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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 122 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cow Town on 10/13/2023 & rated 92 points: Drank from a magnum. A little funk on the nose to start, but that blew off with a decant. Good dark color, with just a little bricking on the edges. Sweet fruit, both on the nose and the finish. Nice round GSM Paso fruit. Only complaint is that it just seemed a little short, and a little brittle on the finish. Good wine, glad I had it, but will look to other vintages. (591 views) | | | Tasted by Geoff on 6/16/2023 & rated 96 points: Spectacular bottle of wine! In my cellar since release, excellent fill, cork a little crumbly, but came out clean. Four hour slo-ox, one hour full decant. Explosive floral nose with dark fruit, multiple layers of secondary and tertiary notes. Smooth mouthfeel, resolved but present sweet tannins, medium to full bodied. 16% alcohol not noticeable. Long finish. This was a delightful, well aged Rhone style wine. Bravo! (516 views) | | | Tasted by walkerjfw on 6/3/2021 & rated 94 points: Impromptu Lunch with Juan and Tom (Market, St Helena): One of my contributions, the oldest Saxum in my cellar (only bottle of this vintage). Lunch with Juan and Tom was a good excuse to open this. Had them do a splash decant (no sediment), drank over an hour.
Medium purple/ruby color, some mild separation. Fragrant and smokey nose of red fruits, plums, coffee and bacon fat. Plate of blackberry, dark cherry, smoke, herbs and pepper. Would describe mid palate as raspberry liqueur, dried cherries...a lot going on here. Full body and long finish.
Great wine, as expected. Fully mature and ready now. Should drink at this level for a while but not likely to improve. (1447 views) | | | Tasted by Justinwine on 11/8/2018 & rated 94 points: An extraordinary example of US-made Souther Rhone. Drink soon and enjoy. (2164 views) | | | Tasted by tederf on 1/25/2017 & rated 93 points: Two hour decant. Good bit of sediment. Tannins very soft. Slight spritz. Black and red fruit with a bit of smoke and pepper. Has aged very nicely. (3585 views) | | | Tasted by ews3 on 1/23/2015 & rated 93 points: pop & pour with bulgogi. a little harsh at the outset with some medicinal notes. really blossomed after 45 min. nose shows red cherry, wild strawberry, herbs de provence, and eucalyptus. palate shows bright acidity, with a coating mouthfeel. red fruit dominates, with some herbal notes as well. finish shows raspberry liqueur with a little heat. (6065 views) | | | Tasted by Mrbuzz on 12/22/2014 & rated 94 points: Had a magnum of this last night…decanted for 3+hrs, then drank well for another 5 or so. While still in need of a good decant, the dreaded 2004 spritz has totally integrated nicely..only leaving a fresh cherry skin acidity keeping the wines youth. Super balanced ripe berry fruit…still on the lighter side in density..but not in flavor. White pepper spice, old leather, dried tobacco/cherries, smoked meat, cocoa powder and earth...really tasty and silky. Some even liked it better than the sqn this is not an exit!
Wish I had more maggies of this! (4920 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 10/31/2014 & rated 93 points: Needs an hour to open up and let a little burn fade away. Gorgeous fragrance of red and black fruits and dark chocolate. Still young and the alcohol is still a little high.
Day 2: Has mellowed significantly. Smokey nose of tobacco and plums. Thick and silky, but still with some tannins on the long licorice, black fruit finish. (4792 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 7/17/2014 & rated 93 points: Decanted for one hour. Gorgeous nose of black fruits with hints of coffee, bacon, and black cherry liqueur. Thick and silky in the mouth with a touch of hot port on the finish. Very appealing, though not perhaps for anyone who really dislikes higher alcohol. Particularly appealing with grass-fed London broil. Softening after 3 hours. Delicious. (4693 views) | | | Tasted by Tel007 on 10/12/2013: Sadly my last bottle. Still going strong, has mellowed out, retains plenty of fruit with a nice mineral spine to it. Ageing gracefully. (4481 views) | | | Tasted by Screameagle on 9/1/2013 & rated 94 points: This bottle was really singing after a two hour decant. Brought it to Beths shore party and it was devoured in no time. This bottle surely showed how well Saxums age that's for sure (3142 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 1/18/2013 & rated 93 points: No signs of fading on this puppy. Full rockin' nose of black and blue fruit. Palate is richly fruited and as racked and stacked as ever. Pepper, smoked meat and oak spice notes layer on the rich fruit flavors. Good supporting cut provides balance and length. Medium plus flavorful finish. (3875 views) | | | Tasted by bundydavis on 12/29/2012 & rated 94 points: Wow! Really enjoyed this GSM. Surprised at how big and fruit forward it was. Pop and pour and ready to drink now. (3691 views) | | | Tasted by kinger0003 on 8/6/2012 & rated 90 points: Quick notes here ... popped and poured and followed over several hours. The nose was huge and exploded from the bottle. Lots of wondering dark and blue fruits. Unfortunately, it blew off pretty quickly. On the palate I got a lot of the same fruit with maybe a tad of spice (pepper?). The only downside is that there was a bit of fizz to it and ever so slightly chemical in taste. Don't get me wrong ... still very much enjoyed it but it's not the same wine as what comes out of Saxum these days. Take it for what you will but I'd still buy/drink this sucker with gusto! (4155 views) | | | Tasted by Screameagle on 7/31/2012 & rated 93 points: This wine has evolved into a beautiful James Berry. Eight years old this wine may still improve over the comiing 2-3 years and hold for at least another 5 perhaps 10 years. Happy to have two bottles left (3515 views) | | | Tasted by taho on 5/2/2012 & rated 94 points: Decanted for 2-3 hours and it was wonderful! (3621 views) | | | Tasted by kinger0003 on 4/18/2012 & rated 94 points: Popped and poured and followed over about 1.5 hours. Really jammy up front with a big dose of oak and herbs (pepper?). Definitely not for everyone but I loved the super ripe dark/blue fruits. Everything I love about Saxum. Still very noticeable acidity so I would guess it'll last for some time yet but no reason to hold off. I've got one more bottle and I won't be letting it sit much longer. (3223 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 2/28/2012 & rated 90 points: Still inky in color, this wine offers a massive wall of jammy blackberry, pepper, blueberry and oak. The wine is almost too much. It's packed and stacked with jammy, ripe and over ripe, sweet fruit. Very intense with low acidity. This is not my style, but I know other people who like this type of wine and know they will enjoy it a lot more than I did. (3278 views) | | | Tasted by dannyk8232 on 11/15/2011 & rated 92 points: This was a little bit better out of magnum. 750 seemed to be a little bit flat, although still really enjoyable. (3592 views) | | | Tasted by dannyk8232 on 11/15/2011 & rated 93 points: From magnum. Seemed to have traces of seepage, so decided to pop this sooner rather than later. Drinking very well. Excellent fruit, and smooth as silk. Nice finish. Not nearly as complex as more recent vintages, and I also wouldn't pay dearly for this vintage, but delicious nonetheless. (3506 views) | | | Tasted by jshufelt on 9/15/2011 & rated 92 points: Consistent with my previous notes. So consistent, in fact, that I wish I had read them before we drank this bottle, so I could have decanted for a full two hours before touching it, which is what I strongly recommend that you do. Just trust me on this. (3234 views) | | | Tasted by oaxaca90049 on 9/13/2011 & rated 98 points: WOW. This wine is simply amazing. I can't imagine it could be better than this,. We decanted for about 4 hours. I didn't take any notes but this was totally seductive from the nose to the finish. Black fruit, red cherry , unbelievably smooth like rolling in velvet. I've loved all the '04s and I think they're just getting better and better. (3479 views) | | | Tasted by JeffGMorris on 9/9/2011 & rated 90 points: Dinner at Vin Rouge with Steve, Barb & Bill. Impenetrable purple in color with lanolin, hot stones and dark fruits. Dusty tannins. Not SQN but one of the better examples of California Syrah. 50+12+12+8+8=90 (1605 views) | | | Tasted by Presidio Wine Bunker on 7/24/2011 flawed bottle: Flawed (3463 views) | | | Tasted by BarkingBigDog on 5/12/2011 & rated 93 points: Good advice on the Molly Dooker shake and it was just, harmless trapped CO2. My wife liked the initial "frizzante" that quickly disappeared from the bottle after decanting. The 16% ABV has balanced beautifully and the tannins have completely softened which led our table to claim Justin Smith as the leading winemaker proving that the 14% alcholol boundary limit is a myth. Blackberries, blueberries and tobacco. Paired very well with pasta and red sauce. (3730 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, September/October 2006, IWC Issue #128
(Saxum Winery Red Wine James Berry Vineyard Paso Robles) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (12/16/2006)
(Saxum James Berry Vineyard) Fig and licorice nose; sweet and concentrated fig, black fruit and plum palate; medium-plus finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Saxum Producer website
Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards is focused on producing Syrah, Grenache, and Mataro based blends from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, California. We let our rocky calcareous soils, steep hillsides, and cooling ocean breezes speak through our wines by keeping our yields extremely low, picking fruit at the peak of ripeness, and using a minimalist approach in the cellar. We respect our land and farm everything sustainably without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Because our vine’s roots penetrate deep through the fissures in the calcareous soil irrigation is rarely needed. Production is kept at 5000-6000 cases per year divided between 12 different cuvees, Broken Stones, Heart Stone Vineyard, James Berry Vineyard, James Berry Vineyard White, Booker Vineyards, Rocket Block, Bone Rock, Paderewski Vineyard, G2 Vineyard, Terry Hoage Vineyard, 4hearts Vineyard, and The Hexe.2004 Saxum James Berry Vineyard38% Syrah, 36% Grenache and 26% Mourvedre.Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. James Berry VineyardUnder the expert care of Justin Smith, James Berry Vineyard has quickly established itself as one of the premiere Rhône varietal vineyards in the state. The “Carlisle” block of James Berry Vineyard is located just below the terraced “Bone Rock” section and is planted to Syrah clones 470 and 174. Justin practices sustainable farming, using no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. And with the limestone laden soils and devigorating rootstock, the vines struggle, yielding small quantities of intensely flavored fruit.
Copyright © 2013 Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, all rights reserved
On weinlagen-infoUSAAmerican 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 Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA WikipediaPaso Robles Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance
Set apart by unique climate and geography, Paso Robles Wine Country provides prime growing conditions for more than 40 varietals planted over 26,000 acres of vineyards. More than 300 wineries craft this fruit into premium wines, gaining recognition around the world. The fruit, the wines and the distinct environment have quickly made Paso Robles California's third largest and fastest growing wine region. |
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