The Knob Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah
⏳ Drinking Window
2005 - 2015
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb chops, grilled venison, wild mushroom stew
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the rugged, remote northern reaches of Mendocino County, 'The Knob' is a prized, high-altitude block within the legendary Alder Springs Vineyard. Planted on steep, windswept slopes of fractured sandstone and decomposed granite at nearly 2,700 feet elevation, this extreme terroir forces the vines to struggle, yielding tiny, intensely concentrated berries. Winemaker Pax Mahle utilizes traditional, low-intervention methods, including whole-cluster fermentation and aging in neutral French oak, to preserve the site's unique signature. The resulting Syrah is a masterclass in cool-climate complexity, echoing the classic profiles of the Northern Rhone with its signature cracked black pepper, smoked meats, wild lavender, and deep, dark fruit, all framed by a vibrant, mineral-driven acidity.
🍾 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
🍷 ABV
13.0-13.5%