Saxum G2 Vineyard Red Blend Paso Robles 2019

Saxum Vineyards is focused on producing Grenache, Syrah, and Mataro based blends from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. There you will find rocky, calcareous soils, steep hillsides, sunny days, and cooling ocean breezes that result in distinct Saxum wines with low yields, fruit picked at the peak of ripeness, and a minimalist approach in the cellar. Proprietor, Justin Smith, respects the land and farms everything sustainably without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Production is kept at 5,000 – 6,000 cases per year divided between nine different bottlings: Broken Stones, James Berry Vineyard, G2 Vineyard, Bone Rock, Rocket Block, Booker Vineyard, Paderewski Vineyard, Heart Stone Vineyard, and Terry Hoage Vineyard.

Pure perfection in a glass, the 2019 G2 Vineyard checks in as 53% Grenache, 21% Mourvèdre, 19% Graciano, and the rest Carignan and Syrah. An incredible array of blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and herbes de Provence all emerge from the glass, and it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated, yet as weightless as they come. It shows more gamey, exotic notes with time in the glass, it’s perfectly balanced, and it’s just an incredible wine from this reference point estate. Drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years. 100pts, Jeb Dunnuck