Winemaker Notes
It is a wine that defies categorizing. On the one hand, it is loaded with ripe rich flavors, mouth coating and decadent. On the other hand, it is ethereal and light, hard to capture, like a ray of sun coming through some high trees. Brilliant might be a good word for it. The color isn’t black like the night, rather it’s red like a ruby, and the flavors sparkle and change right before your eyes (or tastebuds I should say).
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
As with the Bone Rock, there are only four barrels of the 2015 James Berry Vineyard Rocket Block, a blend of 89% Grenache and 11% Mataró, from a tiny parcel, that was all co-fermented. Offering the essence of kirsch liqueur, ground pepper, gravelly minerality, herbes de Provence, and licorice, it reminds me of a great vintage of Domaine de Marcoux’s Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Massive and opulent on the palate, yet pure, elegant, and refined, with silky tannins, it’s as good as wine gets. Hats off to Smith for another magical wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard—which had been assembled in preparation for its bottling in two weeks' time—is superb, revealing complex aromas of cherry, raspberries and spice. On the palate, it's full-bodied, textural and bright, with an expansive core of juicy, succulent fruit framed by fine-grained structuring tannins. This rendition of Rocket Block—from a cooler, northeast-exposed parcel—is one of the most elegant, vibrant wines in the Saxum cellar, exemplifying not only Smith's evolution as a winemaker but also what's possible in Paso Robles. The final blend is 89% Grenache and 11% Mourvèdre, matured in concrete and neutral oak. It should enjoy two decades of longevity.
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.