Description
Wine enthusiasts rejoice with this collection of 6 Saxum red wines, donated from the private collection of Cory Thabit '90.
ABOUT SAXUM
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. While I reviewed most of the 2012s last year, I was thrilled to see the late releases this year, and even more thrilled to see that the tannic grip they showed last year had integrated beautifully. These are great 2012s that will still benefit from short-term cellaring and age beautifully. Moving to the 2013s, this is a vintage Justin classified as a ?classic? and I think it?s safe to say he was thrilled with the wines. These have more density and richness than the 2012s, with more sweetness to the tannin, yet also the pretty, classy and lively profile that?s the hallmark of the vintage. They?ll be more approachable than the 2012s but still have 15-20 years of longevity. While Justin opted to not bottle any Rocket Block in 2012 (this is still a little up in the air), I think 2013 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!
Success sometimes breeds complacency, but that's emphatically not the case for Justin Smith, whose status as Paso Roble's most celebrated winemaker has done nothing to dim his urge to experiment, evolve and improve. Without sacrificing any of their power and authority, both of which come easily in this warm climate, Smith's Saxum wines continue to gain in structural refinement, energy, integration and incipient complexity with every passing vintage. Since the end of the last decade, Smith has been experimenting with whole cluster, a technique he tends to employ in cooler sites and vintages, since extracting excessive stem tannins is a danger in riper, warmer years. Fermentations are cooler and slower, which helps to manage extraction. While new oak was once an important influence in the Saxum wines, its presence is more and more subtle: Smith now works with puncheons instead of smaller barrels, and they're complemented by amphorae and foudres. Since 2010, he has employed Roussanne for co-fermentations with Syrah in the place of Viognier, since it brings less additional power and alcohol. He also continues to refine and adapt his blends from year to year. Smith's new cellar now means he has the space necessary to mature wines for longer. Today's Saxum wines are accordingly better than ever. The only problem is finding them: I signed up for the mailing list in 2011, and Smith informs me that the current wait is around eight years.
At Saxum, Smith characterizes the 2016 vintage as "easygoing and plentiful" after the challenges of the three preceding years of drought. The season's heat spikes weren't too serious, and fermentations went well. He employed less whole cluster than in 2015 but did very little crushing, emphasizing whole-berry fermentations. Having tasted most of these wines from barrel last summer, I was more than impressed by their positive evolution when I revisted them this April.
Item Special Note
This item cannot be shipped. Winning bidder must be able to pick up wine in Boston/Cambridge (available in late May) or Orange County, CA.
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