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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2013 and 2018 (based on 4 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87 pts. and median of 86 pts. in 11 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Pjzlotnik on 11/29/2018 & rated 88 points: nice fruit and nose. Residual tannins gone in 30 minutes of air. (593 views) | | | Tasted by cdebeau on 12/20/2015 & rated 93 points: Nice fruit, cherry, smooth finish (1207 views) | | | Tasted by Racer117 on 11/20/2014 & rated 85 points: Very similar to another bottle on 10/02/14. I would like to try a different vintage. (1460 views) | | | Tasted by pa81 on 11/15/2014: Much better than when I had this in August (see prior note). When freshly poured, I really noticed the crazy tart puckering finish, but opened up a bit with air and found it to be pretty enjoyable. Didn't seem like a Syrah to me, but more enjoyable this time around. (1501 views) | | | Tasted by Racer117 on 10/2/2014 & rated 86 points: I think all these all other taster are being a bit harsh. I have had better Syrah but this by no means is bad. I can't call it layered but nor can I call it disjointed. So, I shall call it terraced. Nose is greenly intense with tobacco, plum aromas and moist earth. The viscous body carries berry, menthol, and wood flavors. Not nearly as good as their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but still tasty. (1538 views) | | | Tasted by pa81 on 8/31/2014: Not a fan of this one for reasons others have noted on this wine. Odd tartness that dominates. Not at all characteristic of the experience I have when drinking other Saxon Brown wines. (1110 views) | | | Tasted by tc from santee on 9/8/2013 & rated 83 points: Nothing here was to like on day one, two or three except the nose. this was a wine that appeared to be picked before the grapes were ripe. Green bell peppers overwhelm the pallet. Any fruit overtone die out in the first 10 seconds. I still have one bottle left from allocation, oh boy! (805 views) | | | Tasted by Furry Goat on 6/22/2013 & rated 85 points: The nose is pleasurable. Blackberries and blueberries, baking spice, tobacco, and possibly tar. The theme of this wine on the palate is "tart". It's overwhelming. Tart dates and a strange tannic structure lead that comes off as plain bitterness leads to a short tart finish. Wtf? Completely drinkable, but the complete opposite of complex or balanced. Not what I would think a Syrah should be. Not what I expect when I open a bottle of Saxon Brown. (534 views) | | | Tasted by Gestalted on 2/18/2011 & rated 88 points: Sadly (very very very sadly) this was a disappointment. I'm really curious if Jeff consciously decided to change the way he crafted this wine or if it's purely a result of the vintage. This wine is is defeated on the midpalate and finish with tart cherry. And the weight of the wine is pulled back a bit not to mention the complexity. This wine holds no resemblance to the 2006 which I loved!
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Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp! (1250 views) |
| Saxon-Brown Producer website
Founded in 1997 by winemaker Jeff Gaffner, the winery's cornerstone is its 100-year-old Casa Santinamaria Vineyard in Sonoma, a "field blend" vineyard that, at a half ton an acre, defines "low-yielding". Old vine Zinfandel (with its field-mates Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro) and Semillon come from this historic parcel. Pinot Noir and Syrah are sourced from small vineyards throughout Sonoma County. Total production is fewer than 2,000 cases, allowing Jeff to fulfill his mantra: "Winemaking must consume you, or your wines may not be worth consuming." Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. Parmelee-HillPlanted in 1996 in south west Sonoma Valley, is owned and farmed by Steve Hill and his wife Gwen. This is the same Steve Hill who manages the famed Durell Vineyard, right next door. In some cases fruit is designated from Camp Block, a 1.5 acre parcel that sits on the edge of a hill near the family's camp site. Here, the Durell selection is planted on S04 Rootstock in clay loam (red/brown) soils.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountySonoma ValleySonoma County, California, is one of the most important winegrowing regions in the whole of the United States. Vines have been planted here since the 1850s and, apart from the inevitable hiatus brought about by Prohibition, the county's relationship with wine has been prolific and unbroken.
Viticulturally speaking, Sonoma County is divided into three distinct sections: Sonoma Valley, Northern Sonoma and Sonoma Coast. Each of these has its own AVA title and encompasses several sub-AVAs within its boundaries. |
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