Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah
⏳ Drinking Window
2005 - 2015
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb chops, grilled venison, wild mushroom polenta
✨ Technical Specifications
Perched in the rugged, remote wilderness of northern Mendocino County, the Alder Springs Vineyard is a testament to extreme viticulture. Planted by grower Stuart Bewley on steep, mountainous slopes near Laytonville, this vineyard sits at the very edge of where wine grapes can successfully ripen. The 'Cahto Ridge' bottling, named after the indigenous Cahto people and the imposing ridge that frames the vineyard, is sourced from high-elevation blocks dominated by decomposed sandstone and gravelly soils. Pax Mahle utilizes traditional, low-intervention winemaking techniques to capture this unique terroir, employing whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts and aging the wine in neutral French oak and concrete. The result is a cool-climate Syrah of remarkable tension, showcasing signature wild blackberry, cracked black pepper, smoked meat, and olive tapenade characteristics that evoke the classic Hermitage style of the Northern Rhône.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2000 by Pax and Pam Mahle, Pax Wines emerged as an influential champion of cool-climate California viticulture, initially earning renown for single-vineyard expressions of Syrah. Operating out of an urban winery and tasting cellar in Sebastopol's Barlow district, the domaine collaborates closely with growers across coastal Sonoma County, Mendocino, and the Sierra Foothills. Viticulture centers on organically and sustainably farmed heritage plots, frequently anchored in fractured shale, marine sandstone, and decomposed granite. While early vintages leaned rich and assertive, Pax evolved toward an uncompromising low-intervention ethos characterized by whole-cluster foot stomping, spontaneous fermentations driven by ambient yeasts, neutral French oak aging, and minimal sulfur. Beyond benchmark Syrah bottlings such as Alder Springs, Griffin's Lair, and Castelli-Knight Ranch, the portfolio explores esoteric and heritage white varieties, notably old-vine Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, and Pinot Blanc, celebrated for their tensile acidity, savory transparency, and mineral cut.
🍇 Grapes
Syrah