Saxum James Berry Vineyard 2007

Professional Ratings

• 100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Utter perfection, and one of the most profound Rhone Ranger wines I have ever tasted is the 2007 James Berry Vineyard Proprietary Red, a blend of 41% Grenache, 31% Mourvedre, and 28% Syrah (15.8% alcohol). It would be an amazing wine to insert in a tasting of the most profound 2007 Chateauneuf du Papes. As with many prodigious wines, the extraordinary freshness, purity, equilibrium, and singularity of this effort is breathtaking. Its dense purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary, incredibly pure, all enveloping, intense, sweet nose of black raspberries, kirsch, spring flowers, spice box, and pepper. Full-bodied with not a hard edge to be found, it is stunningly concentrated with unreal purity, a voluptuous texture, and remarkable freshness for a wine of such power, depth, and concentration. This 2007 will be approachable young, although I would not be surprised to see it close down given the relatively elevated proportion of Mourvedre, and it should drink well for 12-15 years.
• 100 Jeb Dunnuck
  The 2007 James Berry Vineyard has been incredibly consistent for me and was as good as it gets on this occasion. More seamless, silky and elegant than the Heartstone, it has sensational notes of kirsch, black cherries, garrigue, dried herbs and licorice in a seamless, ultra-elegant, polished profile. Incredible in every sense, and a reference point wine both for the estate and the region, it has opened up beautifully since release and is drinking gorgeously today. This is one of those wines I wish I could pour for every reader.
• 98 Wine Spectator
  An amazing wine, dense, rich and layered, offering a mix of power and finesse, with concentrated dark berry fruit, mineral, sage, herb and cedar notes that are pure, intense, focused and persistent. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now through 2018.