Pax 'Shop Block' Pinot Blanc, Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley 2022 (750 ml)

If you cut your teeth on the first Kistler Chardonnays like I did, you no doubt get excited when you hear the words Shop Block.  This block was home to some of the first grapes planted on Dutton Ranch and was used by Steve Kistler to start his eponymous label. Sadly, those Chardonnay vines are long gone, but the block was replanted to Pinot Blanc in the early 2000s and the legacy lives on in this sexy little wine. Chiseled from the sandy Goldridge Soils of the Russian River Valley, this zesty white wine tastes of saline, lychees, and white flowers.

100% Pinot Blanc

100% Whole Cluster Pressed

Ambient yeasts

50% Concrete Fermented

50% Stainless Steel Fermented

Aged In Concrete and neutral French Oak

Free So2 @ Bottling – 23ppm

3.35 pH

12.5% Alc By Vol

Tasting Note:

Aromatic white flowers, lychee and exotic perfumes of musk and sea air. Bright, focused, and alive this wine pulses with electricity.  The palate adds some roundness and weight, and all that soft-middle Pinot Blanc fruit is present, but it is the salt and sand and concrete that keep the laser beam focus of this wine in the forefront. Impossible to have one sip, you will want to buy this by the case and have it handy as the weather warms this spring season.

Pax Wines:

Pax and Pam moved to wine country in 1997 to create a lifestyle that involved working with wine. After a few years of tasting and sourcing wine from all over California, Pax finally found a vineyard in which he felt a kismet connection. Alder Springs Vineyard was the site and subsequently led to the launch of the PAX brand in 2000.

The Mahles made a bold choice by favoring the “untapped potential"  of the Syrah grape. Their entire lineup of wines came from cool climate vineyards in  Sonoma County and Mendocino. These wines were big, rich expressions of Syrah that went on to be highly sought after. As a result, Pax quickly became established as one of California’s premier producers of Syrah.

Presently, Pax Wines has evolved to include new and exciting varieties in addition to Syrah. This includes Trousseau Gris, Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir, and Mission, along with a host of others recently planted. 

At Pax Wines winemaking is approached holistically. This is done by taking care to use only grapes that are grown without the use of chemicals and by hand making their wines with as little intervention as possible. As a result, all of their wines are crushed by foot and hand, and fermented using only natural yeasts. To taste these wines visit the urban winery and tasting room in the outdoor Barlow market in downtown Sebastopol.

Tech Sheet