Pax

### History Pax Mahle founded the label in the early 2000s, initially building a reputation around Rhone varieties at a time when that was far from a safe commercial bet in California. After an earlier chapter under a different ownership structure, Mahle relaunched under the Pax name with his wife Pam, retaining the vineyard relationships and stylistic convictions that had defined the project from the start. The relaunch sharpened the focus toward the Sonoma Coast and its immediate hinterlands, with particular attention to sites at elevation or under direct marine influence. Over the following years Pax expanded quietly into Gamay Noir, one of the earlier serious commitments to that variety in California, and added small quantities of white wine. The label has stayed deliberately small, with an emphasis on single-vineyard bottlings that allow site differences to read clearly across the range.

### Vineyards The fruit comes from a network of grower vineyards concentrated on the Sonoma Coast and adjoining mountain ranges, including the Sonoma Mountains and sites reaching into Mendocino County. Griffin's Lair and Radiant Ridge sit within the coastal Sonoma Coast appellation proper, subject to heavy fog influence and relatively low average temperatures during the growing season. Alta Monte and Alpine Peaks reflect higher-elevation plantings where diurnal swings are pronounced and ripening is slow. Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino is a long-established source known for rocky, well-drained soils and a cool growing environment suited to aromatic whites. Soils across the portfolio vary from the fractured sandstone and clay-loam common on coastal ridges to volcanic and mixed alluvial material further inland. Farming practices at most of these sites lean toward organic or sustainable methods, though Pax does not farm them directly and documentation varies by grower.

### Winemaking The cellar approach across the Syrah bottlings favors whole-cluster inclusion to varying degrees depending on vintage and site, with native yeast fermentations standard throughout the range. Oak use is restrained relative to California norms, with a preference for older or neutral French barrels that preserve aromatic detail without adding obvious wood character. The Gamay Noir wines are handled with particular delicacy, using minimal extraction to keep the wines light-footed and transparent. Chenin Blanc from Alder Springs is typically fermented and aged in neutral vessel, aimed at texture and site expression rather than fruit weight. Wines are generally unfined and unfiltered or lightly so, and bottled at relatively low alcohol by California standards, a direct consequence of the cool sites chosen rather than any intervention in the cellar.