2023 Pax Syrah North Coast, California

Aromatics of dark plum and blackberry lifted by crushed wildflowers, cracked pepper, and a smoked-meat-and-olive savory streak. The palate has a dark-fruited core carried on racy, salivating acidity and fine tannin, with real tension through the middle. Peppery, even finish. Pax Mahle built his early name on powerful, extracted Syrah, then deliberately walked it back toward cooler coastal sites and earlier picks: foot-crushed, native-yeast fermentation with whole-cluster inclusion, aged in neutral 500-liter barrels so nothing masks the fruit. This North Coast bottling blends his favorite sites, and Mahle himself calls the 2023 the best version he has put in bottle.