Saxum Rarities

Last night a group of us got together, with the goal to find and try the rarest Saxum wines. We had: the "01 Bone Rock out of magnum, which is supposed to be a different wine than the regular bottling, and only 100 made; '02 Broken Stones, which Saxum lost a bunch of in the earthquake; both the '05 44 month and the '06 32 month JBV’s; the '07 JBV; and the '05 Rocket Block.

The good news is the first five were still young and fresh, and all showed well. The only bad news was that the Rocket Block was corked. This is particularly disappointing as three of us have had this wine a few times, and we thought it had the potential to be wine of the night.

Bottom line: Saxum wines age very well!

https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=53690&sid=d0c3ccc75e3a1ef9cc43bae17f5f628f

FullSizeRender.jpeg4032×3024 2.86 MB

The '06 32 was the most integrated wine, with the most resolved tannins, and was a crowd pleaser. The '01 Bone Rock was also named by a couple people as their favorite. But as we all discussed, trying to pick a favorite out of this lineup was a little bit of a fool’s errand because of the overall excellence of the wines. I do think the RB would have potentially been the only consensus WOTN if not for the TCA, but that will have to be for another time.

The other big “aha” moment for me was thinking about how these are showing now, and realizing that there is a lot of life left in them all. I’d like to repeat this tasting in 20 years to be honest.

Very cool! Yes…they age well. I’m still holding on to some 2000 Bone Rock…probably for some tasting just like this!

Forgot about this–very cool to get some perspective directly from Mr. Smith:

’01 Bone Rock Magnum - Bone Rock block is a steep hillside in the James Berry Vineyard. The 4 acre terraces were carved out in 1990 with a jack hammers. That is when we began to find fossilized whale bones underground… hence, the flying whale graphic on our website home page. The ’01 Bone Rock is a wine of great density and in the early days, explosive fruit, with age it shows off elegance and balance. JS

’02 Broken Stones - We haven’t tried this one in recent years. At its release, it was made for sheer pleasure in drinking. It was very expressive in its purity of flavors and beautifully rounded. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! JS

This was probably (again–hard to pick favorites) my wife’s favorite of the night. It was the most approachable wine, IMO, and, along with the '06 32, had the most integrated/resolved tannins.

’05 44 Month JBV - (all new barrels) This one needed a little time. We worried that with the extended aging in new oak that the wine wouldn’t last as long in bottle. We were wrong. The wine is incredibly elegant. Every time we open one up, we enjoy it more than the last time. JS

The term “chewy” was used on this, and I think it aligns with Justin’s comment of needing a little time. The Syrah proportion was noticeable and contributed to the density and structure. Definitely think this one showed the youngest.

’06 32 Month JBV - (50% new barrels) In the beginning, the Grenache really shined through and the tannins were soft with nicely integrated wood. Like the 44 month, every time we open one up, we enjoy it more than the last time. JS

This was my favorite for its perfect balance and great complexity, while being somewhat reserved without being a wallflower. It was true to what I’ve come to expect from Saxum (great amounts and purity of fruit) but it also was delivered in a “velvet glove” manner.

’07 JBV - This wine continues to hold up to the high praise it has received. As we have said before, this wine has it all without any one component overwhelming the others. It has great purity of fruit, layers of tannin, and a bright fresh acidity that holds it together. Enjoy! JS

’05 Rocket Block - We rarely make a Rocket Block, so when we do, it is special. Aged in mainly neutral puncheons. At its release this was the most aromatically explosive wine we had ever made - raspberries, lilacs and blueberries - with incredible purity (like the 2015 we just released). Let us know if these early impressions are still there. JS

Yes, it was aromatically explosive, even with the TCA. Steve reminded me that several years ago he threw this into a Syrah shootout and it ended up walking away as the top gun, and I’ve no doubt it would have been the one standout amongst this stellar group.

Great notes Steve/mark! Too bad about rocket block. I haven’t had many of them but I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve had

I’d have loved to have been at that table. I’ve had the 07 JBV and tasted 05 RB before, both exemplary American wines.

Nice! All amazing wines:
2005 Rocket Block - Still my favorite Saxum of all time. A religious experience
'05 44 - A close second, loved what the extra time in barrel brought, a beast
'06 32 - Have one on deck, need to drink it soon
'07 JBV - another favorite, I’ve always thought this was the most “velvet glove iron fist” of all the Saxum bottles I’ve had. A powerhouse for sure, but just love the complexity and restraint too.

We opened a 2010 JBV Magnum last night with friends. Outstanding. I will write a formal note later. I still have my 2005 44 month JBV. My goal is to hold it until 2025 and see how it does on my then 74 year old palate.

ive had 3 of these, my favorite was the 06 32 mo.

I still have five of the six left, so I will bundle them up and set them aside so we can try this again in a few years. Justin, if you have an '01 Bone Rock Magnum, you can join us, and bring that bottle with you, for a complete re-do!