I think the is the inaugural or second vintage of this at Saxum, and it’s just fantastic. Only G & S (no M) this is powerful and balanced and wonderful. Anise, cured meats & a floral note - we would have killed a Mag if that was the available format. 0 heat anywhere.
Sic ‘em!
Perfect for Flannery strips. Ridiculous meal. I’m back in an exposure zone this Thursday so I’m glad I uncorked one of these.
Nice selection, I really love the 11’s. they maybe weren’t as flamboyant out of the gate to garner the scores from the critics but There is nothing lacking in any one I’ve found. As you suggest they have a balance that is refreshing, without losing their place.
I have said it prior, but Saxum in cool vintages has really become a favorite of mine, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 all come to mind as having more cool fruit notes and more floral aromatics vs. spice notes.
Agreed about the 2011s. Here is one of my favorite Saxum notes:
2011 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (7/24/2015)
Pop and poured and drunk while finished cooking a congregation dinner for about 120 people before a presentation by Khalil Gibran Muhammed on the history of racial disparity in the criminal prosecution in the US, and then while having a dinner while running around making sure everything was OK. Why is that relevant? Because this is an outstanding wine that does not require over-intellectualization to enjoy. Powerful red fruit and spice with just a bit of undifferentiated chocolate/coffee, maybe from the barrel toast. Wonderful velvety mouth fee. Long finish. Stands up well to running around with a glass in your hand. I gave tastes of this to about 5 other people and they all thought it was fantastic, but they were non-geeks, so what did they know. This is a WOW+ wine. I have a bunch more of them and I am very glad for it, because I would like to see how it develops but it’s going to be hard to keep my hands off it. (95 pts.)
