Saxum, James Berry, Paso Robles

My last bottle. The fruit is still lovely. It stood up to a tomato-based pasta dish beautifully

2008 vintage

Dense red fruits and a charming structure with subtle acidity and solid palette weight. Starting to become a little less harmonious with alcohol so would drink up.

2008 vintage

Had a few days after the great 2008 Broken Stones. That was balanced, this was a bit hot and sharp. That was smooth with a long finish, this was missing a bit of mid palate. It’s wasn’t bad, but it didn’t reach the heights of the Broken Stones. Normally this is my go-to can’t miss, but not this time.

2008 vintage

Good with with BBQ (Schur House - Riverwoods IL) : Small glass. Very rich, clearly more warmth than I'd prefer, which is exaggerated by the fruit that is starting to fade.

2008 vintage

A bit clumsy, over the top compared to the lovely 2007. Rich concentrated blackberry, a bit more mono-toned but still a very good wine. Just not my style. EWG Rhone dinner at Mike & Anne's.

2008 vintage

Decanted 2 hrs. An amazing wine with highly extracted fruit, notes of cassis, blueberry, black raspberry, plum and damp earth. Tannins have softened and are well integrated with velvety mouthfeel and long finish.

2008 vintage

Decanted for one hour. Nose of black raspberry jam, smoked meat, anise, bramble and spice. Ripe black raspberry, gamey meat, anise, bramble, spice and fine tannins on the palate. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with oak smoked, central Texas-style, turkey breast.

2008 vintage

What a difference 4 years makes. Decanted 30 minutes, this was the most deft and lifted Saxum that I think I've had. Still full-bodied, lots of spices, herbs, flashy fruit, blackberry.

2008 vintage

Wow wow wow. Opened at 4 , Audoulized (sp?) until 8 or so. Paired with a pork porterhouse. So smooth, so delicious. I agree with previous comments that while 07 was WOTY this might surpass. Just amazing.

2008 vintage

My last note on this wine is more than five years ago. What's that Beatles song? "Getting Better All the Time." I am half way through my stash of these and any wine that pokes its nose above 95 points is exceptional. Outstanding. Whatever roughness there ever was is gone. Tannins are sweetened. Berries and more berries. Velvety mouth feel. Wonderful nose. Someone wrote that the 2008 is better than the 2007 that was the WS WOTY and they may …

2008 vintage

Still has a lot of fruit. Very smooth. Delightful wine. However, I would not wait any longer to drink, and when you do, this bottle threw A LOT of sediment.

2008 vintage

Raspberry, blueberry and kir with great balance and finish

2008 vintage

Replacement bottle from Saxum for previous corked bottle. Slo ox for 1.5 hours, then full decant for about 3.5 hours. This wine was in a really great place and firing on all cylinders. Deep dark color with no bricking. Beautiful soft but firm blue/dark fruit, smooth mouthfeel, but firm grip on the mid palate. Sweet tannins resolving but still present. Multiple secondary notes. Begs you to return for another sip. Long finish. Dare I say this wine appeared civilized and …

2008 vintage

Delicious, fully mature. Will drink the rest of my bottles soon.

2008 vintage

Lovely fruit, with soft tannins. Drinking beautifully, but unlikely to improve. I'm going to consume the rest over the summer!

2008 vintage

Only 90 minute decant, but that was plenty. Smooth, very nice red fruits (classic Grenache) but layered with lovely black fruits that hang on the palate. Some flashes of minerals and Oak that added complexity without creating a distraction. The alcohol was reasonably well resolved for this bottle. Finish was shorter than expected - 20 seconds, but still a very strong wine.

2008 vintage

Decanted for one hour. Aromas of black raspberry, gamey meat, licorice, vanilla and spice. Ripe black and red fruit, gamey meat, spice and fine tannins on the palate. Long, layered finish with good depth. Full bodied. Served with smoked baby back ribs.

2008 vintage

PnP. Full bodied and intense but with perfect balance that hides the high alcohol level. Great length on the finish. Wonderful.

2008 vintage

It seems that either our prior two bottles were flawed, or this just needed a lot of time. This bottle: pop and pour. In the glass, still looks just like it did years ago, no visual signs of aging. On the nose, grenache liqueur, crushed raspberries, and a hint of blueberry pie. On the palate, tannic structure still remains, but this has settled down to offer the non-fruit-bomb fruit that Saxum does so well. Leads with the grenache, but this …

2008 vintage

Powerful, pungent aromas. Rich layers of dark berries, trailed by earth, smoked meats and copious spices, including cinnamon. The mourvedre component seemed ascendant, with all the dark and solid elements. Still tannic and burly, despite the age. There was enough flesh from the fruit to stand up to the structure... and enough structure to stand up to the fruit. There is just a lot going on. No shrinking violet here.

2008 vintage

Wonderfyl balance and just a wine that is drinking at its peak right now! Lots of lush fruit without being overdone but a solid acidity keeps it in balance. The alcohol is slightly too much in this vintage which is why I recommend to drink this now :-) But currently it is very nice!

2008 vintage

Consistent with my prior notes. Best on days 1 and 2 out of the bottle.

2008 vintage

Like the previous reviewer, I couldn’t rate this any higher due to the alcohol. Such a fantastic, complex and interesting wine. I found my own opinion shifting in a polarized way from hour to hour. I guess that should be one attribute of a great wine—keeping things interesting and forcing you to think about it. On opening, amazing aromas of plums and spice and other savory things that I couldn’t describe. On first tasting I could pick up some of …

2008 vintage

The alcohol took this down a point for me out of the gate. The nose screams Grenache - in a good way. There are some other nice elements to this wine that seem to be lurking beneath but can't fully break free of the alcohol @15.8% (and I would have guessed 16.5%). Would like to see if the alcohol can become integrated in time and the secondary elements can show better.

2008 vintage

Badly corked. Only bottle of Saxum ever to have any defect. I have been buying since inception, and have enjoyed many many very good wines. ---- happens.

2008 vintage

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Saxum, James Berry, Paso Robles

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