Exciting Debut Wines from Pàšxa

Pàšxa Wines was founded in 2018 by Mike Martin. Todd Alexander is the winemaker. His involvement with Pàšxa allows him to focus on organically farmed estate fruit from the Rocks District of Milton Freewater. Mike is also the owner at The Walls and Todd is also the winemaker at Force Majeure.

I was fortunate enough to have the winery send me samples of their debut wines.

2018 Pàšxa Wines Grenache River Rock Vineyard – Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Gorgeous nose of red fruits, citrus, roasted herbs and flowers. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Unique and rustic with an old world feel. Wild strawberry, kirsch, orange rind and white pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish with firm tannins. Lacks some of the funkiness I associate with Rocks District wines. This Grenache is all about power, structure and concentration. Serious Grenache that could use some time in the cellar. Best over the next 6-8 years. My rating: 95 points.

2018 Pàšxa Wines Syrah SJR Vineyard – Purple in color. 14% ABV. Subdued nose of dark fruits, charred meats, olives and tar. Full bodied with perfect acidity. Black raspberry, blood orange, iron and pepper on the palate. The finish is long and seamless with pronounced tannins. Not your typical Rocks District Syrah. This wine begs for time in the cellar or at the very least, a healthy decant. Best over the next 8-10 years. My rating: 96 points.

2018 Pàšxa Wines Syrah River Rock Vineyard – Jet black in color. 14% ABV. Savory nose of red fruits, citrus, olives and charred meats. Medium body with strong acidity. Rustic and fruit forward. Black cherry, salmonberry, blood and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Exceedingly approachable with just an hour in the decanter. This is the wine to drink on the early side while the other two lay sideways. Best over the next 4-6 years. My rating: 93 points.

One thing to keep in mind is that is that Todd did not oversee the entire winemaking process with the 2018 vintage. In 2019 and 2020 Todd owned the winemaking process from start to finish. The wines above were really good but I suspect they might get even better with future releases.

These wines were literally just released this past week. There is certainly time to secure these via the winery website. Just when I thought I had my fill of winery mailing lists I get sucked back in! Lastly, the packaging here is unique and cool.

I can’t wait to follow Pàšxa in the years to come.