| Producer | Saxum |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Santa Barbara County |
| Subregion | Paso Robles |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 14852 |
| Size | 750ml |
49% Grenache, 21% Mataro, 12% Syrah, 9% Graciano, 6% Grenache Blanc, 3% Counoise
ALC: 15.8%
Cases 750 ml: 1358
Cases 1.5L: 83
AVA: Paso Robles Willow Creek
Vineyard: James Berry Vineyard Release: January 2023
I’m really happy with how the 2020 JBV came out (and that can be said for all of our 2020s). Do you remember that year? Lots of suck. But the wines are beautiful. And this little beauty has awesome, savory notes of earth and spices, and then tons of red and black fruit. The palate is full and lively. It just seems to dance around with oodles of supple tannins, and the finish is bright and long, making you want to take another sip…. And then another….. I'm sure many of you have heard the woes of 2020. Fires devastated the entire West Coast of the U.S. Nobody was spared, but fortunately the vineyards of Paso were not hit too hard. The closest fire to us was up in Monterey County, which is about 90 miles north. Nonetheless, we approached the 2020 vintage very carefully in the cellar by running every possible type of analysis to detect damage from the smoke that was occasionally thick in the air that summer. Although a couple of the lots were suspect, everything else was clean. Phew!
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. It consists of a series of slopes with shallow clay loam topsoil covering an ancient seabed, complete with fossilized shells and sharks teeth. The cuvee is a red fruit driven, Grenache based blend, with a large portion of Mataro for texture, and Syrah as spicy support. The James Berry Vineyard is aged for 18-20 months in a variety of vessels. The Grenache portion ages in concrete tank and larger puncheons, while the Mataro and Syrah ages in the smaller French barrels. A high percentage of them are new. The wine is rich and layered. Raspberries and blackberries lead the way followed by Provincial herbs and smooth dense tannins. Our wines are never racked off their lees and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The 2020 James Berry Vineyard offers up a more savory, complex, full-bodied style to go with both red and black fruits, notes of peppery herbs and loamy earth, a layered, opulent mouthfeel, and quality tannins. This was a challenging vintage, but this estate did a great job, and this classic Paso red should drink nicely right out of the gate as well as keep for 10-15 years. The blend is 49% Grenache, 21% Mourvèdre, 12% Syrah, 9% Graciano, 6% Grenache Blanc, and the rest Counoise. There were 1,470 cases produced.
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