2011 Pax The Vicar
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The 2011 Vicar is very pretty in this vintage. Less forced than the 2010, the 2011 impresses for its sweet, perfumed fruit and fine overall balance. Sweet red berries, crushed flowers, spices and mint are all framed nicely, while a perfumed finish laced with floral notes rounds things out in style. In 2011, the Vicar is 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, all from the Mountain Terraces vineyard. I find better balance and cohesion in the 2011 than the 2010, perhaps because all the fruit came from just one site. The 2011 Vicar also happens to be great example of the vintage.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
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The 2011 Vicar is very pretty in this vintage. Less forced than the 2010, the 2011 impresses for its sweet, perfumed fruit and fine overall balance. Sweet red berries, crushed flowers, spices and mint are all framed nicely, while a perfumed finish laced with floral notes rounds things out in style. In 2011, the Vicar is 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, all from the Mountain Terraces vineyard. I find better balance and cohesion in the 2011 than the 2010, perhaps because all the fruit came from just one site. The 2011 Vicar also happens to be a great example of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2019. These are the first new releases from Pax Mahle’s Pax Wine Cellars label following Mahle’s separation from Joe Donelan a few years back. Mahle describes 2010 and 2011 as both challenging, but the difference, he notes, is mostly that in 2011 growers were better prepared, as they had the experience of dealing with the cool, damp conditions from 2010. That keen observation may explain why the two 2011s I tasted were clearly more interesting than the 2010s. Tel. (707) 591-0782