Let Your Saxums Age!

Last night, we opened two Saxum magnums prior to the Jets/Browns Debacle. A 2005 Rocket Block from Loren Sonkin and a 2013 Booker from me. Both were pop and pour in the parking lot with real stemless glasses. The Booker was very nice with lots of primary, powerful flavors but the Rocket Block was the clear winner, showing the beginning signs of maturity. It was still a baby, or perhaps more appropriately a young teenager, but everyone agreed that the Rocket Block had lost its sharp edges and was easier to drink. Although we opened the Booker much earlier (because Loren was late ), the Rocket Block was finished first. Both were classically Saxum with gobs of red fruit, some meat juices, and some spiciness.

More detailed notes are inappropriate while standing in a parking lot eating charcuterie, risotto, Pierogi, Kielbasa, spicy tofu and skirt steak, but lesson learned. Let your Saxums age.

Sounds like a great time minus the Jet’s performance…

Jay,
Tasting at Saxum we did current releases and the same wines, ten years old.
The decade old versions were so much better, I asked if the wine making regimen had changed - nope, that’s just bottle age.
I agree with your title.
Best, Jim

Isn’t it a fire hazard to store something so volatile in your cellar for a decade or more?

This has been my experience, as well (i.e., Saxums get better with time). That 2005 rocket block was my favorite Saxum of all time!

Although I tend to agree…this one last night was just not doing it for me. Too much plum and Porty…tart tingly acid. Lot a sediment in that sucker as well.

Mine start with 2004, so maybe I’m OK.

Jay - completely agree re: aging Saxum (as well as SQN and others of similar ilk). Also, for me the Rocket Block is a better bottle in general, i love his rocket blocks with 10+ years

If I was a Jets fan, I too would drink wines pushing 17% abv.

Agree Jay.
Do your Jets play my Steelers this year?
I guess it would end in a tie.

I’m going to have to disagree with my friend Jim on this one. Your title should be “Let Your Saxa Age!”

For Saximum enjoyment. We enjoyed a 2007 Booker last week.

My oldest Saxum is a 2006 James Berry. Too young?

Nope - rocking!

Have to agree; Saxum is not my cup of tea but I was impressed by how well a 2005 Bone Rock was drinking recently. Nicely integrated, carrying its 16.1% beautifully with no sign of cracking up, clearly many more years to go

(The next morning my husband and I had vicious hangovers and we swore off buying any more Saxum )

I had a horrible hangover this morning, but it was because of the final score of the game. Actually, I had no hangover at all.

BTW - For all of you naysayers, Luke Falk was selected as the 199th player in the 2018 draft. You know who else was selected as the 199th player in the draft? Tom Brady. Why did Brady get to play? Because Drew Bledsoe was knocked out by a vicious hit (by Mo Lewis of the Jets, I might add). Why did Luke Falk get to play? Because Trevor Simian was knocked out by a vicious hit by Myles Garrett. Just Sayin’.

Now all Luke Falk has to do is marry a supermodel and he will officially become Brady’s doppelgänger.

I opened a 2007 James Berry magnum last month and it was far too young.

A group of us did a Saxum retrospective in early 2017, which included every Saxum produced from 2000 through 2010, with a couple of extras tossed in. For me, the 2005 vintage was across the board, my favorite, with the 2007 still showing too young. Least approachable was the Booker bottling, but having has some tremendous Bookers, I attributed that to needing hours of double decanting rather than our standard 4-hour Audoze (sp?) treatment of each of the bottles.

Breaking news: a lot of the central and south coast Rhône style wines are awesome with age. Try some Santa Barbara County Syrahs with 10-15 years on them.