2010 Syrah Griffin's Lair Vineyard

These are the first new releases from Pax Mahle's Pax Wine Cellars label following Mahle's separation from Joe Donelan a few years back. Mahle describes 2010 and 2011 as both challenging, but the difference, he notes, is mostly that in 2011 growers were better prepared, as they had the experience of dealing with the cool, damp conditions from 2010. That keen observation may explain why the two 2011s I tasted were clearly more interesting than the 2010s.

This year marks the return of the Pax label under Pax Mahle's direction following five years in legal limbo and swampland.The wines, which are being sourced from fruit grown in vineyards that Mahle worked with under the old Pax rubric, are being made separately from Mahle's Wind Gap wines, and the brand is completely owned by him and his wife Pam.Wind Gap is now a partnership with investor Charles Banks, who is and has been involved in a number of high-end California ventures, notably Screaming Eagle and Jonata.Mahle told me that he's picking up where he left off with Pax, meaning "letting the vineyard and year make the wine and trying to stay out of the way as much as possible."He pointed out that while he personally favors higher acid and lower alcohol syrahs he's not interested "in imposing that philosophy on fruit that wants to be ripe," which is why he has chosen to work with sites that "do the elegant thing all by themselves."