I tasted these wines at the TR and bought a few: being incredibly impressed with their brash Syrah ire and spit and shit and shocking depth in merciless young ways, feeling they offered a classic take on the variety not often experienced in California and at a great discount to the 100-pt flagship. I brought them home and opened one, writing a glorious review of a wine with all the stops pulled out and with decades to go–not to mention a great bargain. My hands have glanced over these bottles in the cellar several times over the years, but each time felt, “No, give it time.” Today I offer one up.

Ridiculous sediment. An entry on pop-n-pour not terribly lovely: full of garish juxtapositions of acid and hi-note unpleasantness. Decanted vigoriously. It opens up *a bit*, but still, the crazy citrus aplomb tarnishes enjoyment. Did I miscalulate their timelessness? Gracious bits of depth gradually appear: a dusky briar lodged firmly of brittle structure. I can’t help but nod to sediment as the culprit, as I have found many wines throwing ridiculous sediment not aging to potential: instead showing garish acid unbalanced with the body. This is not a professional or scientific conclusion, merely a seat-of-the-pants conclusion from multiple experiences. I feel it sucks something out of the wine during age which can not be replaced with continued time in the bottle, in every instance leading to harsh points of acid not settling down as one would expect.

There are parts of this wine which are lovely and charismatic. A depth of cherry–still pie-bright and stunning–but it os cloistered beneath situations quite hard to rectify. Everywhere: a puckering wash of thinnish rigidity dispels grandeur. Even at 7 it is merciless in its attack, evicerating enjoyment into a moment difficult to consider “delicious”. I think back to Syrahs able to go the test of time: Qupe. Shadow Canyon. Old Pax’s. Dehlinger. DuMol. I had high hopes for this one, and it’s either got decades to go or has burnished itself into oblivion. Your call. Honestly, I’m headed for the former.

2017 PAX Syrah Armagh Vyd Sonoma Coast 13.2