2013 | Saxum Vineyards | Booker Vineyard Red

Intense, highly perfumed cherry liqueur and blueberry aromas are complicated by suggestions of smoky minerals, spicecake and candied licorice. Sappy, appealingly sweet dark fruit and floral pastille flavors show impressive energy and pick up a hint of cola. The mineral element comes back with air and adds a sense of coolness to the wine's powerful fruit.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2013 Booker Vineyard is one of the prettier, more elegant and pure examples of this cuvee I can recall. A blend of 67% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre, fermented with 30% whole cluster, this total thrill ride offers sensational notes of creme de cassis, black raspberries, ground herbs and crushed flowers to go with a full-bodied, ultra-pure, silky and seamless style on the palate. This tannin quality is off the charts, but it needs short term cellaring to really show at its best.

• Wine Spectator: A powerful wine that reveals a distinctive sense of place. Dark blackberry and loamy earth aromas lead to a core of rich, structured fruit, with bitter chocolate, olive and smoky, spicy dried herb flavors. The tannins on the finish are bold but polished, suggesting time in the cellar is a must.

Producer Information

Saxum Vineyards is a Californian wine producer in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. It is known for its portfolio of red blends produced from the key Rhône varieties: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The estate was planted at the end of the 1980s with a majority of vines now over 40 years of age. Located a mere 10 miles (16km) from the coast, unearthed fossilized whale bones have been discovered here requiring a jack hammer to plant the vines. Planted throughout an undulating landscape the vineyards are located on slopes at an altitude of approximately 1200 feet (365 meters). Saxum's portfolio now features a collection of proprietary cuvées. The Rhône varieties reign supreme, but there are small plantings of other grapes like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, which are used in small amounts. Strict yields inform the limited production of roughly 5500 cases annually. The flagship wine is the James Berry vineyard red blend, made from Grenache with Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise. The Syrah is co-fermented with small amounts of Roussanne instead of Viognier, the white variety commonly blended with Syrah in northern Rhône appellations.

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