Purchased at auction recently and wanted to share this bottle with some friends. This turned out to be really terrific wine from pop until we finished the bottle. Tons of sediment at the bottom but strained it all out. This had a marvelous nose on it (so good you almost didn’t want to drink it) and the palate was smooth as silk and had soft integrated tannins and balance on the palate. The notes I got were some deeper dark cherry, a hint of spice or herbs, and the right balance of oak and acid to keep this 20 year old bottle humming along. Just goes to show how great Justin is in his winemaking that some of his initial bottles are lasting this long and tasting this great. Drink them if you have them.
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This was excellent. I've heard folks say that these Saxums won't hold up. Well this Broken Stones at 12 years old is singing and not headed down hill anytime soon. I'm actually surprised by how much fruit is there. A thick and effusive mouthfeel, almost syrup like but not heavy. A long finish to match, with the only negative being the almost 16% alcohol of which it was hard to notice given how well it was balanced. I have a couple left and plan to hold for awhile.
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Clear signs of leakage on the cork: streaks on the sides and just a little getting moldy at the end under the capsule. Still, after a half hour of air, the fruit starts to show. Still quite tannic. Color still black red. Gorgeous blackberry fruit. Long complex finish with spice and graphite.
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Only flaw in this gorgeous wine was just a hint of varnish in the nose but it was sublimated by the effusive black fruit and spice elements. Rich, full and long-another wonderful Saxum.
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Still a big, powerful wine with lots of alcohol and tannins. After extended decanting, some meaty notes start to appear in addition to the fruit. In my bottle the fruit felt a bit tired and was somewhat overwhelmed by the tannins.
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Unbelievable...Drinking at perfecton...Had shed some of the super ripe fruit, in exchange for that fabulous roasted,smokey meaty character . Fantastic.
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Very youthful with its intense blackberry, violets, graphite and licorice. The fruit is pure and long and perfume emerges after an hour in the decanter. Really hasn't changed that much from release.
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Great American Syrah Smackdown (RP96+) at Chris Hughes's--
Grapey, sweet dark cherry aroma with some creamy nuance. Nice, dense, chewy black fruits, sweet, ripe dark flavors with long finish. Somewhat monolithic?
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Great American Syrah Smackdown (My House): Full deep red. Nice full nose of briar spicy blackberry with hints of heat. Nice full black fruit, tar, and spice on the palate but a little more angular and disjointed than some of the others.
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Blueberry, roasted plum, kirsch, flowers, woody underbrush and a hint of dark chocolate. A sizable wine that remains lively. Complexity is a step below the Bone Rock. The alcohol makes itself known, so serve at cooler temps.
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Deep purple, almost black. On opening, black raspberries, sweet black cherries, vanilla, very ripe. Sweet but one-dimensional: lush finish, yet soft and rather short. Port-like, with the heat I associate with port.
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A truly over the top wine (15.9% alc) that has lost some of its fruit. My bottle two years ago was quite a bit better. Stood up well with pulled bbq pork.
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WOTN...Black fruit, tobacco, minearl and a bit of caramelized brown sugar. Lush and sexy, but still showing balance with bright acid. Excellent...'nuff said.
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Nose of hay, lingenberries, exotic spice and raspberries. Tastes of plums and blueberries. Great extraction. Nice balanced finish with good complexity. Lacks the intensity of fruit the two previous times I've had this wine. For my tastes, I think I prefer Saxum on the younger side. Unfortunately it is missing the beautiful bright fruit of a year ago but nonetheless a fantastic wine.
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New World Syrah Showdown (Chicago IL): Blind tasting. Very lush black cherry and blackberry aromas with some nutmeg, black pepper, and espresso. Similar fruit flavors, but more jammy on palate. Prominent heat on finish.
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This is a huge almost aussie like syrah that needs several more hours of decanting than the one hour I gave it. Way over the top wine that I would probably guess blind as a barell sample. I sure won't open another of these for at least 3 years. Justin has definitely pushed the envelope on this wine but it could be an awesome wine when it matures.
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Dark purple. Muted aromas initially that over a day opened into wood, leather, blackfruits and mocha. The palate is marked by cherry, mocha and hints of pepper with a moderate finish that ends in a slightly bitter taste. This was much better after being left overnight on the counter top. The second day,it was more integrated and smooth, with a full, fruit forward attack on the palate. 88 day one, 91 day two.
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I can see why some people love this wine, but it's really not my style. It has a beautiful nose, but it's hot and unbalanced on the palate. The finish in particular showed lots of heat. I think I enjoyed my first glass of this, and then found it increasingly difficult to drink more.
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11/26/2022 - travelme wrote: 95 Points
Purchased at auction recently and wanted to share this bottle with some friends. This turned out to be really terrific wine from pop until we finished the bottle. Tons of sediment at the bottom but strained it all out. This had a marvelous nose on it (so good you almost didn’t want to drink it) and the palate was smooth as silk and had soft integrated tannins and balance on the palate. The notes I got were some deeper dark cherry, a hint of spice or herbs, and the right balance of oak and acid to keep this 20 year old bottle humming along. Just goes to show how great Justin is in his winemaking that some of his initial bottles are lasting this long and tasting this great. Drink them if you have them.
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11/29/2018 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
WCC US Syrah Blind (Provence Restaurant, Albany, NY): Stunningly complex and expansive. Similar in flavor to the others, but has an exquisiteness that makes it special. My #2 WOTN.
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5/20/2014 - Gabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was excellent. I've heard folks say that these Saxums won't hold up. Well this Broken Stones at 12 years old is singing and not headed down hill anytime soon. I'm actually surprised by how much fruit is there. A thick and effusive mouthfeel, almost syrup like but not heavy. A long finish to match, with the only negative being the almost 16% alcohol of which it was hard to notice given how well it was balanced. I have a couple left and plan to hold for awhile.
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12/14/2013 - ledwards wrote: 92 Points
Fresh and youthful. This is full-bodied and new world. Would have guessed a grenache component. Lush dark fruit, lead, stone notes.
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1/5/2013 - kenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear signs of leakage on the cork: streaks on the sides and just a little getting moldy at the end under the capsule. Still, after a half hour of air, the fruit starts to show. Still quite tannic. Color still black red. Gorgeous blackberry fruit. Long complex finish with spice and graphite.
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3/25/2011 - aroby wrote: 93 Points
As powerful as ever. Nothing bad about this wine - a joy every time we have a bottle.
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10/30/2010 - larrybbaldwin wrote: 93 Points
Only flaw in this gorgeous wine was just a hint of varnish in the nose but it was sublimated by the effusive black fruit and spice elements. Rich, full and long-another wonderful Saxum.
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9/25/2009 - LikeABC wrote: 95 Points
no formal notes, but brought to Buzz's house and it was showing very well! Glen got the "leftovers".
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11/16/2008 - jwwinec wrote:
Still a big, powerful wine with lots of alcohol and tannins. After extended decanting, some meaty notes start to appear in addition to the fruit. In my bottle the fruit felt a bit tired and was somewhat overwhelmed by the tannins.
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10/1/2008 - tskrueger wrote: 95 Points
Unbelievable...Drinking at perfecton...Had shed some of the super ripe fruit, in exchange for that fabulous roasted,smokey meaty character . Fantastic.
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5/19/2008 - rmodak wrote: 93 Points
Very youthful with its intense blackberry, violets, graphite and licorice. The fruit is pure and long and perfume emerges after an hour in the decanter. Really hasn't changed that much from release.
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1/13/2008 - SteveHoch wrote: 91 Points
Very tasty. real big juicy full bodied syrah. great balance and depth . outstanding nose.
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1/1/2008 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 94 Points
Deep dark purple. Very extracted but still has some restraint. Lots of graphite, smoke, blackberrys and black cherry. Long and full on the finish.
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10/4/2007 - KenK wrote: 95 Points
Great American Syrah Smackdown (RP96+) at Chris Hughes's--
Grapey, sweet dark cherry aroma with some creamy nuance.
Nice, dense, chewy black fruits, sweet, ripe dark flavors with long finish.
Somewhat monolithic?
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10/4/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Great American Syrah Smackdown (My House): Full deep red. Nice full nose of briar spicy blackberry with hints of heat. Nice full black fruit, tar, and spice on the palate but a little more angular and disjointed than some of the others.
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10/4/2007 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Great American Syrah Smackdown (Chris Hughes' place - Chicago, IL): Deep opaque purple with a shy nose of black fruits. Palate is dominated by rich, sweet blueberry fruit. Toasty notes add interest. Medium length finish. Delicious but lacking complexity.
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8/15/2007 - pgordon62 wrote: 91 Points
Blueberry, roasted plum, kirsch, flowers, woody underbrush and a hint of dark chocolate. A sizable wine that remains lively. Complexity is a step below the Bone Rock. The alcohol makes itself known, so serve at cooler temps.
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8/14/2007 - KPB wrote: 88 Points
Deep purple, almost black. On opening, black raspberries, sweet black cherries, vanilla, very ripe. Sweet but one-dimensional: lush finish, yet soft and rather short. Port-like, with the heat I associate with port.
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7/1/2007 - cck wrote: 88 Points
A truly over the top wine (15.9% alc) that has lost some of its fruit. My bottle two years ago was quite a bit better. Stood up well with pulled bbq pork.
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6/10/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Saxum Offine In The OC, w/ Justin Smith (Sage Newport Beach): Melted chocolate, dark blackberry and blueberry with richness. Shows also that raspberry core and jammy flavors.
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2/6/2007 - tskrueger wrote: 93 Points
WOTN...Black fruit, tobacco, minearl and a bit of caramelized brown sugar. Lush and sexy, but still showing balance with bright acid. Excellent...'nuff said.
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12/13/2006 - kstoddard wrote: 93 Points
Nose of hay, lingenberries, exotic spice and raspberries. Tastes of plums and blueberries. Great extraction. Nice balanced finish with good complexity. Lacks the intensity of fruit the two previous times I've had this wine. For my tastes, I think I prefer Saxum on the younger side. Unfortunately it is missing the beautiful bright fruit of a year ago but nonetheless a fantastic wine.
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4/11/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
New World Syrah Showdown (Chicago IL): Blind tasting. Very lush black cherry and blackberry aromas with some nutmeg, black pepper, and espresso. Similar fruit flavors, but more jammy on palate. Prominent heat on finish.
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4/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 91 Points
Full opaque black/red. Candied balck fruit arom aiwht hints of heat. Big hot overripe black fruit. A bit much for me. 4/06
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2/2/2006 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
This is a huge almost aussie like syrah that needs several more hours of decanting than the one hour I gave it. Way over the top wine that I would probably guess blind as a barell sample. I sure won't open another of these for at least 3 years. Justin has definitely pushed the envelope on this wine but it could be an awesome wine when it matures.
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11/22/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby color. Lovely nose of fresh blueberries. Candied, confectionary flavors. Fruit bomb. Some fudge notes. Nice finish. Good intensity.
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4/7/2005 - onholiday wrote: 88 Points
Dark purple. Muted aromas initially that over a day opened into wood, leather, blackfruits and mocha. The palate is marked by cherry, mocha and hints of pepper with a moderate finish that ends in a slightly bitter taste. This was much better after being left overnight on the counter top. The second day,it was more integrated and smooth, with a full, fruit forward attack on the palate. 88 day one, 91 day two.
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2/20/2005 - Spencer wrote: 86 Points
I can see why some people love this wine, but it's really not my style. It has a beautiful nose, but it's hot and unbalanced on the palate. The finish in particular showed lots of heat. I think I enjoyed my first glass of this, and then found it increasingly difficult to drink more.
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9/26/2004 - jamiekutch wrote:
Victor's rooftop Tasting NYC (none corked and non cooked) (New York City): Big fruit forward. Ripe fruit with over the top oak flavors. Don't bother to serve this wine under 65 degrees. Too much like the usual suspect including Integrity, Shirvington, Amonra, Dead Arm.
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