Armagh Vineyard Syrah
⏳ Drinking Window
2005 - 2015
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rosemary lamb, grilled venison, wild mushroom stew
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from the wind-swept Armagh Vineyard in the extreme southern reaches of the Sonoma Coast—within the acclaimed Petaluma Gap AVA—this wine is a masterclass in cool-climate California Syrah. Planted in 1997 on clay loam soils, the vineyard is named in honor of the McWilliams family's ancestral roots in County Armagh, Ireland. The site is defined by a relentless daily influx of cold marine wind and fog, which slows grape ripening and allows for the development of thick skins, intense color, and complex phenolic maturity at lower sugar levels. Winemaker Pax Mahle coaxes the essence of this dramatic terroir using traditional, low-intervention methods, including significant whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, and aging in neutral French oak and concrete. The resulting wine is celebrated for its savory, Northern Rhône-style profile, bursting with cracked black pepper, olive tapenade, smoked meats, and wild dark berries.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 2000 by Pax and Pam Mahle, Pax Wines is an acclaimed artisanal producer based in Sebastopol within Sonoma County, California. Recognized as a pioneer of the New California wine movement, the winery focuses on cool-climate coastal terroirs across Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Pax champions a minimalist, old-world approach to vinification, utilizing whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts, and aging in neutral French oak and concrete tanks to preserve purity and freshness. The estate is widely celebrated for its benchmark, savory Syrah bottlings—such as the Sonoma-Hillsides and Alder Springs Vineyard designations—as well as dynamic, terroir-driven expressions of Gamay, Chenin Blanc, and heritage varieties.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Syrah
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
12.5-13.5%