2003 Pax Syrah Lauterbach Hill

(15.9% alcohol) Good medium ruby. Blackberry, mint, pepper and crushed stone on the nose. Densely packed and concentrated, but the flavors of peppery black fruits and gravel come across as a bit aggressive and shallow. Fresh but a bit simple. This vineyard was the most affected by the uneven flowering and ripening of fruit in 2003, admits Mahle.

The 2003 Syrah Lauderbach Hill, from a vineyard farmed by Lee Martinelli, was cropped at two tons of fruit per acre, and spent time in 100% French oak, of which 40% was new. No shy Syrah at 15.9% alcohol, it exhibits great intensity as well as a tremendously sweet bouquet of crushed rocks, creme de cassis, blackberries, and flowers. A full-bodied, opulent, exotic effort, it should drink well for a decade or more. As I wrote last year, this is an exciting winery run by one of the youngest, most talented new breed California wine babies. The efforts to date have been terrific wines that beg for attention. (Release date Spring 2005) Tel. (707) 591-0782; Fax (707) 591-0784