Saxum Offine In The OC, w/ Justin Smith

A pleasure to have Justin hang with the OC gang. Justin told us this is the first time in a structured setting that he has tasted his entire Saxum work to date, which in this event included a # of the 2005 barrel samples that are still to be bottled. What a blast and treat to do this!

While Justin does not make a white under the Saxum label, he does sell fruit or make wine for others in the white vein.

• 2004 Copain Roussanne James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  From magnum. Tasted some pineapple, flint and a baked green apple. Texture shows an oily feel and the wine finishes nicely.

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• 2000 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  As good as the bottle I had a few weeks ago. For a wine of this age to speak with so much freshness and vitality really makes it a pleasure to drink. Black and blue fruit, with a gingerbread cookie/brown spice note on the nose. The fruit has a mix of earthy/racy quality, along with that huckleberry feel. Balanced, fresh and lively and with life still ahead of it. Bitchen.

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• 2001 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Blackberry, with some blue nuance and a bit more heat than the 2000 BR. Jammy and still lifted by the acidity, tannin and spicy finish. Has more push and ripeness than the 2000 with some dusty tannin finishing the wine.

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• 2002 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  After the 2000, then the 2001, this 2002 shows even more primary elements, more primary in nature with brown sugar and a jammy core. Lacks the balance and definition of the 2000 and instead shows more raspberry fruit.

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• 2003 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  The biggest of the BRs from 2000 to this point. And, given my palate changes I am beginning to chronicle and note, I can't say this wine fits for me now. Several at the event really liked this wine, probably related to the sexy, gigantic nature of the wine and it's hedonism. Its dark, even jammier than the 2002, with chambord/kirsch liqueur, tasting for me like a ripe Zin. Balck raspberry and ripeness. Look, this ain't a bad wine--in fact, it's gonna fit for some but it's just too sweet and rich for me, seeming to lose its typicity.

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• 2004 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Bingo, bango, bongo. Now, we have hit the target bullseye. Very nice and for me, shows the typicity of syrah: pepper, minerality, roasted red and blue flavors, along with floral nose. Still a baby with tannins and terrific complexity. Awesome stuff. Let it sleep and watch it become even better.

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• 2005 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  From a barrel sample, yet to be bottled. This for me was the best wine of the BR flight and may be as good or better than the 2004. Fresh, with a nose of flowers. Nice mix of earth, blueberry and tremendous blue acidity. Nice weight, not syrupy or over-rich like the 2003 but instead balanced, more lithe in comparison to the previous vintages and just that lovely signature of blueberry. Man, I love this wine and will have no problem just loading a pile of it into the 'Scraper.

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• 2002 Saxum Broken Stones

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Melted chocolate, dark blackberry and blueberry with richness. Shows also that raspberry core and jammy flavors.

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• 2003 Saxum Broken Stones

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Rich, like the 2003 BR, with the chambord/kirsch extract flavors but more dark than the 2002, with sweet mocha on the finish. Easier to handle than the 2003 BR but this is also a big wine with big flavors. That's 2003 for ya.

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• 2004 Saxum Broken Stones

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Bingo. Now we're talking again. Balance is here, with a mix of all kinds of berry flavors: blue, red and black. I kept thinking as I tried this wine of the Trader Joe's "mixed berry medley" bagged fruit that comes in the frozen section. Bright blueberry most prominent, even in attack and still wrapped up tight. Like with the 2004 BR, let it rest or decant and smile real big!

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• 2005 Saxum Broken Stones

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Man, I like this wine and like with the 2000 BR I tasted alongside it a few weekends ago, this wine rocks. Youthful, my notes say "dark" with a prominent underline, expressing moreso a dark set of flavors and quality. Still quite tannic with blueberry, toasted oak, espresso and indeed the oak is talking at this youthful stage. Will live and develop for a long time and like the 2005 BR, just delicious. Man, these 2005s from Saxum are damn good.

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• 2004 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Chocolate, some heat, and a big core of black fruit, ala blackberry juice. Wood, maybe lots of wood tannin still?, primary and for me, my notes say 'disjointed'. This wine IMO needs time, as the parts are there but the wine needs to fold into itself. I have a mag and some 750s of this in my own cellar and I plan to let it rest for some time. Like the other 2004s that are still wrapped up, this one to me is the most wrapped up of them all.

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• 2005 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Tasted as a barrel sample. Indeed, nose smells of new oak, juicy, rich, plush, gigantic. Raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, again that medley of berry mix. I spoke with Justin about the tannin/oak feel and he said that this wine has a higher percentage of whole cluster so the feel could very much be the stems talking, not the oak. This wine, like the 2004, shows its sheer weight and expression. Might be worth tasting one of these on release (yet to be bottled, of course) and see if it reflects like the 2004 HS. A big boy.

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• 2003 Saxum Cuvée Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles Willow Creek District

  Strawberry jam, with a concentration of fruit that said "red vine licorice" to me. Mocha and even a hint of olive. Weight is heavy, palate feel is huge, maybe close to syrup weight, but this wine works. I'd personally rank the 2004 BR or 2005 BS higher IMO than this wine.

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• 2005 Saxum Cuvée Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles Willow Creek District

  Tasted from a barrel sample. I believe Justin told us that this wine is aged in mostly neutral oak--my response to that was "huh"? Man, again affirms for me that wines with less wood can work and can be as good or better than those which contain more. To me, this beats the 2003 RB across the board: intense concentration, strawberry on roids, forward with a rich core. Uh, sign me up. And to think I have said I can't figure out Grenache? This is 93% Grenache, with the balance of Syrah, and by god, this works for me.

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• 2004 Saxum James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Blueberry, blackberry, creamy, dark and shows terrific density. Nice balance and medium weight. At this stage of the night, my palate and perceptive acuity starts to hit the line. Hence, the short note.

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• 2005 Saxum James Berry Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Tasted as a barrel sample. Coffee and chocolate nose. Juicy blueberry and blackberry. Shows significant oak, and given its current state, that should be accurate.
  
  I took the remainder of the mag sample home and 24 hours later, am tasting again. I get some pepper on the nose tonight that I did not pick up before. Like the other 2005s, this wine is juicy, more sleek and full of blueberry, blackberry and dark chocolate and mocha. And, like the other 2005s, the blue acidity is there. Again, these 2005s are just bitchen.

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• 2005 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Tasted as a barrel sample and since this is a new designate for Justin, I had to add this wine to CellarTracker. Probably the most interesting of the 2005s for me, in that the flavors and notes on this wine were most unlike the BR, BS, HS and JBV. My notes from last night say olive, talc on the nose with blueberry and raspberry, richness, oak brushstrokes and complexity. Given my notes here, I'd like to retaste this one again. So, who took the leftovers home of this last night???!!!!!!

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