Saxum James Berry Vineyard 32 Month Barrel Age Red 2006
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Beautiful aromas of violets and sandalwood. Bright fruit too, with citrus, zest and mineral notes. Full, yet compacted and dense. Long and spicy yet minerally and fruity. Warm finish. So wonderful now but will age beautifully. Amazing elegance. The bulk of the Grenache was aged in concrete vats of about 17.8 hectolters.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The other experimental cuvee is the 2006 “32" James Berry Vineyard. A blend of 43% Syrah, 38% Grenache, and 19% Mourvedre aged 32 months in small barrels and demi-muids, it boasts loads of kirsch liqueur, lavender, pepper, spice box, and earth characteristics along with a voluptuous texture and stunning richness. Sadly, there are fewer than 100 cases of this gorgeous wine.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.