Winemaker Notes
Blend: 93% Grenache, 7% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Rocket Block is another exceptional offering that represents Saxum’s version of a Paso Robles Chateauneuf du Pape. As its name suggests, it explodes from the glass offering intense black raspberry and blacker fruit scents interwoven with notions of smoke, forest floor, and flowers. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured, with considerable tannin, acidity, and that exquisite minerality that comes from these soils, it is a super-rich, sensationally profound red that should drink beautifully for 12-15+ years. The bottled 2005s are all performing well.
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Wine Spectator
Has amazing fruit purity and range of flavor, with tiers of fleshy dark berry fruit built around plum, wild berry, pomegranate and boysenberry. Holds onto a tight focus, ending with waves of supple flavors that are remarkably complex and vibrant. Grenache and Syrah.
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.