Graphite, and Meaty on the nose. Big, bold, and luscious on the palatte with notes of dark/black fruits. Has a little sharpness, but it adds to the complexity and structure. Definitely a fan!
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An explosive nose of dark fruit, cassis and spice. The palate is deep, concentrated and spiced with notes dark fruit preserves, smoked meat, minerals, spices and crème de cassis. A great Christmas wine.
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This is good, but it's not awesome. Saxum makes a lot of amazing wines; is this one of them? Perhaps, but I may not be the best person to ask - I have come to realize that I am not a big grenache fan. Hence MY review here should not count for those who enjoy grenache. I will refer you to The Black Wine Guy (that's his podcast), as he is better versed with grenache. Still, this is tasty. Don't get me wrong.
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An excellent Grenache blend, but most assuredly not worth the $148 price tag. This should blow you away from the first mouthful and that just doesn’t happen. A 1-2 hour decant will enhance your experience.
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Black/purple color. Blackberries and cassis. A big wine. Full bodied, juicy, rich and smooth. The Petite Syrah is very evident, driving the black fruit richness. High alcohol but in check. Balanced with light grained tannins and a long finish.
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Brought the wine over to Et Voila French Bistro. Lots of f dark fruit well balanced and very easy to drink. Went well with the escargot and rabbit leg. Enjoyed it The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like prune, dust, and blackberry. It tastes like blackberry.
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Another great effort from Saxum. Decanted 2 hrs., dense garnet color with notes of dark fruit: plum, back raspberry, cassis, along with glycerin and hint of oak. Great velvety mouthfeel, soft tannins with long satisfying finish. Paired with grilled lamb chops.
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Intense, corpulent, massif et fort gouteux. Un style appuyé et extrait avec du fruit à profusion. Souple et très velouté. Fruits noirs surtout avec un peu d'épices. Longueur sans fin et grande persistance. Si on aime ce style, celui ci est excellent.
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Big, dense, jam-packed fruit but pure in concentration. Explosive nose and silky smooth tannins. Just very well made and a monster in the glass without being cloying in any way. A pleasure to drink.
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Outstanding Grenache based wine. Pretty intense nose of floral dark fruit, exotic spice and black pepper - jumps at you. Smooth tannins and great mouthfeel with complexity and penetration; similar flavor profile and a finish that just goes on .... it has the potential to get better, love it!
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A serious wine. The slight negative is the high ABV (15.5%) but holds itself quite well without ridiculous density or fruit / depth. Had a sharpness / freshness about it, though isn’t a delicate light wine. Plenty of fruit, tannins, acidity and good drive .
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The wines: 2018 Peter Michael Chardonnay Mon Plaisir (96) 2017 Saxum The Hexe (97) 2006 Chateau de Beaucastel (96)
Three spectacular wines for Easter feast of a veal stew over polenta, braised carrots follow up with a flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake and a citrus cheesecake.
The 2018 Peter Michael Mon Plaisir is in a great place and shockingly good. Incredibly balanced among fruit, smoke, spices, and earth. I was expecting a good wine, but this is great and going to continue to get better as it ages. A spectacular American Chardonnay.
The 2017 Saxum The Hexe is ready for drinking. Open and decanted through an ullo filter for about 90 minutes before glasses were poured. It coats the palate with delicious fruit, herbs, soil, minerality and a touch of finesse. This should age wonderfully for 15 years, but I don’t think I can keep my hands off it. Had another glass a few days later, and it was even better. This is drinkable now and will also benefit from more bottle time. You won't hate yourself if you drink it now or if you let it lie a couple of years.
The 2006 Chateau de Beaucastel was in the beginning of its perfect place – 15 to 20 or so years of age. It is all about balance – balance of fruit and tannin, of earth and sun, of soil and air. Simply delightful. This is the first of the case for me and I will try to only drink one a year from now on. Again, I doubt I will maintain that discipline.
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Smooth and luxurious. Blend of Grenache 58%, Mataro 27%, Petite Syrah 11%, and Tempranillo 4%. And no Syrah. Dark and majestic with nuance. Give a good decant, though.
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opened for a couple of hours before trying massive fruit but not a bomb starting to integrate but less mature than my last dive into saxum 2017 which was a James Berry some years of life left but not till 2031
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My first swing at The Hexe. Once I got past how big this boy is, I was amazed at the layers and fruits.
Opened and decanted for 2 hours and this could have been a day or more. At 15.8% abv this is a big wine and it has a big flavor profile to match. A warm nose of red fruits, hints of cocoa and streaks of alcohol.
The palate was rich & bold with raspberry, strawberry, smoky meats and some black pepper. Some may be put off by the high alcohol but a good decant will soften that if enjoying this wine young but it will cellar well for many years.
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Decanted for 4 hours, it needed this as the initial taste had some intrusive tannins. Deep cherry, strawberry , pomegranate , cocoa powder, clove, cinnamon, dried earth, some stemmy quality, great balance!
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First impression is this is crazy. Nose is hard to describe. Not quite vanilla, but maybe something else. Flavor ends with a little cocoa. A little white pepper.
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15.8% abv. Dark garnet color. Mostly clear glycerin coats glass, some slight pink streaks. High alc whiff on pnp. Beneath that, red fruit nose typ of grenache but primary and more extracted, some meaty, tarry notes, cocoa coffee cake, pungent forest aromas. Sip 1, silky with mouth coating entry, wall of red and black fruit, herbed red meat, savory finish. Sip 2, tannins coat teeth and mouth. will let the remainder of bottle slow ox for several more hours. High octane beast.
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Had a bottle almost a year ago which was sublime. This one didn’t show nearly as well. 30 min decant (not nearly enough time) meant the alcohol was way too pronounced. Decant much longer or better get hold.
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A superb bottle of wine. The aroma was palpable with the pulling of the cork and the pour. Rich scents of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and anise perfectly blended; dark and inky juice; silky mouthfeel; complexity and balance; similar flavors well blended with a touch of minerality and generous fruit content and penetration; finishes medium
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Dark color. Mouth filling fresh young dark fruit flavors. A tiny hint of port flavors on the very end of the finish. Not a waste to drink now but expect this to show better and score higher down the road.
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Opened one of these too young. The Saxum 2017s are generally (almost unanimously) super-friendly and open... this one is holding back.
Very big, very consistent with the house style of huge fruit and balance, yet this just isn’t showing all its cards. Will hold the others several years, and keep in the back of my head that maybe I just prefer JB, TH, G2, etc of the Grenache-based Saxum’s. Jury’s out.
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Decanted for two hours. The fruit is absolutely ravishing. Red fruit, rooibos tea, garrigue, cassis, red licorice, slate, teak and almond cookie. Very pretty, with layer upon layer of satin tannins. The finish carries on for quite awhile, and there is this enchanting feminine quality. The body is full, and there’s this addicting lift. Almost black in colour. This exudes classicism. Drink 2022 - 2037.
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Wonderful wine with a great bouquet although a little hot it’s still incredible at almost 16% etoh. Lots of red fruit but soft tannins and phenomenal so early in its evolution. Lots of time with this one.
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Good on the first night (decanted a few hours) but sh*t was this phenomenal on the second day. Inky black color and clearly darker fruited than most Saxum Grenache blends but still red centric. Black cherry, blueberry pie filling, raspberry, vanilla, clove and mineral. Day two softens the palate and adds elements of black tea and prune. As always I’m amazed a wine can have this much weight but still be fresh.
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A fine balance of strong elements on the nose, blackberry, pie crust, espresso, garrigue. Concentrated dark fruit on the palate with a fresh acidic lift, deep smoothly integrated tannins, long sustaining tannic finish. A showy wine that demands and deserves attention, somewhat overwritten. Not my normal style, but has much to offer.
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4 hour slow ox followed by a quick decant. Drank over 2 hours, each pour better than the prior. So ridiculously good, if tasting blind would never have guessed it was so young. Drink or hold; with or without food.
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The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blueberry, red currant, prune and clove. It tastes like blueberry, black currant (cassis), prune and clove. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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3/9/2024 - norsktorsk wrote: 98 Points
big, rich awesome.
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2/22/2024 - Janahanv Likes this wine: 93 Points
Graphite, and Meaty on the nose. Big, bold, and luscious on the palatte with notes of dark/black fruits. Has a little sharpness, but it adds to the complexity and structure. Definitely a fan!
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12/25/2023 - A.Hansen Likes this wine: 94 Points
An explosive nose of dark fruit, cassis and spice. The palate is deep, concentrated and spiced with notes dark fruit preserves, smoked meat, minerals, spices and crème de cassis. A great Christmas wine.
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12/16/2023 - RobbieD68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is good, but it's not awesome. Saxum makes a lot of amazing wines; is this one of them? Perhaps, but I may not be the best person to ask - I have come to realize that I am not a big grenache fan. Hence MY review here should not count for those who enjoy grenache. I will refer you to The Black Wine Guy (that's his podcast), as he is better versed with grenache. Still, this is tasty. Don't get me wrong.
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10/15/2023 - msh305 Likes this wine: 94 Points
An excellent Grenache blend, but most assuredly not worth the $148 price tag. This should blow you away from the first mouthful and that just doesn’t happen. A 1-2 hour decant will enhance your experience.
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9/5/2023 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Very good, but for $160 this should wow.
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6/15/2023 - mvande21 wrote: 95 Points
Black/purple color. Blackberries and cassis. A big wine. Full bodied, juicy, rich and smooth. The Petite Syrah is very evident, driving the black fruit richness. High alcohol but in check. Balanced with light grained tannins and a long finish.
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6/10/2023 - Art SD 72 wrote: 97 Points
Brought the wine over to Et Voila French Bistro. Lots of f dark fruit well balanced and very easy to drink. Went well with the escargot and rabbit leg. Enjoyed it
The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like prune, dust, and blackberry. It tastes like blackberry.
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5/20/2023 - Reg330 Likes this wine: 97 Points
not be shared lightly
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5/19/2023 - sbuchwal@mit.edu wrote: 100 Points
Really fantastic. Very complex, with an amazing finish.
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4/23/2023 - 1winemaven Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional now, but promises to be even better with a couple more years in the cellar....
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1/29/2023 - spendergast Likes this wine: 98 Points
Another great effort from Saxum. Decanted 2 hrs., dense garnet color with notes of dark fruit: plum, back raspberry, cassis, along with glycerin and hint of oak. Great velvety mouthfeel, soft tannins with long satisfying finish. Paired with grilled lamb chops.
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1/22/2023 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Intense, corpulent, massif et fort gouteux.
Un style appuyé et extrait avec du
fruit à profusion. Souple et très velouté.
Fruits noirs surtout avec un peu d'épices.
Longueur sans fin et grande persistance.
Si on aime ce style, celui ci est excellent.
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12/31/2022 - MunkiMunks Likes this wine: 99 Points
Really amazing wine to close out 2022!
Powerful nose continues onto the palate with generous amounts of blackberries, spice, with a long velvety finish.
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12/25/2022 - shirazity Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big, dense, jam-packed fruit but pure in concentration. Explosive nose and silky smooth tannins. Just very well made and a monster in the glass without being cloying in any way. A pleasure to drink.
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12/19/2022 - norsktorsk wrote: 98 Points
big rich. awesome. young but ready with a little air.
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11/24/2022 - mark2eye Likes this wine: 99 Points
Big and lean at the same time. Paired beautifully with our prime rib after a 4 hour decant. Drinking well now but lots of room for improvement
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11/11/2022 - royalscam Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding Grenache based wine. Pretty intense nose of floral dark fruit, exotic spice and black pepper - jumps at you. Smooth tannins and great mouthfeel with complexity and penetration; similar flavor profile and a finish that just goes on .... it has the potential to get better, love it!
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10/24/2022 - Mbad77 wrote: 94 Points
A serious wine. The slight negative is the high ABV (15.5%) but holds itself quite well without ridiculous density or fruit / depth. Had a sharpness / freshness about it, though isn’t a delicate light wine. Plenty of fruit, tannins, acidity and good drive .
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10/6/2022 - Cali Fan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic stuff if a little young and probably needs more time and breathing than I gave this botttle
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10/6/2022 - MoselBoy wrote: 99 Points
Really outstanding.
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6/20/2022 - bugdoced wrote: 88 Points
least favorite of the 3 saxums opened at don juan's
maybe not well kept as bought at auction
oh well
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6/10/2022 - RobbieC Likes this wine:
Fantastic! Grandeur and gravitas.
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4/17/2022 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 97 Points
Easter Dinner with Friends (2022)
The wines:
2018 Peter Michael Chardonnay Mon Plaisir (96)
2017 Saxum The Hexe (97)
2006 Chateau de Beaucastel (96)
Three spectacular wines for Easter feast of a veal stew over polenta, braised carrots follow up with a flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake and a citrus cheesecake.
The 2018 Peter Michael Mon Plaisir is in a great place and shockingly good. Incredibly balanced among fruit, smoke, spices, and earth. I was expecting a good wine, but this is great and going to continue to get better as it ages. A spectacular American Chardonnay.
The 2017 Saxum The Hexe is ready for drinking. Open and decanted through an ullo filter for about 90 minutes before glasses were poured. It coats the palate with delicious fruit, herbs, soil, minerality and a touch of finesse. This should age wonderfully for 15 years, but I don’t think I can keep my hands off it. Had another glass a few days later, and it was even better. This is drinkable now and will also benefit from more bottle time. You won't hate yourself if you drink it now or if you let it lie a couple of years.
The 2006 Chateau de Beaucastel was in the beginning of its perfect place – 15 to 20 or so years of age. It is all about balance – balance of fruit and tannin, of earth and sun, of soil and air. Simply delightful. This is the first of the case for me and I will try to only drink one a year from now on. Again, I doubt I will maintain that discipline.
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2/19/2022 - ELH wrote: 96 Points
Smooth and luxurious. Blend of Grenache 58%, Mataro 27%, Petite Syrah 11%, and Tempranillo 4%. And no Syrah. Dark and majestic with nuance. Give a good decant, though.
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12/19/2021 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 92 Points
opened for a couple of hours before trying
massive fruit but not a bomb
starting to integrate but less mature than my last dive into saxum 2017 which was a James Berry
some years of life left but not till 2031
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11/27/2021 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fabulous! Loads of red fruits, very smooth. My wife was surprised that it was gone so quickly!
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11/14/2021 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first swing at The Hexe. Once I got past how big this boy is, I was amazed at the layers and fruits.
Opened and decanted for 2 hours and this could have been a day or more. At 15.8% abv this is a big wine and it has a big flavor profile to match. A warm nose of red fruits, hints of cocoa and streaks of alcohol.
The palate was rich & bold with raspberry, strawberry, smoky meats and some black pepper. Some may be put off by the high alcohol but a good decant will soften that if enjoying this wine young but it will cellar well for many years.
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11/14/2021 - pakabear Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 4 hours, it needed this as the initial taste had some intrusive tannins. Deep cherry, strawberry , pomegranate , cocoa powder, clove, cinnamon, dried earth, some stemmy quality, great balance!
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10/31/2021 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious now but we probably should have decanted.
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10/17/2021 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 96 Points
First impression is this is crazy. Nose is hard to describe. Not quite vanilla, but maybe something else. Flavor ends with a little cocoa. A little white pepper.
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9/28/2021 - dclaggett wrote:
15.8% abv. Dark garnet color. Mostly clear glycerin coats glass, some slight pink streaks. High alc whiff on pnp. Beneath that, red fruit nose typ of grenache but primary and more extracted, some meaty, tarry notes, cocoa coffee cake, pungent forest aromas. Sip 1, silky with mouth coating entry, wall of red and black fruit, herbed red meat, savory finish. Sip 2, tannins coat teeth and mouth. will let the remainder of bottle slow ox for several more hours. High octane beast.
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8/13/2021 - EM_MB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had a bottle almost a year ago which was sublime. This one didn’t show nearly as well. 30 min decant (not nearly enough time) meant the alcohol was way too pronounced. Decant much longer or better get hold.
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7/31/2021 - royalscam Likes this wine: 96 Points
A superb bottle of wine. The aroma was palpable with the pulling of the cork and the pour. Rich scents of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and anise perfectly blended; dark and inky juice; silky mouthfeel; complexity and balance; similar flavors well blended with a touch of minerality and generous fruit content and penetration; finishes medium
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7/17/2021 - GODAN Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow!
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7/1/2021 - jhieb Likes this wine: 96 Points
A fantastic blend that is huge and ultra-smooth. Can't wait to see how this evolves.
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1/9/2021 - deadwax Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark color. Mouth filling fresh young dark fruit flavors. A tiny hint of port flavors on the very end of the finish. Not a waste to drink now but expect this to show better and score higher down the road.
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1/9/2021 - Jahull03 wrote:
Opened one of these too young. The Saxum 2017s are generally (almost unanimously) super-friendly and open... this one is holding back.
Very big, very consistent with the house style of huge fruit and balance, yet this just isn’t showing all its cards. Will hold the others several years, and keep in the back of my head that maybe I just prefer JB, TH, G2, etc of the Grenache-based Saxum’s. Jury’s out.
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12/31/2020 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for two hours. The fruit is absolutely ravishing. Red fruit, rooibos tea, garrigue, cassis, red licorice, slate, teak and almond cookie. Very pretty, with layer upon layer of satin tannins. The finish carries on for quite awhile, and there is this enchanting feminine quality. The body is full, and there’s this addicting lift. Almost black in colour. This exudes classicism. Drink 2022 - 2037.
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12/24/2020 - Pwpayne Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine is fantastic and drinking really well already. Improved as the night progressed.
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12/10/2020 - K8SZD Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wonderful wine with a great bouquet although a little hot it’s still incredible at almost 16% etoh. Lots of red fruit but soft tannins and phenomenal so early in its evolution. Lots of time with this one.
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12/6/2020 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 97 Points
Good on the first night (decanted a few hours) but sh*t was this phenomenal on the second day. Inky black color and clearly darker fruited than most Saxum Grenache blends but still red centric. Black cherry, blueberry pie filling, raspberry, vanilla, clove and mineral. Day two softens the palate and adds elements of black tea and prune. As always I’m amazed a wine can have this much weight but still be fresh.
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12/3/2020 - wgmccallum wrote: 94 Points
A fine balance of strong elements on the nose, blackberry, pie crust, espresso, garrigue. Concentrated dark fruit on the palate with a fresh acidic lift, deep smoothly integrated tannins, long sustaining tannic finish. A showy wine that demands and deserves attention, somewhat overwritten. Not my normal style, but has much to offer.
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11/27/2020 - EM_MB Likes this wine: 97 Points
4 hour slow ox followed by a quick decant. Drank over 2 hours, each pour better than the prior. So ridiculously good, if tasting blind would never have guessed it was so young. Drink or hold; with or without food.
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11/15/2020 - crushzone wrote: 98 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blueberry, red currant, prune and clove. It tastes like blueberry, black currant (cassis), prune and clove. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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