Winemaker Notes
#35 James Suckling Top 100 Wines of the USA 2025
#15 Vinous Top 100 of 2025
Deep, inky purple hue, indicative of its concentration and intensity. Crazy aromatics with notes of sweet purple flowers, pink peppercorns, and blueberry liqueur. Hints of white pepper and exotic, high-toned fruit pastilles add layers of complexity. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with a plush texture. Flavors of ripe blue fruits, such as blueberry and blackberry, are prominent, complemented by spicy nuances and high-toned red fruits. The palate also reveals swirling aromas of earth, umami, and fresh summer fruits, contributing to its depth and vibrancy. The finish is long and persistent, with fine, chalky tannins and bright acidity providing structure and balance. A touch of salinity enhances its mouthwatering quality, inviting another sip.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is one of the greatest wines I have tasted from Pax Mahle. The Hillsides is a blend of the best sites in the range, fermented in cement with whole clusters and also aged in cement. The long growing season resulted in a rich, heady wine with intense fruit and perfectly ripe tannins. Magnificent.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend from the best parts of their vineyard sites, fermented and aged in concrete, with the only oak it sees coming from portions of the barrels of the vineyard designates. In the glass, it pours a deep purple color, revealing aromas of lavender oils, blackberry preserve, and sweet sage. At this tasting, the focus is more on its fruit than its savory tones, but these will undoubtedly emerge as it matures. It has a rich and noble structure, with full body, ripe tannins, and a long-lasting finish.
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James Suckling
Very pure and perfumed aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, plums, cured meat, dried herbs and violets. The palate is supple, with seamlessly integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving flavors of mulberries, graphite, black olives and mocha. A serious northern Rhone-inspired syrah with a soft touch. Excellent.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides was made with whole clusters and fermented and matured in concrete. It has slowly opening scents of cassis, thyme, violet and iodine. The medium-bodied palate features understated flavors framed by chalky tannins and bright acidity, and it has a long, floral finish.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.