Aging beautifully. Had as a pop and pour from a magnum. Still plenty of dark fruit, a little spice, soft tannins, and a long finish. One of favorite Saxum wines; I hate that they aren’t making it any more.
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Cork broke, though was able to salvage...popped and poured...dark blue fruit and still plenty of tannins...medium finish...drinking well, though fell short of expectations.
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Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby, dark fruit, med/firm tannins, long finish; delicious, but still young, drink with a longer decant or hold (my preference)
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From magnum. Opened beautifully after 90 minutes. Blackberry, currents, incredibly balanced. Drinking great. I anticipate it has many years ahead of it.
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30 minute decant then consumed over the next 3 hours. Such a perfectly balanced wine with noticeable acid bringing brightness while soft tannins hold the body together. Powerful fruit but lightweight, the singular distraction was a hint of heat in both the nose and finish.
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Opened three hours prior to dinner and was rewarded with a broken cork so we poured through a vinturi. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Kirsch, white pepper and dried plums. Rich flavors of black currants, dried plums and black cherries. Medium acidity, slightly drying tannins, full bodied. Drink now with some air.
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Beautiful big Syrah. This feels at once powerful and weightless. Despite its 15.5% label, there is no sign of heat. It is still relatively tight and tannic at age 9 and will undoubtedly improve for another 10+ years and last for another decade thereafter. Black spicy fruit with a great backbone of acidity. Blackberries and plums with figs and black pepper.
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My personal favorite of the evening. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine. 95+
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Pop and pour. Not fair, but there you go. In the glass, opaque magenta/black at the rim, shading quickly to black in the center. On the nose, blackberries, blueberries, and a faint note of herb garden? On the palate, dense layers of fruit, mild olive tapenade, and currants, with assertive acidity and even more assertive tannins on a long, structured finish.
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Well we were having our usual contingent of about 15 people over for Fathers Day. White wine and rose on the patio followed by the grand buffet at my club. I decided this year to taste all the wines before anyone got here as I am sure by the end of the evening they will all taste like Dr. Brown's Cream soda. You can tell I am originally from NYC. This was a magnum opened 6.5 hours before tasting. Dark berries on the nose and dark fruit on the palate offset by a hint of sweet spice on the finish which was exceptionally long. An extremely well made wine.
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We had to decant this for several hours before it opened up. Well worth the wait - smells like a blackberry farm and tastes of dark fruit with leather and tobacco notes.
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Deep inky purple color. Licorice, violets and ripe blueberries in the nose. On the palate, blackberries, blueberries, cassis, soft menthol notes and some dried meat. Full bodied with a refreshing medium intense acidity. The acidity helps this quite heavy wine feeling a little lighter. Dusty tannins, nearly completely integrated. Beautiful deep fruit structure and a great complexity. Alcohol is a little bit too hot and therefore it feels a little out of balance. Super long and juicy finish - astonishing. Not an elegant but an impressive wine. I decanted it for 3 hours and it was showing beautiful after this time. Already in a good spot in my opinion but you don’t have to hurry, it will be beautiful over the ne t years. Drink now until 2026. Around 5,500 bottles of this vintage were produced. (IG)
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Decanted about 2 hours and paired with bacon-wrapped antelope tenderloin steaks grilled. Outstanding wine with dense dark fruit, cassis, grilled meat, glycerin, hint of spice with well integrated tannins. Very long and satisfying finish. Superb.
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Covid-19 doldrums and we needed a break from our everyday claret. Opened and decanted an hour before dinner (only a touch of sediment) and it went so well with marinated tri-tip. Smooth and bursting with wonderful berry flavors. Loretta finished the bottle!
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Muscular blend of Syrah 73% and Mourvedre 27%. Dense, dark, robust but not overpowering. The Syrah dominates, but you know the Mourvedre is always there.
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Excellent nose with tons of fruit and spices. Bursting with rich flavors on the palate with a long finish. A bit too much alcohol shows up on the finish as the main drawback. You need to like big, rich Syrahs to appreciate most Saxums and this is no exception.
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A great friend, Winedog1 visited us so we decided to open some bottles to celebrate. At my request, Winedog1 agreed to select the rating and prepare tasting notes for this wine. Tasted alongside Sine Qua Non Stock Syrah 2012 and Andremily Syrah 2012.
Tart, raspberry, boysenberry, some meat, some salt, effervescent. Fantastic.
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The BBQ at our club. I had not yet tried any of 2012's Saxums as of yet, still drinking my way through the 09's, 10' and 11"s, so I opened this four hours before dinner and then decanted when we got to the club. I knew that this wine as do most Saxums would stand up the to brisket, ribs and pulled pork that would be served. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine.
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Pretty awesome wine! Lots of dark fruits, a little spice and leather, plenty of structure from the tannins, but well balanced and smooth. Compared very favorably with the 2013 Realm The Bard that we had first.
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Kicking myself for opening this on a night when 6 people were here! Needed this one to be all mine.
Elegant wine with great balance; fruit forward but without the jamminess that I love in Saxum. This is a different style but equally amazing. If you had to pop and pour, you could as flavor is their immediately, but so is tannin and a bit of heat. Be patient and you will be rewarded. 90 minute decant added layers of complexity and allowed the wine to fully integrate, leaving soft berries and a bit of pine needle on the palate.
Paired with roast tenderloin, baked potatoes with trimmings, asparagus with parmeggiano. (On the latter, the cheese negated the tinny flavor one associates with wine and asparagus - actually worked quite well!)
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Big chewy delicious Syrah. The high Mourvèdre content in this vintage is noteable when tasting adding structure, earthiness and spice. Paired perfectly with grilled caveman tomahawk rib eye. I think this one has a long life ahead.
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This wine could not be any more massive!!!! But some how it is still delicious. If you are not a fan of big wines stay away.....but if you are like me and like great wines regardless of style, you will love this!!!
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The color is youthful and inky purple, with good clarity, dense color, and opaque. The smells are earthy, blackberry, blueberry jam, stones, meat, and sweet spices. The body has weight, the tannins are velvety, and the finish is sweet, lengthy, with a little heat. Hedonism in a bottle.
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Agree with Jeb on this, truly an amazing wine, dark massive fruits, meat, camphor, smoke, cinnamon and cedar. Great balance and texture, should get better in a few years but great now with a few hours decant.
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The bottle was corked unfortunately, I was really looking forward to it. Of all the saxum's I've had, this is only the second corked bottle (1 in 25) and both have been bookers...
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Decanted for several hours and could have used another half day of air. Best wine of the night with lots of dark berries, spice and lavender - even though it was still tannic and not fully opened up. 94 today, with lots of potential. Hold.
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Nose sends out all the right teases.. First sip, big, like strong black coffee, the real stuff, not some Starbucks girly drink. After the first shock, your palate quickly compensates, shields up, take another sip. Smooth, fresh leather, the kind they put in Italian ego boosters. Another sip, I'm now hooked, can't stop sipping. Leather opens up and reveals dark fruit and burnt bacon.
Nose of red licorice, lavender, cola, and cream. Silky, red fruit and earthiness with great balance and richness in the mouth. Drinking very well right now.
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12/25/2023 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 96 Points
Aging beautifully. Had as a pop and pour from a magnum. Still plenty of dark fruit, a little spice, soft tannins, and a long finish. One of favorite Saxum wines; I hate that they aren’t making it any more.
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7/8/2023 - hanasowner wrote: 92 Points
Cork broke, though was able to salvage...popped and poured...dark blue fruit and still plenty of tannins...medium finish...drinking well, though fell short of expectations.
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3/18/2023 - rogerr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Agree with other recent notes. Drinking beautifully and even better on second day.
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1/20/2023 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Previous notes apply. Wine was better 1 day after opening because fruit was more integrated and smoother.
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11/1/2022 - TheRhoneranger Likes this wine: 93 Points
After a 90 minute decant the brooding dark fruits and tobacco emerged. Delicious pairing with Shepherds pie on a cool fall night
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10/14/2022 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Rich, delicious blackberry fruit, slightly hot licorice flavors, excellent structure, ample acidity and finish
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7/31/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to prior note; delicious, drink or hold
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7/28/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby, dark fruit, med/firm tannins, long finish; delicious, but still young, drink with a longer decant or hold (my preference)
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6/15/2022 - guitarguy wrote: 91 Points
Nice blueberry and herb notes. The Mataro (Mourvèdre) shows up as just a bit of funk on the palate but in a good way. Drink any time.
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4/10/2022 - IanAltman Likes this wine: 96 Points
From magnum. Opened beautifully after 90 minutes. Blackberry, currents, incredibly balanced. Drinking great. I anticipate it has many years ahead of it.
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4/9/2022 - jeagle wrote: 95 Points
30 minute decant then consumed over the next 3 hours. Such a perfectly balanced wine with noticeable acid bringing brightness while soft tannins hold the body together. Powerful fruit but lightweight, the singular distraction was a hint of heat in both the nose and finish.
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3/3/2022 - markcic Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened three hours prior to dinner and was rewarded with a broken cork so we poured through a vinturi. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine.
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12/24/2021 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
73% Syrah, 27% Mourvedre
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Kirsch, white pepper and dried plums. Rich flavors of black currants, dried plums and black cherries. Medium acidity, slightly drying tannins, full bodied. Drink now with some air.
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11/5/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful big Syrah. This feels at once powerful and weightless. Despite its 15.5% label, there is no sign of heat. It is still relatively tight and tannic at age 9 and will undoubtedly improve for another 10+ years and last for another decade thereafter. Black spicy fruit with a great backbone of acidity. Blackberries and plums with figs and black pepper.
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9/22/2021 - markcic Likes this wine: 95 Points
My personal favorite of the evening. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine.
95+
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8/7/2021 - Bwallace Likes this wine: 95 Points
Oh yea…definitely some dark fruit with a long finish. 3 hour decant for me, which was great. Very enjoyable with our Wagyu beef fajitas.
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7/28/2021 - kanowsky wrote: 96 Points
Heavy, ripe blackberries, some tobacco and forest floor on the nose.
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6/25/2021 - jshufelt wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. Not fair, but there you go. In the glass, opaque magenta/black at the rim, shading quickly to black in the center. On the nose, blackberries, blueberries, and a faint note of herb garden? On the palate, dense layers of fruit, mild olive tapenade, and currants, with assertive acidity and even more assertive tannins on a long, structured finish.
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6/20/2021 - markcic wrote: 94 Points
Well we were having our usual contingent of about 15 people over for Fathers Day. White wine and rose on the patio followed by the grand buffet at my club. I decided this year to taste all the wines before anyone got here as I am sure by the end of the evening they will all taste like Dr. Brown's Cream soda. You can tell I am originally from NYC.
This was a magnum opened 6.5 hours before tasting. Dark berries on the nose and dark fruit on the palate offset by a hint of sweet spice on the finish which was exceptionally long. An extremely well made wine.
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6/15/2021 - kanowsky wrote: 94 Points
We had to decant this for several hours before it opened up. Well worth the wait - smells like a blackberry farm and tastes of dark fruit with leather and tobacco notes.
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2/22/2021 - wineguy75 Likes this wine: 96 Points
big fruit, lots of spice, early drinking window
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2/7/2021 - DrZett wrote: 93 Points
Deep inky purple color. Licorice, violets and ripe blueberries in the nose. On the palate, blackberries, blueberries, cassis, soft menthol notes and some dried meat. Full bodied with a refreshing medium intense acidity. The acidity helps this quite heavy wine feeling a little lighter. Dusty tannins, nearly completely integrated. Beautiful deep fruit structure and a great complexity. Alcohol is a little bit too hot and therefore it feels a little out of balance. Super long and juicy finish - astonishing. Not an elegant but an impressive wine.
I decanted it for 3 hours and it was showing beautiful after this time. Already in a good spot in my opinion but you don’t have to hurry, it will be beautiful over the ne t years. Drink now until 2026.
Around 5,500 bottles of this vintage were produced. (IG)
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12/8/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, anise, loads of licorice, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, medium plus tannins and a bit austere upon opening.
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11/30/2020 - spendergast Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted about 2 hours and paired with bacon-wrapped antelope tenderloin steaks grilled. Outstanding wine with dense dark fruit, cassis, grilled meat, glycerin, hint of spice with well integrated tannins. Very long and satisfying finish. Superb.
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9/17/2020 - mdvillaverde wrote: 92 Points
I gave this 2 hours out of the bottle. well made but brighter and more acidic than I was expecting. Muted but pure fruit. A nice long finish.
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8/25/2020 - BerkeleyBoy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Covid-19 doldrums and we needed a break from our everyday claret. Opened and decanted an hour before dinner (only a touch of sediment) and it went so well with marinated tri-tip. Smooth and bursting with wonderful berry flavors. Loretta finished the bottle!
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8/8/2020 - ELH wrote: 95 Points
Muscular blend of Syrah 73% and Mourvedre 27%. Dense, dark, robust but not overpowering. The Syrah dominates, but you know the Mourvedre is always there.
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6/3/2020 - Geoff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful dark fruit. Moderate secondary notes, but basically pure. Firm tannins, but not overpowering. Long, long finish.
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3/22/2020 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent nose with tons of fruit and spices. Bursting with rich flavors on the palate with a long finish. A bit too much alcohol shows up on the finish as the main drawback. You need to like big, rich Syrahs to appreciate most Saxums and this is no exception.
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3/12/2020 - birdeaux Likes this wine: 99 Points
A great friend, Winedog1 visited us so we decided to open some bottles to celebrate. At my request, Winedog1 agreed to select the rating and prepare tasting notes for this wine. Tasted alongside Sine Qua Non Stock Syrah 2012 and Andremily Syrah 2012.
Tart, raspberry, boysenberry, some meat, some salt, effervescent. Fantastic.
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1/25/2020 - bablues wrote: 96 Points
First time trying the saxum Booker and this was outstanding. Didn't take detailed notes but from what I recall this was bursting with dark flavors.
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1/22/2020 - TheRhoneranger Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent! Had at dinner with Derrick.
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5/26/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 95 Points
The BBQ at our club. I had not yet tried any of 2012's Saxums as of yet, still drinking my way through the 09's, 10' and 11"s, so I opened this four hours before dinner and then decanted when we got to the club. I knew that this wine as do most Saxums would stand up the to brisket, ribs and pulled pork that would be served. A beautiful nose of dark fruit and mocha. The palate was dark berries, dark plums, mocha, cedar and spice. The finish, it went on forever. just and awesome bottle of wine.
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3/8/2019 - Fid Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Very dark. Dark fruit spectrum. Very good fruit, but balanced with nice tannic bite. Opened up over 2 hours and just got better and better. 93+
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7/14/2018 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 98 Points
Pretty awesome wine! Lots of dark fruits, a little spice and leather, plenty of structure from the tannins, but well balanced and smooth. Compared very favorably with the 2013 Realm The Bard that we had first.
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6/27/2018 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Consumed at Marche Moderne. Apparently 73% Syrah and 27% Mourvedre. Big, but not ripe. Dark berries. Smoked meats.
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3/25/2018 - morewineplease! Likes this wine: 94 Points
Kicking myself for opening this on a night when 6 people were here! Needed this one to be all mine.
Elegant wine with great balance; fruit forward but without the jamminess that I love in Saxum. This is a different style but equally amazing. If you had to pop and pour, you could as flavor is their immediately, but so is tannin and a bit of heat. Be patient and you will be rewarded. 90 minute decant added layers of complexity and allowed the wine to fully integrate, leaving soft berries and a bit of pine needle on the palate.
Paired with roast tenderloin, baked potatoes with trimmings, asparagus with parmeggiano. (On the latter, the cheese negated the tinny flavor one associates with wine and asparagus - actually worked quite well!)
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2/14/2018 - Tonester Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big chewy delicious Syrah. The high Mourvèdre content in this vintage is noteable when tasting adding structure, earthiness and spice. Paired perfectly with grilled caveman tomahawk rib eye. I think this one has a long life ahead.
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8/10/2017 - royalscam Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful syrah predominant blend balanced out nicely drawing from that dry, rocky soil of Paso
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5/20/2017 - bonedocnine Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine could not be any more massive!!!! But some how it is still delicious. If you are not a fan of big wines stay away.....but if you are like me and like great wines regardless of style, you will love this!!!
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6/25/2016 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The color is youthful and inky purple, with good clarity, dense color, and opaque. The smells are earthy, blackberry, blueberry jam, stones, meat, and sweet spices. The body has weight, the tannins are velvety, and the finish is sweet, lengthy, with a little heat. Hedonism in a bottle.
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5/29/2016 - pakabear Likes this wine: 98 Points
Agree with Jeb on this, truly an amazing wine, dark massive fruits, meat, camphor, smoke, cinnamon and cedar. Great balance and texture, should get better in a few years but great now with a few hours decant.
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4/3/2016 - pakabear wrote: flawed
The bottle was corked unfortunately, I was really looking forward to it. Of all the saxum's I've had, this is only the second corked bottle (1 in 25) and both have been bookers...
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7/25/2015 - Justin B Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for several hours and could have used another half day of air. Best wine of the night with lots of dark berries, spice and lavender - even though it was still tannic and not fully opened up. 94 today, with lots of potential. Hold.
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7/17/2015 - shadow wrote: 98 Points
Nose sends out all the right teases..
First sip, big, like strong black coffee, the real stuff, not some Starbucks girly drink.
After the first shock, your palate quickly compensates, shields up, take another sip.
Smooth, fresh leather, the kind they put in Italian ego boosters.
Another sip, I'm now hooked, can't stop sipping.
Leather opens up and reveals dark fruit and burnt bacon.
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6/16/2015 - nfafoglia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose of red licorice, lavender, cola, and cream. Silky, red fruit and earthiness with great balance and richness in the mouth. Drinking very well right now.
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