. Rich and exotic, with notable depth, the Hillsides is quite a bit brighter than the other Syrahs in the portfolio. Red cherry, plum, pomegranate, mocha, spice, leather and tobacco abound. The whole clusters are present, but nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. As always, the Hillsides is a blend taken from several sites, done with 100% whole clusters and aged in concrete. Every time I taste the Hillsides, I think the same thing: why doesn’t Pax Mahle treat all his Syrahs this way?

    - By Antonio Galloni on June 2022 ©Vinous Media

  • The 2018 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides is gorgeous. Inky dark fruit, spice, licorice and dried herbs all flesh out with a bit of coating. At this stage, the 2018 is remarkably primary, but there is tremendous intensity and richness waiting to emerge more fully. Although the 2018 doesn’t quite have the aromatic breadth and layers of the 2016, it is a superb, vivid wine that Pax fans will want to own. The Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend of fruit from Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffins Lair and Nellessen. The grapes are crushed by foot, using 100% whole clusters, and undergo carbonic maceration, an approach that works so well with this fruit. Aging is done in concrete.

    — By Antonio Galloni on April 2020 ©Vinous Media

  • So, let’s get one thing out of the way. The 2017 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides is not the 2016. That is not a bad thing, as the 2017 has plenty to offer, and won’t be the subject of rabid speculation. In the glass, the 2017 is richer, sweeter and more immediate than the much darker and more brooding 2016, with a distinct red fruit character. Best of all, it will drink well upon release. All things considered, Pax Mahle turned out a brilliant Syrah in 2017 and my guess is that less extreme vintages will provide an opportunity for him to match the. 2016 - which, in my view, remains his best wine ever. Vineyard sites are Walker Vine Hill, Nellessen Vineyard, Castelli-Knight Ranch and Griffin’s Lair.

    - By Antonion Galloni on January 2019 © Vinous Media

  • The 2016 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides has been nothing less than stunning on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. A wines of extraordinary purity and depth, the 2016 dazzles from the very first taste. The richness and power are simply breathtaking. Bacon fat, smoke, grill herb and lavender are woven into a graceful, seamless core of inky blue/purplish fruit. Even with all of its intensity, the 2016 remains remarkably light on its feet. The Sonoma Hillsides is a blend of fruit from Castelli-Knight Ranch, Griffin’s Lair and Walker Vine Hill, done with 100% whole clusters and aged in a combination of concrete and neutral oak, with no SO2. I am not sure how the 2016 will age, but I am also not sure it will matter, as most bottles will be long gone before that is an issue. Quite simply, the Sonoma Hillsides is a total pleasure bomb and a modern day benchmark for Syrah in California. Don’t miss it!

    - By Antonio Galloni on January 2018 ©Vinous Media