2013 Saxum James Berry Vineyard Rocket Block 1500ml マグナムサイズ

The 2013 James Berry Vineyard Proprietary Red is made from 45% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 8% Counoise (which Justin commented was a blend that was put together relatively late). It saw a big chunk of whole cluster (the Grenache was mostly destemmed though) and was brought up all in puncheons and foudre (the normal concrete component went to the Rocket Block). It offers up gorgeous notes of black raspberries, cherries, cassis, ground herbs and flowers. This beauty hits the palate with incredible purity, fine tannin and an overriding sense of elegance and finesse, backed up by fullbodied richness and depth. It needs to be forgotten for 3-4 years and it will drink beautifully through 2028. One of the superstars in California is undoubtedly the humble, soft spoken, yet incredibly talented Justin Smith, who has had the reins at Saxum since 2000. And while a lot of winemakers would have been content to stick with the tried and true at this point, Smith continues to question, experiment and fine tune everything he does. Today, his wines are much more finesse oriented, pure and graceful than in the past, without sacrificing texture, concentration or richness. In short, these wines kick ass and shouldn’t be missed by any serious wine lover out there