2019 Saxum, G2 Vineyard, Paso Robles, Bottle (750ml)

JD100 "Pure perfection in a glass, the 2019 G2 Vineyard checks in as 53% Grenache, 21% Mourvèdre, 19% Graciano, and the rest Carignan and Syrah. An incredible array of blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and herbes de Provence all emerge from the glass, and it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated, yet as weightless as they come. It shows more gamey, exotic notes with time in the glass, it’s perfectly balanced, and it’s just an incredible wine from this reference point estate. Drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years." JD Sep 2021

"One of California’s unquestionably superstar estates is Heather and Justin Smith’s Saxum Vineyards, and you won’t find any finer examples of Rhône variety wines anywhere in the world. The proprietors of James Berry Vineyard, located in the cooler Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, the Smiths have seen incredible changes over the past decade, and they’ve traded their small, old-fashioned, yet perfectly adequate cellar for a brand-new cave and state of the art winemaking facility. As a critic, it’s always a challenge to try and understand why wines show differently and why one estate can produce brilliant wines and others struggle. Given the prodigious wines the Smiths release year in and year out from different vineyards (and now even from different winemaking facilities), it’s become increasingly apparent that the quality coming from Saxum is due to the genius of Justin Smith. After being lucky enough to taste these wines every year for well over a decade now, I can say that no one in California does Rhône varieties and blends better. I’ve written this many times in the past, but I’ll say it again, this is one of the few mailing lists worth being on."