2002 Pax Syrah, Lauterbach Hill, Russian River Valley

Hopefully Lauterbach Hill has become a familiar name to most of you. This is our third attempt to tame the monster that is Lauterbach Hill. Once again it was necessary to drop more than half of the fruit onto the ground in an attempt to control the natural vigor of this gravelly slope. Admirers of this wine from previous vintages will not be disappointed. This wine has the same exotic character that we have found in previous years from this site. Due to the ripest stems that we have ever encountered, we chose to ferment with more whole clusters than ever before. We ended up with a dramatically more structured base for what has typically been a very precocious wine. We are thrilled with what we believe to be our best Lauterbach Hill yet. We hope you agree.

Tasting Note:
Roasted coffee, scorched earth and black raspberry liqueur aromas hint at what this massively endowed wine will taste like. While exceptionally pure and enormous in the mouth, the wine comes across as beautifully balanced and not at all heavy. The tannins are there but completely hidden behind waves of concentrated fruit.