Donald Patz

Owner/Winemaker Patz & Hall

9.9

From magnum. This was the first vintage of Patz & Hall “Alder Springs Vineyard” Chardonnay. At the point of blending a flicker of original youthfulness with otherwise fully matured Chardonnay flavors. This is why we drink older wines. Rich, complex spice and toast, notes of tangerine, beeswax, dried apple, caramel, wildflower, sea breeze, exotic perfume, kiwi, crushed rock. A moderate yellow color. I was there when the grapes were picked. Short of help, we all pitched in to harvest. A miracle. — 10 days ago

Vanessa

9.3

Hello, California Syrah!!

From everything we’ve read, the Alder Springs Vineyard sounds like a truly majestic place.

It’s isolated in an undeveloped part of northern Mendocino County, situated in California’s North Coast region, where the steep and rugged terrain meet sweeping views of the ocean, bordered by rivers, redwoods, and snowcapped mountains… elevation stretches up to 1,800 feet above sea level.

It’s no wonder so many acclaimed producers, like Pax Mahle, source their fruit from here, where vines are sustainably farmed and cared for by Stuart Bewley. We were fortunate to visit Pax in Sebastopol in 2022, where we picked up this 2011 Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah. We’ve been waiting patiently to taste it. And here we are.

100% Syrah. Whole cluster fermented. Aged 12 months in neutral French oak barrels.

This wine is deep ruby trending towards garnet. The aromas are concentrated with ripe boysenberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, next to violet, black peppercorn, licorice, cured meat, peat moss, smoke, clove, leather and olive notes. On the palate, it is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, high alcohol (14.6% ABV), medium (+) fine-grained tannins, and a long, elegant finish.

It’s both elegant and wild all at the same time and we love it.

Cheers! — 10 months ago

with Deked1

Brian Hearty

9.2

2019. Since I made a big batch of Bolognese earlier this week, tonight was leftovers, and we pulled this Nero d’Avola to drink with it. PnP and I was surprised the combo didn’t really pair well and made the wine finish a little boozy. So, we just let it open up in the glass while sipping for a few hours. Huge change as the fruit filled in and the finish smoothed out! — 19 days ago

Stephen Mathews

9.3

I agree with some of the statements below, great wine but I don’t think it’s 100% Carignane — 8 months ago

Jesse Smith

9.2

Fun blend of three (3) Italian wines. Bold and fruity. — 2 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.0

Assume that’s the vineyard in the inked drawing on the label. Fancy stuff at $48 per bottle…
Lovely deep red to purple color. Smells like musk, woods, campfire on your clothes. Maybe a cranberry or elderberry tone under it all. Interesting smell to it for sure. Flavors are also interesting. Old time tonics and herbal extractions. More elderberry stuff. Absinthe. Or is that Jegermister? The fruit is there too, but it’s under the savory and strange stuff. This is a wine to age. But it’s good now too if you are into the strange and earthy side of Syrah. A true terroir driven drinking experience. I can see the coast valleys of Mendo in the flavors. — 2 years ago

John W

9.4

Zinfandel with a hint of Syrah. Deep ruby coloration. On the nose, clove, sage, currants, spice and dark fruit. On the palate, spices, cherry, full body, very velvety smooth. Long finish of spice, cinnamon. — 5 months ago

Camille Chow

10

Best rosé I’ve ever tried, sweet and tangy finish. Notes of strawberry — 5 months ago

Brian Hearty

9.2

2022. Weather was really encouraging rosé on the patio, so we were happy to oblige! Loads of chunky sediment that was easily kept in the bottle (kind of). Delicious pink grapefruit, strawberry, watermelon. Mouthwatering acidity, but balanced with the fruit. — a year ago

Brad Jensen

9.1

Says sweet but it’s surprisingly well balanced. Dry, with a hint of tannin, it’s light/medium bodied with a VERY floral nose, with hints of pine sap and raspberry enfolding deep. The palate is long, with ripe and tart red fruits up front, a prominent acidity, and a dry finish, with long lingering notes that are slight vegetal, with hints of black tea ending in a gentle minerality. Much better than I had expected! — 2 years ago