March 24, 2025
Look, we get it. You’ve got great taste. You drink good wine. You shop at BayTowne. You’re basically a connoisseur. But let’s be honest—Pax Mahle is cooler than you. Not in a leather jacket, rides a motorcycle, never texts back kind of way, but in a makes some of the best Syrah and obscure white wines in California kind of way. Which, frankly, is way more impressive.
Most winemakers don’t start as wine buyers. They start as chemistry nerds, or vineyard interns, or kids who grew up in Napa with a dad who named them after a Grand Cru. Pax Mahle, on the other hand, started by drinking wine—tasting thousands of bottles, figuring out what mattered, and, most importantly, what didn’t. And what he realized was this: Most California Syrah was trying too hard. It was like a cover band playing a song you used to love but now kind of hate.
So he did the opposite. He found vineyards in cooler parts of California—windswept places where Syrah still tasted like Syrah instead of melted fruit roll-ups. He kept the farming clean, the winemaking simple, and let the grapes be themselves. Then, just for fun, he started making white wines from grapes no one in California cared about, and it turned out those were great, too. We have a smattering of some of his best:
2021 Grenache - Mourvèdre – Syrah
Some blends are about balance. This one is about attitude. Grenache brings the bright red fruit and spice, Mourvèdre adds some brooding depth, and Syrah ties it all together with that signature Pax smokiness. It’s like a well-rehearsed band where every member could be the frontman, but instead of fighting for the spotlight, they just make great music together. Juicy, earthy, and just wild enough to keep things interesting.
2019 North Coast Syrah
A Syrah for people who think Syrah should taste like Syrah. Dark fruit, cracked pepper, a little smoke—basically a BBQ in a glass, minus the regret
2019 Sonoma Hillsides Syrah
The one people fight over. If the North Coast Syrah is the lead singer, this is the producer behind the scenes, making sure everything sounds perfect. Dense, structured, and completely dialed in.
2022 Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc is like the underrated character actor of white wine—never the star, but always making the scene better. Crisp, clean, a little nutty (same), and the perfect thing to crack open when you don’t want Chardonnay but also don’t want to talk about why you don’t want Chardonnay.
2022 Trousseau Gris
Trousseau Gris is what happens when a wine is both serious and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s got texture, it’s got spice, it’s got that je ne sais quoi that makes wine nerds and casual drinkers alike go, “Wait, what is this?” in the best possible way.
So, if you want to drink like someone who probably has a dope vinyl collection and definitely knows the best taco spot in any given city, Pax Mahle is your guy. And these wines? They’re your ticket.
Come grab a bottle (or four) before they disappear like a cool underground band that suddenly blows up and gets expensive.