Saxum's 2008 Booker Vineyard bottling is an opaque crimson blend of 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvèdre. Tasted at a walk-around wine and food party from a bottle provided by an attendee, it offers a payload of ripe blackberries, chocolate covered cherries, licorice and Asian spices. Full-bodied, low-to-medium in acidity, proportionately oaked and with plentiful sweet tannins, it keeps its lofty 15.8% alcohol in check when served at 60-65°F. Dense on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is a "fruit bomb" that flirts with going over-the-top (but in the end maintains its composure). Give it plenty of air and enjoy it throughout the remainder of this decade. Drink now-2030.
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Almost black in color, mature wine, little tannin, dusty, best part is the finish which goes on for minutes, 2 hrs in decanrer then drank over 1 hr. maybe too much air
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It's been seven years since our previous bottle, and the good news is that it's approachable now with a modest decant (one hour before service, in this case). The good or bad news, depending on your preferences, is that it is still closer to a barrel sample than an aged wine - raspberry, grenache liqueur, and a bit of barnyard are all present, with a deep, saturated magenta/black color that shows no sign of age, and still plenty of unresolved tannins on the long finish. If you have just one bottle, no harm in waiting another 5-7 years, at least.
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Dark garnet-purple, completely opaque, no amber edge despite its age. Pronounced aroma of dark fruits, mostly blackberries with some cassis, and French oak but not heavily toasted. Aroma could have been either syrah or cabernet. On the palate full-bodied but not coarse. Black fruit flavors. The tannin is too prominent for the fruit, and it's hot on the late palate and the long aftertaste. I would like more round fruit and less tannin, and a bit less hot. It's possible it will soften with more age but I'm not sure. I left the bottle open overnight, still with half the wine, but it didn't change the second night. Ric
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I forgot how good this is. The initial astringency softened completely over a couple of hours in the decanter, leaving a silky, fruity, integrated, lovely wine. Served alongside Wagyu sirloins - perfect!
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Stunning - near perfection - incredible floral notes (lavender, rose) - superlative density and depth, polished, plush, aiming for infinity with the 'finish'...
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Decanted for 3.5 hours to the start of the meal and the wine was wonderful. At the end of the meal the wine was even more integrated, smoother and rounder at 4.5 hours in the decanter. Also, let the bottle stand upright for a day before decanting which helped to separate the sediment. This wine is a powerhouse and nothing short of what everyone expects from Saxum. The nose gave aromas of dark red and blue/black fruits, with a touch of floral (lavender?). The medium plus palate yielded a heavy dose of the same dark red and blue/black fruits, along with some cocoa, earth and spice. The acidity was nicely balanced, and the finish lasted for about half of forever and included a touch of tannin. Would expect this wine to hold for several more years. This wine, in fact virtually all Saxum wines, need AIR! To drink these wines on a PnP is a waste of great wine, and the loss of a wonderfully satisfying experience.
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Pop and pour, and it was surprisingly astringent. More harsh than most Saxum wines, which I generally find beautifully balanced. Hoping this integrates better on Day Two.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose of blackberry, huckleberry, smoked meat, bramble and loamy earth. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, bramble, loamy earth and fine tannins on the palate. Very long finish. Full bodied. Served with Texas style smoked brisket.
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I do not question the tasting notes of those who drank before me, for the wine is everything they say it is. Except for this: To me, it's almost undrinkable. Remember the "mother of all bombs" that we dropped on the Middle East? This is the liquid equivalent. In a restaurant, I took one sip and almost fell backwards out of my chair. I took a second, corked it up, and presented it to our grateful waiter. Be warned. This is more than a wine; it's a sledgehammer.
Huge, mature syrah blend - 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre - showing great depth and complexity. Deep, dark cherry palette, with dried plums and lavender. Chewy tannins, nice acidity, alcohol heat, and a long, spicy finish. Gorgeous Paso Robles Rhône blend that’s drinking well, with years ahead.
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92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre. 15.8% ABV. I let it breathe for an hour then drank over next two. Dense, full bodied, and chewy. Has a sweet nose. Powerful acidity. A long juicy finish, with a little burn on it through hour two (I suppose to be expected given the ABV). This is a big wine. A Cab drinkers Syrah blend.
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Purple in color. 15.8% ABV. 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, lavender, asphalt and a touch of pepper. Plush, opulent and voluptuous. Surprisingly well balanced. Silky fruits cascade across the palate with flavors of raspberry liqueur, cherry syrup, molten licorice and blood. The finish is exceptionally long and supple. Stunning wine that is in a perfect spot right now. Tremendous Syrah. Classic Saxum. Best over the next 1-3 years.
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Wren Hop: So this dude acted like an adolescent 2013-year-old instead of a decade-old adult at first. Insert all the comic book quotes of “Pow,” “Bam,” and “Kablamiboom,” all stampeding massive black fruit flavors across the palate. The booze wasn’t so much an issue as was the simple fact that this wine made sure you knew it had power and intensity behind every ounce of flavor hitting your pie cave.
Ironically, it wasn’t distracting or bruising for me. I enjoyed palate-wrestling with its more overt showing of concentration and the flexing of its show-me muscles. The purity of fruit kept everything in line, never crossing into the brash liqueur zone. It’s just a monster Syrah that has another decade of life to progress even further. For my palate, I’d try this again in a few years. The Mourvèdre component seemingly made this wine come off even more formidable.
This was served as a PnP at first, but then with a decent decant, it started to really develop a glide... A big ass glide, but a glide nonetheless. Fun stuff, especially after having a lineup of Pinots just prior to the Saxum’s consumption. This was served next to a 2012 Cayuse Bionic Frog, which couldn’t have been a more different Syrah from the Saxum. The Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen of side-by-sides.
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Drank at dinner at Manresa in Los Gatos. Saved last at recommendation of the Sommolier, even with a 2013 Quintessa in our line-up. This wine has high alcohol and was perfect as the anchor. Great meal and great wine.
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Saxum Vertical Tasting (Mathias@Michael): Delicious and juicy with an impressive acidity. Some iron and "oil barrel" with some burnt dirt. Very nice and aged wine.
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This was an awesome find for us ... a bit of a grail wine. Deep purple. Dark fruit still very supple. Many subtleties. Very long finish for us. Tannin balanced and well integrated.
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Surprisingly energetic and a bit overrun by an initial blast of alcohol and tightly coiled tannins. Not sharp, but coming across a bit brash on the PnP. The quality of fruit was evident, but it was fairly cloaked by the wave of alcohol washing over it across the palate. This was certainly more of a brute than the 2009 and 2010 versions.
2-3 hours in the decanter helped significantly, as tiers of blackberry, black licorice, asphalt, and wet slate emerged. I ended up very much enjoying this wine, but it is indeed a little clunky on entry.
Like many Saxum Bookers, they can overpower most food paired with them. This was certainly in that category. However, I found it to be a fun ride nonetheless. For those wanting finesse and soft curves, this is not that wine. It is more rambunctious than its younger siblings (2009 and 2010), so patience is still necessary in my opinion.
I'll hold down the fort on my last bottle for at least another year (probably two) and, ironically, will drink a couple of the younger Bookers I have in the more recent future. 93-95 points on the final sips. Hold until 2018+ in hopes it will settle down and further integrate with time.
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Dark purple. Thick. Lots of alcohol on the nose. Could do with a 2 hour decant. Sharper nose than the 07. Raspberry, dark chocolate, ink, menthol all nose. Raspberry, blackberry, cassis, black cherry juice comes out later on flavors. Not on the same level as the 07, but still good. Acid is much higher than the 07.
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Not much to add to my previous note from 2012, except that I am disappointed that I don't have any more bottles of this! Compared to 2012 I notice a little less fruit (but still lots there) and maybe a little smoke and leather to add to the chocolate and coffee. Still a huge wine that is one of my all time favorites.
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Mixed California Tasting (Jason's House): 5 hour decant and 3 hour slow o, drank a small glass at a tasting. This wine seemed to be in a good spot. It manages to be big and balanced at the same time, which is always an impressive feat. This is not my preferred style of wine, but it's hard not to like this. The fruit is red although it turns to darker aspects of black currant and black cherry. Good spice, minerals. To me, This seemed as good or better than the 2008 James Berry I had 2 years ago that was also the overwhelming wine of the night. I kind of wish I had more, but I don't. 94+
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Mixed California Tasing: Tasting pour. Hard to evaluate at this point of the evening. This stood out as such a big wine, but seemed almost over the top compared to the other wines in the lineup. However, this was still our WOTN and the group's WOTN. I'd like to drink a full bottle of this wine sometime in order to better evaluate it. I am curious how this will age. Big, powerful, and tasty. At 15.8% ABV it was a little boozy, but the tannins were well integrated. If I were to have this wine with food I'd pair a nice juicy steak. The finish stood out compared to others in the lineup -- long, long finish. Thanks to Joe for sharing. Me - 92/93, Wife - 92/93
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Rich, delicious full-bodied blackberry fruit with black olive flavors, excellent structure, ample acidity and strength to last a decade, spectacular wine in Northern Rhone style: Bone Rock and Booker are my prefered Saxum wines!
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Massive smokey (slightly reductive) plum blackberry jam, dried herbs in the nose. Mouthful of velvet, sumptuous dark dark fruit. Can't wait to see how this monster tastes in 5 years.
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Decanted for 5 hours, than back in the bottle for another 3 before drinking. I think this is just about as good as Syrah can get. I personally tend to enjoy cabernet more, but we drank this next to a '13 Realm The Bard (100pts RP) and it was better. Granted there are five more years of evolution on the Booker, but wow, what a great wine. Reminded me why I love Saxum -- probably no better made wine out there. The nose was just unbelievable with some seriously sweet and intoxicating red fruit notes, with underlying aromas of licorice and black fruit. It shows incredible purity, with a seamless texture and a "WOW" finish that lasts about a minute. Really impressive. I think all Saxum's need a number of years in the bottle and then very long decants to show their best. Highly recommended now after giving it some serious air.
Browns suck (again) - Wines are great (again) (My home): Delicious. Still young. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, iodine, roasted meats, and spice. Awesome texture. Smooth. Delicious. No heat. Tons of depth. Black cherry and black raspberry fruit with a bit of earthiness, medium tannins and slight oak. Long finish. Great wine. The future looks bright.
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Decanted for three hours before service. Initially, this was a reductive port-like bruiser of a wine, almost undrinkable. Thankfully, after another hour, it recovered to a more balanced state. Dark red fading to black at the core, aromatics of raspberry, horse, and grenache liqueur, with a tooth-staining fruit-saturated profile on the palate. No sign of the alcohol, but midway through the bottle you'll know it's there.
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This wine needs a 2 hour decant. Not because it is tannic. This wine is super concentrated, and it takes 90 - 120 minutes to open up. They should put directions on the bottle - open wine and add air. The decant completely transforms this wine. At the 90 minute mark, it starts to sing.
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Opened a little slow but came on strong after about an hour. Great fruit, density and a finish that veiled the tannins until the right moment. Heavy but light on its feet if that makes sense.
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Decanted at the beginning of a restaurant dinner. Very dark and dense. Black fruits well integrated. Could use a bit more acidity to lift the mid palate. Started opening up after about 1.5 hours so recommend a 2 hour decant at this point.
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15.8% alcohol. Dark ruby red. Extremely expressive red and black fruit aromas. This wine is all about extraordinary power, intensity, length and depth. The strength of this wine is that these attributes somehow meld into a coherent and pleasing whole.
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Very good, and I kept returning to the glass. Always a good sign. Just a little dense paired with food, and really could use a little lift to brighten it up.
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Thanksgiving 2013 + a couple other parties: Possible WOTY – bold and thick but balanced with evolving flavors and aromas, among them gingerbread, espresso, cigar box, and nutmeg, along with some fruity flashes of ripe blackberry and boysenberry. Love the Saxum syrahs.
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Deep dark impenetrable purple black in appearance. splash decanted an hour before serving. Nose of big dark berries, a great earthy underbrush funk and olive tapinade. Mostly the same on the palate, with boysenberry on the midpalate and some wood on the finish. It had a very nice mouth coating feel of a well made wine. The alcohol was very well hidden, as this was not hot at all. While nothing was sticking out, I think this will be at peak in another 3 years.
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Decanted 3 hours. Could have used more time. Continued to open and get even better in the glass. This wine was luscious! Dark fruit, smoke. Long finish. Outstanding with the great beef I also enjoyed.
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--- COLOR: Opaque black purple-garnet almost to the rim NOTE: Deep boysenberry liqueur and licorice, nutmeg, hot alcohol. Mouth is rich with more blackberry liqueur, anise, tar, black pepper, tobacco. Finish is fruit-driven but a little clipped compared to other Saxum Bookers. Sweet tannins.
DECANT: 1-4 hours GLASS USED: Syrah TASTE: 9.2+ OTHER: COST: 80 VALUE: 4.5 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: TRY AGAIN: 2014 - 2018 PAIRING: Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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Wow... a superb wine. Very rich silky and voluptuous feel with plenty of dark and red fruit, some chocolate and coffee. Very smooth, with a long finish. They don't get much better than this.
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Drank over two nights. Purple in color. The nose is very enticing. Paso Robles Syrah. Black raspberries, black pepper, some charred meat. Voluptuous texture. Smooth and easy to drink. No sign of heat of alcohol but it is high. Awesome wine.
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Decanted four hours and funneled back into the bottle. Dark, dense purple. Wonderfully extracted fruit without being overbearing. Dark plums, smoke and chocolate. As smooth as can be. Blend of Syrah 92% and Mourvedre 8%.
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Opened immediately after the 08 Heartstone. I liked this slightly better although both have their strong points. I was struck by the differences. This has more plum and iodine on the nose. It is not as light on its feet (a Saxum trademark), but has more depth. I think it will need more time to maturity. This bottle as well was quickly consumed. A fantastic wine.
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Let sit in a decanter for 3 hours. Bold nose of dark fruits and spice. Very sleek impression on the palate. Flavors are varietally spot on with an appealing dustiness. The tannins, though smooth, are still very evident. I had hoped to save some for day 2, but I knew that was not going to happen.
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Popped and poured as the opening wine at our second Passover Seder. We cooked dinner for 120 people and I supervised the kitchen and service, so careful attention to an ordinary wine meant the wine was going to go to waste. I decided to grab something exceptional when I rushed home for 20 minutes to change between cooking and serving. This was the first Saxum that I saw so I grabbed it. It did not disappoint. Uber-flavor with cascading fruits - blueberry, cherry, raspberry and plum. Not a significant oak component. One of the other guys who had some of it commented that it didn't taste like a lot of wines where the winemakes add oak chips to the barrels to increase the oak flavors. He's got a medicore palate and even less knowledge about winemaking, but he as right about that. If you want to go searching for oak, you could find it, but why bother with all the other great flavors. There was light spice and nice meatiness. There was a very nice mouth feel and fantastic breadth of flavor. There was a very nice, smooth and long finish. I gave a glass to one of our volunteer assistance chefs. She came back and thanked me for it three times and said it was the greatest wine she ever had.
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A bad ass wine. Inky purple in the glass. Screaming, huge nose of blackberry, raspberry, smoke, exotic spice, toast, unsweetened chocolate and pepper. Palate is rich and dense with loads of baby fat. Just delicious. Enough juiciness to keep it fresh and lively. Well knit. Fun-loving, yet serious, bombastic Cali syrah.
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Wow. P&P 1/4. This is incredible. Will save the rest for tomorrow. Next day was St. Patrick's, so Guiness with friends at our house. Tried on day three and it was still going strong, although I prefered it one day one. Day 4, still good but wish I had finished this on day one.
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Opened, decanted, had a small taste , and poured back into the bottle. Served 2 hours later. This is a big wine. Dark color. Nice nose of dark fruits and chocolate. While rich and powerful, it carries itself well. Has a velvety texture. Tasted a small bit the next day; a bit tannic but still well made. Not for the feint of heart.
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right off the bat, got the Syrah nose nailed, first sip, wow, glad I opened this, its smoking good, anyone want to fool their wine buds, pour this into a empty bottle of SQN Papa
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WOW. Let me repeat myself. WOW. Decanted for about an hour into a very wide decanter and then drunk over the next hour, with two ounces saved in the glass for a test taste the following morning. This is a cascade of flavors. There's some heat on the nose, but the rest is all red fruit. My first impression after tasting it was chocolate! Red fruit. Pepper. Coffee. Meatyness, perhaps from the Mourvedre. Very smooth and drinkable. Very dark without being black. This wine fills the mouth and coats everything with taste, taste and more taste. The finish is long. The following morning, it's just as good, with the fruit winning out over the chocolate and coffee after sitting in the glass for 9 hours. Lover this wine. And by the way, it has a killer label. Other than the Saxum Bone Rock with the dinosaur skeleton, this may be my all time favorite label.
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(Tasted in a flight with 2007 Broken Stones, 2008 Heart of Stone, 2008 Booker and 2008 Bone Rock) The 2008 Booker has a nose to die for. The wine is extremely packed, but still clean and very expressive. The nose is full of dark mature fruits, morellos, strawberries and expensive oak combined into something that is hard to put words on. The palate is also fully packed but yet again elegant, balanced and very appealing. All components are there but the impressive part is the acidity - which is simply incredible, making this wine into an excellent food companion. No heat is discovered at all... This wine is nothing for the faint hearted, but indeed an effort that will please both the crowd and many wine aficionados. Lovely!
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Great, big young nose of caramel and huge ripe black fruits. Huge palate of blackberries, crushed black pepper with a little grainyness in the texture. Big all around, even on the finish. Needs several years to show its stuff.
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2/12/2023 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 92 Points
Saxum's 2008 Booker Vineyard bottling is an opaque crimson blend of 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvèdre. Tasted at a walk-around wine and food party from a bottle provided by an attendee, it offers a payload of ripe blackberries, chocolate covered cherries, licorice and Asian spices. Full-bodied, low-to-medium in acidity, proportionately oaked and with plentiful sweet tannins, it keeps its lofty 15.8% alcohol in check when served at 60-65°F. Dense on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is a "fruit bomb" that flirts with going over-the-top (but in the end maintains its composure). Give it plenty of air and enjoy it throughout the remainder of this decade. Drink now-2030.
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11/1/2022 - barrytaylor Likes this wine: 90 Points
Almost black in color, mature wine, little tannin, dusty, best part is the finish which goes on for minutes, 2 hrs in decanrer then drank over 1 hr. maybe too much air
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9/22/2022 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
It's been seven years since our previous bottle, and the good news is that it's approachable now with a modest decant (one hour before service, in this case). The good or bad news, depending on your preferences, is that it is still closer to a barrel sample than an aged wine - raspberry, grenache liqueur, and a bit of barnyard are all present, with a deep, saturated magenta/black color that shows no sign of age, and still plenty of unresolved tannins on the long finish. If you have just one bottle, no harm in waiting another 5-7 years, at least.
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7/19/2021 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark garnet-purple, completely opaque, no amber edge despite its age. Pronounced aroma of dark fruits, mostly blackberries with some cassis, and French oak but not heavily toasted. Aroma could have been either syrah or cabernet. On the palate full-bodied but not coarse. Black fruit flavors. The tannin is too prominent for the fruit, and it's hot on the late palate and the long aftertaste. I would like more round fruit and less tannin, and a bit less hot. It's possible it will soften with more age but I'm not sure. I left the bottle open overnight, still with half the wine, but it didn't change the second night.
Ric
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6/29/2021 - peterk Likes this wine:
I forgot how good this is. The initial astringency softened completely over a couple of hours in the decanter, leaving a silky, fruity, integrated, lovely wine. Served alongside Wagyu sirloins - perfect!
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2/1/2021 - carendt Likes this wine: 97 Points
Stunning - near perfection - incredible floral notes (lavender, rose) - superlative density and depth, polished, plush, aiming for infinity with the 'finish'...
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12/5/2020 - VlgJeff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 3.5 hours to the start of the meal and the wine was wonderful. At the end of the meal the wine was even more integrated, smoother and rounder at 4.5 hours in the decanter. Also, let the bottle stand upright for a day before decanting which helped to separate the sediment.
This wine is a powerhouse and nothing short of what everyone expects from Saxum. The nose gave aromas of dark red and blue/black fruits, with a touch of floral (lavender?). The medium plus palate yielded a heavy dose of the same dark red and blue/black fruits, along with some cocoa, earth and spice. The acidity was nicely balanced, and the finish lasted for about half of forever and included a touch of tannin. Would expect this wine to hold for several more years.
This wine, in fact virtually all Saxum wines, need AIR! To drink these wines on a PnP is a waste of great wine, and the loss of a wonderfully satisfying experience.
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8/13/2020 - MLwine wrote: 89 Points
Pop and pour, and it was surprisingly astringent. More harsh than most Saxum wines, which I generally find beautifully balanced. Hoping this integrates better on Day Two.
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5/25/2020 - hoservin wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose of blackberry, huckleberry, smoked meat, bramble and loamy earth. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, bramble, loamy earth and fine tannins on the palate. Very long finish. Full bodied. Served with Texas style smoked brisket.
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3/18/2020 - larrybbaldwin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous, dense, big, thick, rich.
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12/31/2019 - SophieR Does not like this wine: 88 Points
I do not question the tasting notes of those who drank before me, for the wine is everything they say it is. Except for this: To me, it's almost undrinkable. Remember the "mother of all bombs" that we dropped on the Middle East? This is the liquid equivalent. In a restaurant, I took one sip and almost fell backwards out of my chair. I took a second, corked it up, and presented it to our grateful waiter. Be warned. This is more than a wine; it's a sledgehammer.
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10/16/2019 - Wine2372 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Huge, mature syrah blend - 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre - showing great depth and complexity. Deep, dark cherry palette, with dried plums and lavender. Chewy tannins, nice acidity, alcohol heat, and a long, spicy finish. Gorgeous Paso Robles Rhône blend that’s drinking well, with years ahead.
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8/13/2019 - mdvillaverde Likes this wine: 96 Points
92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre. 15.8% ABV. I let it breathe for an hour then drank over next two. Dense, full bodied, and chewy. Has a sweet nose. Powerful acidity. A long juicy finish, with a little burn on it through hour two (I suppose to be expected given the ABV). This is a big wine. A Cab drinkers Syrah blend.
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7/17/2019 - Mr T wrote:
Big huge classic Saxum
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6/20/2019 - tomlee wrote: 98 Points
Purple in color. 15.8% ABV. 92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, lavender, asphalt and a touch of pepper. Plush, opulent and voluptuous. Surprisingly well balanced. Silky fruits cascade across the palate with flavors of raspberry liqueur, cherry syrup, molten licorice and blood. The finish is exceptionally long and supple. Stunning wine that is in a perfect spot right now. Tremendous Syrah. Classic Saxum. Best over the next 1-3 years.
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8/25/2018 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
Wren Hop: So this dude acted like an adolescent 2013-year-old instead of a decade-old adult at first. Insert all the comic book quotes of “Pow,” “Bam,” and “Kablamiboom,” all stampeding massive black fruit flavors across the palate. The booze wasn’t so much an issue as was the simple fact that this wine made sure you knew it had power and intensity behind every ounce of flavor hitting your pie cave.
Ironically, it wasn’t distracting or bruising for me. I enjoyed palate-wrestling with its more overt showing of concentration and the flexing of its show-me muscles. The purity of fruit kept everything in line, never crossing into the brash liqueur zone. It’s just a monster Syrah that has another decade of life to progress even further. For my palate, I’d try this again in a few years. The Mourvèdre component seemingly made this wine come off even more formidable.
This was served as a PnP at first, but then with a decent decant, it started to really develop a glide... A big ass glide, but a glide nonetheless. Fun stuff, especially after having a lineup of Pinots just prior to the Saxum’s consumption. This was served next to a 2012 Cayuse Bionic Frog, which couldn’t have been a more different Syrah from the Saxum. The Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen of side-by-sides.
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7/15/2018 - EKass Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank at dinner at Manresa in Los Gatos. Saved last at recommendation of the Sommolier, even with a 2013 Quintessa in our line-up. This wine has high alcohol and was perfect as the anchor. Great meal and great wine.
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4/6/2018 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Saxum Vertical Tasting (Mathias@Michael): Delicious and juicy with an impressive acidity.
Some iron and "oil barrel" with some burnt dirt.
Very nice and aged wine.
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12/31/2017 - hanasowner wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured...dark purple...spicy and "thick"...more tannic than I expected...medium finish.
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11/17/2017 - iahviahv wrote: 97 Points
Simply: wow
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9/1/2017 - Mountster27 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was an awesome find for us ... a bit of a grail wine.
Deep purple. Dark fruit still very supple. Many subtleties. Very long finish for us. Tannin balanced and well integrated.
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7/9/2017 - Geoff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great dark fruit, still has tannins, but lessening. Strong full body. Just a hint of green taste. Long finish. Very nice wine.
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6/17/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rich and dense with great black fruits and pepper on the nose.
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12/26/2016 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly energetic and a bit overrun by an initial blast of alcohol and tightly coiled tannins. Not sharp, but coming across a bit brash on the PnP. The quality of fruit was evident, but it was fairly cloaked by the wave of alcohol washing over it across the palate. This was certainly more of a brute than the 2009 and 2010 versions.
2-3 hours in the decanter helped significantly, as tiers of blackberry, black licorice, asphalt, and wet slate emerged. I ended up very much enjoying this wine, but it is indeed a little clunky on entry.
Like many Saxum Bookers, they can overpower most food paired with them. This was certainly in that category. However, I found it to be a fun ride nonetheless. For those wanting finesse and soft curves, this is not that wine. It is more rambunctious than its younger siblings (2009 and 2010), so patience is still necessary in my opinion.
I'll hold down the fort on my last bottle for at least another year (probably two) and, ironically, will drink a couple of the younger Bookers I have in the more recent future. 93-95 points on the final sips. Hold until 2018+ in hopes it will settle down and further integrate with time.
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12/8/2016 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple. Thick.
Lots of alcohol on the nose. Could do with a 2 hour decant. Sharper nose than the 07. Raspberry, dark chocolate, ink, menthol all nose. Raspberry, blackberry, cassis, black cherry juice comes out later on flavors. Not on the same level as the 07, but still good. Acid is much higher than the 07.
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11/13/2016 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Finish was shorter than expected.
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9/17/2016 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Not much to add to my previous note from 2012, except that I am disappointed that I don't have any more bottles of this! Compared to 2012 I notice a little less fruit (but still lots there) and maybe a little smoke and leather to add to the chocolate and coffee. Still a huge wine that is one of my all time favorites.
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9/5/2016 - jhieb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Silky smooth, with cocoa powder and tons of dark fruit. A truly dazzling wine.
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8/14/2016 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Mixed California Tasting (Jason's House): 5 hour decant and 3 hour slow o, drank a small glass at a tasting. This wine seemed to be in a good spot. It manages to be big and balanced at the same time, which is always an impressive feat. This is not my preferred style of wine, but it's hard not to like this. The fruit is red although it turns to darker aspects of black currant and black cherry. Good spice, minerals. To me, This seemed as good or better than the 2008 James Berry I had 2 years ago that was also the overwhelming wine of the night. I kind of wish I had more, but I don't. 94+
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8/13/2016 - GoBlue2002 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mixed California Tasing: Tasting pour.
Hard to evaluate at this point of the evening. This stood out as such a big wine, but seemed almost over the top compared to the other wines in the lineup. However, this was still our WOTN and the group's WOTN. I'd like to drink a full bottle of this wine sometime in order to better evaluate it. I am curious how this will age.
Big, powerful, and tasty. At 15.8% ABV it was a little boozy, but the tannins were well integrated. If I were to have this wine with food I'd pair a nice juicy steak.
The finish stood out compared to others in the lineup -- long, long finish.
Thanks to Joe for sharing.
Me - 92/93, Wife - 92/93
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4/3/2016 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious full-bodied blackberry fruit with black olive flavors, excellent structure, ample acidity and strength to last a decade, spectacular wine in Northern Rhone style: Bone Rock and Booker are my prefered Saxum wines!
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2/18/2016 - michael47 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Massive smokey (slightly reductive) plum blackberry jam, dried herbs in the nose. Mouthful of velvet, sumptuous dark dark fruit. Can't wait to see how this monster tastes in 5 years.
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1/17/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for 5 hours, than back in the bottle for another 3 before drinking. I think this is just about as good as Syrah can get. I personally tend to enjoy cabernet more, but we drank this next to a '13 Realm The Bard (100pts RP) and it was better. Granted there are five more years of evolution on the Booker, but wow, what a great wine. Reminded me why I love Saxum -- probably no better made wine out there. The nose was just unbelievable with some seriously sweet and intoxicating red fruit notes, with underlying aromas of licorice and black fruit. It shows incredible purity, with a seamless texture and a "WOW" finish that lasts about a minute. Really impressive. I think all Saxum's need a number of years in the bottle and then very long decants to show their best. Highly recommended now after giving it some serious air.
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9/14/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
Browns suck (again) - Wines are great (again) (My home): Delicious. Still young. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, iodine, roasted meats, and spice. Awesome texture. Smooth. Delicious. No heat. Tons of depth. Black cherry and black raspberry fruit with a bit of earthiness, medium tannins and slight oak. Long finish. Great wine. The future looks bright.
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9/6/2015 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
This wine needs time and/or air badly. Sadly I didn't give it any. Non winos loved it. I'll reserve judgement
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8/8/2015 - jshufelt wrote:
Decanted for three hours before service. Initially, this was a reductive port-like bruiser of a wine, almost undrinkable. Thankfully, after another hour, it recovered to a more balanced state. Dark red fading to black at the core, aromatics of raspberry, horse, and grenache liqueur, with a tooth-staining fruit-saturated profile on the palate. No sign of the alcohol, but midway through the bottle you'll know it's there.
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5/19/2015 - Rubinstein wrote: 94 Points
Still very Young. Needs severel hours decant. Great wine. 94+
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2/12/2015 - JohnnyShiraz Likes this wine: 100 Points
, 15.8% ABV, 280 cases made
92% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre
It does not get better than this!
This wine needs a 2 hour decant. Not because it is tannic. This wine is super concentrated, and it takes 90 - 120 minutes to open up. They should put directions on the bottle - open wine and add air. The decant completely transforms this wine. At the 90 minute mark, it starts to sing.
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1/28/2015 - BrianMc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened a little slow but came on strong after about an hour. Great fruit, density and a finish that veiled the tannins until the right moment. Heavy but light on its feet if that makes sense.
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10/31/2014 - rogerr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at the beginning of a restaurant dinner. Very dark and dense. Black fruits well integrated. Could use a bit more acidity to lift the mid palate. Started opening up after about 1.5 hours so recommend a 2 hour decant at this point.
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3/8/2014 - rdsboca Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had some cab characteristics with dark black fruit that was laser focused. It got a bit flabby in the mid palate.
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2/7/2014 - leadpencil wrote: 96 Points
Blackberry limestone, great acidiy
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2/2/2014 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 Points
15.8% alcohol. Dark ruby red. Extremely expressive red and black fruit aromas. This wine is all about extraordinary power, intensity, length and depth. The strength of this wine is that these attributes somehow meld into a coherent and pleasing whole.
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1/29/2014 - shemmy wrote: 91 Points
Very good, and I kept returning to the glass. Always a good sign. Just a little dense paired with food, and really could use a little lift to brighten it up.
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12/23/2013 - pgb67 wrote: 95 Points
Thanksgiving 2013 + a couple other parties: Possible WOTY – bold and thick but balanced with evolving flavors and aromas, among them gingerbread, espresso, cigar box, and nutmeg, along with some fruity flashes of ripe blackberry and boysenberry. Love the Saxum syrahs.
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6/1/2013 - rpenn77 wrote: 93 Points
Great rich Syrah. Smoky and peppery. Went great with Memorial Day ribs
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5/18/2013 - gzim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark impenetrable purple black in appearance. splash decanted an hour before serving. Nose of big dark berries, a great earthy underbrush funk and olive tapinade. Mostly the same on the palate, with boysenberry on the midpalate and some wood on the finish. It had a very nice mouth coating feel of a well made wine. The alcohol was very well hidden, as this was not hot at all. While nothing was sticking out, I think this will be at peak in another 3 years.
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2/15/2013 - Vette Z06 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Could have used more time. Continued to open and get even better in the glass. This wine was luscious! Dark fruit, smoke. Long finish. Outstanding with the great beef I also enjoyed.
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1/25/2013 - Justin B Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 7 hours. Was phenomenal.
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1/1/2013 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 92 Points
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COLOR: Opaque black purple-garnet almost to the rim
NOTE: Deep boysenberry liqueur and licorice, nutmeg, hot alcohol. Mouth is rich with more blackberry liqueur, anise, tar, black pepper, tobacco. Finish is fruit-driven but a little clipped compared to other Saxum Bookers. Sweet tannins.
DECANT: 1-4 hours
GLASS USED: Syrah
TASTE: 9.2+
OTHER:
COST: 80
VALUE: 4.5
PREVIOUSLY TASTED:
TRY AGAIN: 2014 - 2018
PAIRING:
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
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12/30/2012 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow... a superb wine. Very rich silky and voluptuous feel with plenty of dark and red fruit, some chocolate and coffee. Very smooth, with a long finish. They don't get much better than this.
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12/11/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Drank over two nights. Purple in color. The nose is very enticing. Paso Robles Syrah. Black raspberries, black pepper, some charred meat. Voluptuous texture. Smooth and easy to drink. No sign of heat of alcohol but it is high. Awesome wine.
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8/18/2012 - ELH wrote: 96 Points
Decanted four hours and funneled back into the bottle. Dark, dense purple. Wonderfully extracted fruit without being overbearing. Dark plums, smoke and chocolate. As smooth as can be. Blend of Syrah 92% and Mourvedre 8%.
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7/16/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
Opened immediately after the 08 Heartstone. I liked this slightly better although both have their strong points. I was struck by the differences. This has more plum and iodine on the nose. It is not as light on its feet (a Saxum trademark), but has more depth. I think it will need more time to maturity. This bottle as well was quickly consumed. A fantastic wine.
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7/2/2012 - jeagle wrote: 95 Points
Let sit in a decanter for 3 hours. Bold nose of dark fruits and spice. Very sleek impression on the palate. Flavors are varietally spot on with an appealing dustiness. The tannins, though smooth, are still very evident. I had hoped to save some for day 2, but I knew that was not going to happen.
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4/7/2012 - Jay Hack wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured as the opening wine at our second Passover Seder. We cooked dinner for 120 people and I supervised the kitchen and service, so careful attention to an ordinary wine meant the wine was going to go to waste. I decided to grab something exceptional when I rushed home for 20 minutes to change between cooking and serving. This was the first Saxum that I saw so I grabbed it. It did not disappoint. Uber-flavor with cascading fruits - blueberry, cherry, raspberry and plum. Not a significant oak component. One of the other guys who had some of it commented that it didn't taste like a lot of wines where the winemakes add oak chips to the barrels to increase the oak flavors. He's got a medicore palate and even less knowledge about winemaking, but he as right about that. If you want to go searching for oak, you could find it, but why bother with all the other great flavors. There was light spice and nice meatiness. There was a very nice mouth feel and fantastic breadth of flavor. There was a very nice, smooth and long finish. I gave a glass to one of our volunteer assistance chefs. She came back and thanked me for it three times and said it was the greatest wine she ever had.
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3/31/2012 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
A bad ass wine. Inky purple in the glass. Screaming, huge nose of blackberry, raspberry, smoke, exotic spice, toast, unsweetened chocolate and pepper. Palate is rich and dense with loads of baby fat. Just delicious. Enough juiciness to keep it fresh and lively. Well knit. Fun-loving, yet serious, bombastic Cali syrah.
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3/31/2012 - pakabear wrote: 95 Points
Amazing extraction, dark roasted fruit, very good balance and length. Sad this is my last one...
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3/16/2012 - Spookey wrote:
Wow. P&P 1/4. This is incredible. Will save the rest for tomorrow. Next day was St. Patrick's, so Guiness with friends at our house. Tried on day three and it was still going strong, although I prefered it one day one. Day 4, still good but wish I had finished this on day one.
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11/30/2011 - tim_c wrote: 82 Points
Huge disappointment. More like a port. Note pending.
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10/30/2011 - t_moderne wrote: 92 Points
Opened, decanted, had a small taste , and poured back into the bottle. Served 2 hours later. This is a big wine. Dark color. Nice nose of dark fruits and chocolate. While rich and powerful, it carries itself well. Has a velvety texture. Tasted a small bit the next day; a bit tannic but still well made. Not for the feint of heart.
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10/1/2011 - shadow wrote: 98 Points
right off the bat, got the Syrah nose nailed, first sip, wow, glad I opened this, its smoking good, anyone want to fool their wine buds, pour this into a empty bottle of SQN Papa
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9/23/2011 - Justin B wrote: 94 Points
Really nice, took some time to open up though. Very complex and a extremely long finish. Lots of dark fruit and some type of pepper mixed with cocoa.
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9/17/2011 - budman wrote: 95 Points
Truly a meal in a glass. A little heat early on, but smooth dark fruit dominated. Long finish. Smooth mouthfeel. Sadly, my only bottle.
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9/15/2011 - Jay Hack wrote: 96 Points
WOW. Let me repeat myself. WOW. Decanted for about an hour into a very wide decanter and then drunk over the next hour, with two ounces saved in the glass for a test taste the following morning. This is a cascade of flavors. There's some heat on the nose, but the rest is all red fruit. My first impression after tasting it was chocolate! Red fruit. Pepper. Coffee. Meatyness, perhaps from the Mourvedre. Very smooth and drinkable. Very dark without being black. This wine fills the mouth and coats everything with taste, taste and more taste. The finish is long. The following morning, it's just as good, with the fruit winning out over the chocolate and coffee after sitting in the glass for 9 hours. Lover this wine. And by the way, it has a killer label. Other than the Saxum Bone Rock with the dinosaur skeleton, this may be my all time favorite label.
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9/15/2011 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 98 Points
(Tasted in a flight with 2007 Broken Stones, 2008 Heart of Stone, 2008 Booker and 2008 Bone Rock) The 2008 Booker has a nose to die for. The wine is extremely packed, but still clean and very expressive. The nose is full of dark mature fruits, morellos, strawberries and expensive oak combined into something that is hard to put words on. The palate is also fully packed but yet again elegant, balanced and very appealing. All components are there but the impressive part is the acidity - which is simply incredible, making this wine into an excellent food companion. No heat is discovered at all... This wine is nothing for the faint hearted, but indeed an effort that will please both the crowd and many wine aficionados. Lovely!
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6/6/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
Great, big young nose of caramel and huge ripe black fruits. Huge palate of blackberries, crushed black pepper with a little grainyness in the texture. Big all around, even on the finish. Needs several years to show its stuff.
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5/29/2011 - jeff nowak wrote:
decanted. somebody has to make me understand what all the fuss is about. and don't whine to me about it being too young.
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5/24/2011 - mveroua wrote:
Drank at leila's
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