97pts Jeb Dunnuck

Dried strawberries, flowers, leather, dried rose, and loamy soil notes all emerge from the 2020 Grenache River Rock Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, round, mouth-filling Grenache that has a stacked mid-palate, ample ripe tannins, and a great finish. This singular, ripe, sexy, exotic Grenache will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and drink fabulously well over the following decade.

96pts Int'l Wine Report

Always one of my favorite Washington Grenaches, Todd Alexander seriously knocks it out of the park with his Pasxa label. Showcasing a medium ruby core with a light strawberry-colored rim, the expressive nose absolutely impresses with notes of strawberry fruit leather, crushed green olive, potpourri, wet slate, and just a smooch of braised meat. A rounded and spicy mouthfeel pairs with a medium body, crunchy sweet tannins, and pepper finish. Give this another year in the bottle for it all to come together and be richly rewarded. Highly recommended.

Winery Notes

The Walla Walla Valley is a very special place with a deep, rich, geological, cultural and agricultural history. It is a unique setting that has been recognized as possessing some of the greatest potential anywhere to grow a whole plethora of crops at a high degree of quality – from dryland wheat to vegetables of all kinds, to stone and pome fruits, to wine grapes.

One of the most special locations in the Valley, and the entire region in fact, is a very small geographical area within the Valley; an alluvial fan comprised of basalt cobblestones. In this place, nestled just to the west of the Blue Mountains in northern Oregon and south of the Washington state line, some of the most singular and unique expressions of wine anywhere in the world are grown. It is a place that has captured our attention, our imaginations, our senses and our motivations.

Thus, we have begun a very special endeavor to explore the terroir of this fascinating and unique place in the world through our own lens; to tell the story of this geology through top-notch grape-growing and winemaking, in our efforts to transmit the tale of this place, while also employing a commitment to sustainability, organic farming and low-impact winemaking.

When we set out to create PÁŠXA (pronounced “Pahk-sha”), we wanted to emphasize our commitment to sustainable farming and winemaking practices. We also wanted to give a nod to the history of our beautiful valley – a history that stretches back long before the land was settled by those who traveled west along the Oregon Trail. The indigenous people of the Walla Walla Valley had a name for this place that was Pášxapa or Place of the Sunflowers, as the valley was strewn with balsamroot sunflowers that grew wild here, and we wanted to pay homage to that heritage of these lands.