2014 Saxum, Booker Syrah, Paso Robles, Bottle (750ml)

RP97 "The 2014 Booker Vineyard is a blend of 68% Syrah and 32% Mourv�dre and has a deep garnet-purple color, displaying aromas of cassis, espresso, violets and dried herbs with suggestions of bacon fat, lavender and Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied, rich and with beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins, it has a generous mid-palate of ripe, rich fruit and great length, giving up loads of spice notes. (Note that no 2015 Booker Vineyard was produced.)" KPB for TWA Sep 2017

JD97 "Made from 68% Syrah and 32% Mourv�dre, the 2014 Booker Vineyard is more elegant than the 2013, yet has terrific intensity and depth. Loaded with notions of blackberries, chalky minerality, spring flowers and violets, it has sensational purity of fruit, full-bodied richness, and building tannin. It shows the suppler side to the 2014 vintage and is certainly approachable today, yet it will be at its best from 2019-2029+. I�ve raved so much about the wines from Saxum�s Justin Smith, I feel like a broken record every new vintage. Nevertheless, these latest vintages are all stellar, and certainly the move to the new cellar hasn�t affect or changed the quality here. The 2014s show the richer, more fleshy style of the vintage, yet still carry the slightly more streamlined/elegant style that Smith has chosen over the past few years. The 2015s play even more in that realm, which is very much the vintage, and are lively and elegant, with pretty, perfumed characters � and plenty of fruit. The 2015s share a lot of similarities to the 2011s (which shined for their aromatics), yet have more fruit and power. It�s worth noting that the majority had just been recently bottled, which makes these showings even more impressive. A vintage that really excites me is the 2016s, which appear to be a return to a more bombastic style, with beautiful fruit and texture." JD Aug 2017
"Needing no introduction for anyone that’s followed the Wine Advocate or the wine scene in Paso Robles for any time in the past decade, Heather and Justin Smith’s Saxum Vineyards continues to fashion sensational, world-class wines from a number of top sites on the west side of Paso Robles. Moving to the 2014s, this is a vintage Justin classified as a “classic” and I think it’s safe to say he was thrilled with the wines. They’ll be more approachable than the 2012s but still have 15-20 years of longevity. I think 2014 might be the year we actually see this tiny block of Grenache make it into a bottle. Smith is without a doubt one of the great winemakers of California. 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!" JD for TWA Aug 2016