Bottle Notes

2010 Saxum James Berry Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Saxum Vineyards is located in the Paso Robles AVA of Central California. Founded in the early 2000’s by Justin Smith, a young winemaker who had previously been part-owner of Linne Calodo, Saxum leapt into the limelight in late 2010 when its 2007 James Berry Vineyards wine was named the #1 Wine of 2010 by Wine Spectator. Smith owns the winery with his wife Heather, and produces up to 2,800 cases of wine a year.

The James Berry Vineyard is the Smith family’s estate vineyard. It is located 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean with an average elevation of 1200 feet.

Dark red in color. 15.8% ABV. 52% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre and 22% Syrah. Pretty nose of red fruits, roasted herbs and flowers. Medium body with perfect acidity. Notable balance. Concentration and power in spades. Black cherry, raspberry liqueur, iron and menthol on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and seamless. I’ve always been a fan of the ’10 lineup from Saxum and this wine is no exception. Aging beautifully but likely best over the next several years.

My rating: 95 points.

The 2019 version of this wine will be offered to the mailing list next Spring.

Current wines from Saxum are available via the mailing list at $98 per bottle. There is a several year wait before you can expect to receive an offer.

I’ve written about Saxum previously in Winery Mailing Lists: The Fab 5 and The 2020 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.

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3 thoughts on “2010 Saxum James Berry Vineyard – Bottle Notes

  1. Nice post, Tom! Sounds delicious. Good to see that Saxum’s wines are capable of aging and shining brightly in the long term. Have you been ordering any of Saxum’s extended age wines? Those beauties may need more than 10 years to reveal their full potential.

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