Fresh blueberry, sycamore bark, wild cherry. Juicy mulberry, spicy green olive, pomegranate seeds. Tarragon and Indian spice, cured meat and whole green peppercorn. High-toned, crunchy, electric fruit explodes with intensity, gushing oodles of ripe strawberry and raspberry without ever flinching. Spicy savory notes counter quickly showcasing shishito pepper and sapling triumphing above low-toned but present florals. Soil tones of goldridge and basalt add complexity to the crunch as concrete dust coats the palate. Unbelievably fresh and lifted, like taking a deep breath of pure Las Vegas oxygen, yet somehow simultaneously brooding and heavily structured. Unconventional, unique, and brilliant. This 2017 Sonoma-Hillsides Syrah by Pax Wines is perfectly executed complex simplicity.

Every once in a while a wine comes along that blows expectations to shreds. This bottling, crafted by Pax Wines using 100% Syrah sourced from a few select vineyards in Sonoma County, is exactly one of those wines. In the glass it radiates a dark nearly-opaque purple color indicative of concentration and extraction, yet it weighs in at only 12.9% ABV. Its bouquet is lifted and delicate but also expansive and dark. The fruit profile here is completely unique for the varietal - thanks to fermentation via Carbonic Maceration - and could be described as springy or crunchy. This wine is merely medium in body but pulses with high tannin and acidity while remaining drinkable and balanced. This toes the line between being highly intellectual and cleanly gluggable, and we just couldn't get enough. Absolutely killer.