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 Paderewski Vineyard is owned by Bill and Liz Armstrong, the owners of Epoch Estate. It was the site of the legendary vineyard of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Ignacy was a fascinating character and brilliant musician. The vineyard was replanted with the original varieties that made it famous, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah as well as several Rhone Varietals.
Dark crimson in color. 15.9% ABV. 45% Zinfandel, 36% Mourvedre, 12% Tempranillo and 7% Petite Sirah. Intoxicating nose of black and blue fruits, molten licorice, scorched earth and wild flowers. Full bodied with mouth watering acidity and notable balance. Super rich and lush. The Zinfandel is prominent with raspberry liqueur, blueberries, kirsch and cracked black pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Fascinating wine that is hard to resist ten years in. Best over the next several years.
My rating: 97 points.
The 2020 version of this wine will be offered to mailing list members sometime this Summer.
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.