Tasting Notes on the soon to be released Saxum Mailer

Got the opportunity to taste to some bottled 2007 Saxum. Back up the freaking truck. If these taste this awesome in bottle now, when they have more time to develop extra nuisances they are going to be insane.
The two James Berry wines literally blew me away and quite possibly could end up being my favorite Paso wines of the vintage (as if they aren’t already each vintage).

The booker (which isnt’ released this mailer) and the broken stones I feel need some time in barrel still. Good thing that the BS/James Berry’s won’t be shipped till Fall… I wouldn’t be able to keep my grubby hands off em!

  • 2005 Saxum 44 Month Barrel Age James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/19/2009)
    In bottle
    A powerful nose of fresh raspberry, pomegranate, and fresh bread that hit your right in the nose like a sledgehammer. Needed about a hour in the bottle to open up but when it did it was probably the most “complex” Saxum I’ve yet to taste. Deep dark fruit core with prominent notes of cigar, forest floor and some light floral on the finish. The finish went on for eons, with layers and layers of complexity.
    We saved half a bottle for the next day and the secondary characteristics gave way to strong fruit and minerality. I preferred it a hour in… a lot of the guys preferred the next day.
  • 2007 Saxum Broken Stones - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/19/2009)
    in bottle
    A light airy nose of cedar and ripe red fruit. Chalky tannins on the palate with a slim mid palate of red fruit that requires some time to resolve . Some tobacco notes on the finish with just a tinge of oak.
  • 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/19/2009)
    IN bottle:
    WOWSER what a freaking wine. A little hint of heat that disappeared after a few minutes in the glass. Beautifully concentrated bright red fruit with notes of violet and a touch of oak. On the palate you get just loads and loads of fresh picked fruit with a raspberry finish that goes on for days. There is great acidity with a fresh minerality that is nothing like the bigger almost “jammy” 06 James berry. This wine is incredibly clean and fresh and easily top of the heap.
  • 2007 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/19/2009)
    in bottle
    wine needs a ton of time in bottle and I’m glad Justin doesn’t release it for awhile. It has a spice box, red fruit nose with fresh strawberries with lean fruit on the palate that’s really closed up.

Posted from CellarTracker

Do we have a price yet?

Vanilla, cassis, chocolate, oaky deliciousness, right Wetrock??

Charlie,

thank you so very much for posting this !

I am on their mailing list and will sure use your notes when making my decisions

not enough vanilla and oak for me in these wines. Needed to add my own extract

touch of oak … tinge of oak

Is that the first time those words and Saxum were uttered on the same page?

srsly. A lot of the guys got to try the second half of the bottle the next day, dunno what their opinions were. I was pretty impressed by the lack of strong oak presence in the bottlings

I’m in the same camp as Charlie…not overly oaky at all. Just big fruit with plenty of acidity and minerality. The next day, these were delicious as well. Great balance and power…sexy time!!!

Thank you Charlie. I take it you wouldn’t pour any of these down the drain?

Don’t you think that tasting the mailer is going a little far in your devotion to the wines? :wink:

(When I read your subject heading, I thought you were going to say it tasted like paper, with slight cardboard notes.)

Charlie enjoys oak so much that its not that much of a stretch to imagine that the mailer might taste pretty damn good to him… [stirthepothal.gif]

Cool. Honestly I was just teasing. I am no oak hater. But I will say some of the Saxums I have had were undrinkable while the last one Wetrock shared with me was delicious. Lots of oak but plenty of fruit and tannin as well. Sometimes I crave that.

Thanks for the notes. I look forward to trying some of these.

Jason

Thanks a lot Fu, for spending yet more of my slim wine budget. Damn it. [swearing.gif]

I sure hope they don’t go up in this economy. These are among the best wines made in California, but so are the Albans that I had to pass on this year.

I’m really looking forward to these, I popped an 05 Heartstone a few months ago and it was a gorgeous wine. I really love their style.