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Yet ironically, when the James Berry Vineyard was
originally planted in 1980, there wasn’t a single Rhone varietal to be
found. The initial plantings were chardonnay and Pinot Blanc! It wasn’t
until 1988, after seeing the result of some test plantings of Syrah,
Mourvedre, and Viognier that the first commercial planting of Rhone
varietals commenced. Today, the pinot blanc is gone, and the chardonnay
that remains is all sold to other wineries. The 75 acre vineyard now has
55 acres planted mostly to Rhone red varietals (Syrah, Grenache,
Mourvedre and Roussanne). Some of the fruit is sold to other wineries,
including Linne Calodo,
Copain, and Carlisle.
Most, however, stays with the Smith family and is the basis for the
wines of one of Paso Robles’ superstar wineries: Saxum.
Saxum began with the 2000 vintage. For two years prior to that, Justin
Smith was in partnership with Mat Trevisan
in Linne Calodo, begun in 1998. The Linne Calodo wines were made at Wild
Horse (which was the first winery to put James Berry Vineyard on a
label). They were among the first in the new wave of Rhone wines that
has quickly catapulted the Paso Robles region, previously known mainly
for Zinfandel, into the limelight for Rhone varietal wines. However, Mat
Trevisan wanted to focus on blends, crafting wines to reflect his
personal vision, while Justin Smith, equally visionary, wanted to focus
on expressing the unique character of his family’s vineyard. So the two
parted amicably in 2000, Trevison continuing with the Linne Calodo
label, while Smith established Saxum as the “estate” winery for James
Berry Vineyard.
I recently was fortunate to be part of a unique event—the first
comprehensive tasting of every Saxum wine ever released, including the
not-yet-released 2005 vintage wines. Also included were a few whites not
made by Saxum, and a never released Grenache. In this tasting it was
truly possible to see the character of James Berry expressed in
different vintages, and in different blends made from the varietals
grown there. Although Saxum is based on the James Berry Vineyard, some
of its bottlings include fruit from other vineyards in the area that
Justin has had a significant hand in creating: Heartstone,
Denner, and Booker. More about those vineyards in due course.
 In terms of style, Justin is clearly trying to make a wine that is
balanced yet reflects the unique terroir of James Berry. The oak
presence is never intrusive, with the wines being aged in a mix of
French and Hungarian oak, usually less than 60% new. The wines are
fairly ripe, as the warm days of Paso do tend to drive the sugars. The
grapes are usually picked around 26.5°-27° Brix, although the sugars
raced up to 28° Brix in 2002. Yet the wines are balanced by excellent
acidity, even though they are never acidified. Smith attributes this to
high-lime, calcerous soils that predominate in James Berry, and the
tremendous diurnal temperature variation in the region, which can see
daytime temperature’s well over 100°, yet nighttime low temperatures
down into the
50°’s. Cool air from the Pacific is pulled through the Templeton Gap
every afternoon to provide a natural air-conditioner that helps preserve
the grape’s acidity despite the sizzling daytime highs. As a result, the
wines are big, but balanced, and as the tasting reflects, appear to have
good medium to long-term aging potential. Two of the most impressive
wines in the tasting were the two oldest, the 2000 and 2001 Bone Rock
Syrahs.
 The Tasting
The tasting, hosted by
Frank Murray
(right), was held at Sage Restaurant in Newport Beach,
CA. An excellent menu was created to complement the wines. Justin Smith
attended and brought his entire line of 2005 wines, most of which have
not yet been released. Conditions were perfect to give these wines the
attention they deserved, and with foods that helped us evaluate how they
work with a meal (very well, it turns out). We started with some whites
and a rosé before tackling the “big boys.”
Flight 1 – The Whites
2004 Copain Roussanne, James Berry Vineyard.
Spicy nose of lemon and herbs de Provence. Waxy nose
with spices and citrus. Rich wine but with a good amount of balancing
acidity and a touch of heat (14% alc.), somewhat creamy texture, long
finish. Fairly big and rich, but not too heavy as the wine gets lift
from the acidity and is pretty well-balanced. Best with food. Probably
best to drink this on the young side. Find this wine
2006 Lone Madrone Roussanne. 60% James Berry Vineyard, 40% Booker
Vineyard fruit. This winery is the personal project of
Neil Collins,
winemaker for Tablas Creek. Very rich, ripe nose of cream and pit
fruits. Very big wine, quite hot, rich, extroverted with tropical fruit
and an unctuous texture, but overripe to my palate, lacking balancing
acidity, and frankly, a bit dull. Not my style of Rhone white. Find this wine
2006 James Berry Smith Grenache Rosé, Rocket Block. This is a
rosé made by Justin Smith’s father from the Grenache grown in the Rocket
Block of James Berry Vineyard. It is made strictly for the family’s
consumption and is not sold. Made from grapes picked at 23.5° Brix, 3
weeks earlier than the picking for the red Rocket Block. The wine is
flash heated with the skins to 160°F, then bled off the skins
immediately. Pale strawberry red color. Nice clean fruit flavors, no
hint of the flash heating process. Medium rich, crisp, good cut, nice
refreshing rosé made in a unique way. Not heavy-handed or candied like
far too many domestic rosés.
James Berry Vineyards, Bone Rock in foreground,
Rocket Block on hill in background
Flight 2 – Bone Rock Syrah
 This is the big one, Saxum’s top
Syrah cuvee, consisting entirely of
James Berry fruit. The section of James Berry which produces the bulk of
this wine (and gives it its name) consists of terraces constructed in
1990 on a very steep, rocky hillside composed of layers of shale. The
“soil” is actually layers of rock, which are easily sheared, and this
fractured composition allows the vines’ roots to go deep, and also
provides excellent drainage. The name comes from prehistoric fossilized
whale bones
(left)
found on the site, as the entire region was at one time the
basin of a shallow sea. The first Bone Rock wine was the 1999 Linne
Calodo, but we started with the first Saxum release, the 2000.
2000 Saxum Bone Rock. Very ripe-smelling nose with dried fruit,
caramel, very deep and rich. The palate shows some secondary development
and is fairly open, with less of the sur-maturité quality found in the
aroma. Cherries, berries, ripe plums (but not prunes), ripe but clean
fruit flavors with some minerality, dusty tannins, very long. There is
considerable complexity here, as the primary fruit flavors share the
stage with more interesting earthy and meaty notes. This is close to
prime time drinking and is delicious. Find this wine
 2001 Saxum Bone Rock. This has 5%
Mourvedre and 3% Grenache added
to the Syrah. Similar nose to the 2000, although a bit more closed. Ripe
fruit with some marzipan, dried cherries and cranberries, touch of
truffle. Quite rich on the palate, with superb balance and great depth
and length. Very complex, classic Syrah notes of blackberry, violet,
green olive, hint of stones and forest floor. No hint of heat. Excellent
wine with some room to improve. Find this wine
2002 Saxum Bone Rock. 88% Syrah, 12 % Grenache. Very ripe nose of
deep berry fruit, but not much of a dried fruit quality. Quite rich,
ripe and dense palate, slightly hot (this is close to 17% alcohol).
Decent acid with some dried fruit elements leading to a somewhat sweet,
rather monolithic finish. This pushes the envelope of ripeness for me,
but stays on this side of the line, just. I doubt there’s much room for
improvement here and would recommend drinking this on the earlier side. Find this wine
2003 Saxum Bone Rock. 88% Syrah, 8% Grenache, 4% Mourvedre. Very
ripe and slightly candied nose, and the alcohol shows in a ”fumey”
quality just a bit. Big ripe berry fruit palate that is completely
primary, no development. Rich and very ripe, the alcohol (15.7%,
considered “typical” for Saxum) is completely hidden on the palate under
an avalanche of fruit. Good acidity holds it together well, seems deep
and balanced enough to age well but slowly. Find this wine
 2004 Saxum Bone Rock. 85% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 3% Mourvedre. Nose
shows an odd medicinal note at first, but this blows off to reveal very
ripe blackberry liqueur. Very ripe, rather soft ripe fruit, almost
candied, lacking structure, no tannins. A simple fruity wine, not very
interesting yet, and Justin admits that the 2004’s are showing too soft
and simple at this point in their development as there was very little
tannin, although acids were normal. I’d recommend holding this for
another year to see if it gains additional structure, as this bottle was
much less sweet and candied than a bottle tasted six months ago. But in
general this would appear to be an earlier drinking vintage for Saxum. Find this wine
(Left: Old vine in the Bone Rock section)
2005 Saxum Bone Rock (NYR–not yet released). 93% Syrah, 7%
Grenache. Clear ripe fruit nose, no dried fruit quality, just pure ripe
berries. Rich, ripe palate with excellent balance of acid, no hint of
heat or over ripeness (15.8% alcohol). Already hinting at the complexity
to come, the ripe fruits do not obscure roasted meat, mineral and
truffles. Well structured with smooth tannins, perhaps showing a bit
more oak at this point but not “oaky”, this promises to be one of the
best in the series. Outstanding.
Flight 3 – Broken Stones and
Heartstone
These two bottlings represent the fruit of two vineyards that very much
carry the Smith family stamp: Denner and Heartstone. The Denner vineyard
is directly across the street (roughly southwest) from James Berry
vineyard, and Justin Smith has been involved in the farming of this
vineyard since it was planted in 1999. Heartstone vineyard is
particularly close to Justin’s heart, as he was completely responsible
for the selection of the site, rootstocks, planting and farming of this
vineyard from its inception. Located a few miles to the north and west
of James Berry, the vineyard is 7 acres in size and contains close
plantings of 8 different clones of Syrah, 4 of Grenache, and 1 of
Mourvedre. Broken Stones is a blend of primarily Heartstone and Denner
fruit, while the Heartstone bottling is 100% Heartstone. Although in
some vintages the wines contain more than the 75% minimum to be labeled
as varietal Syrah, they are designed to be GSM blends to distinguish
them from the Bone Rock Syrah.
2002 Saxum Broken Stones. 90% Syrah, 10% Grenache. Ripe nose with
some dried fruit and raisin notes. Very ripe fruit and raisins dominate
the palate, which is also rather hot. There is decent acidity here to
keep the wine from being cloying or flabby, but the dried
fruit-dominates the palate and is a bit too ripe for me. Too much like a
very ripe Paso zinfandel, although with better acidity and potential. Find this wine
2003 Saxum Broken Stones. 80% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 8% Mourvedre.
Ripe nose with some dried fruit, but not nearly as much as the 2002.
Palate is nicely round and ripe, but thankfully not overripe at all.
Much brighter, less dense but better balanced and without any alcoholic
heat, this is very complex with a spicy, rich palate featuring meat, pit
fruits and cherries, herbs and smoke. Great length. This is a terrific
wine that can be drunk now or aged further. One of my favorites of the
tasting. Find this wine
2004 Saxum Broken Stones. 75% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 3% Mourvedre.
Ripe creamy, no raisins on the nose. The palate is rich, deep, and long
but softer and showing less grip than the 2003. Ripe but not dried
fruit, and rather simple and grapey at this point, much like the ’04
Bone Rock, lacking structure. No complexity or development yet. Seems to
lack the character of the vineyards, more generic, not special. Find this wine
2005 Saxum Broken Stones. 74% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 2% Mourvedre.
Ripe with a bit of dried fruit quality, but not raisined or overripe.
Rich, much brighter and structured than the ’04, very deep fruit
supported by excellent balance of acid and tannins. Still very young and
primary, but round and a complete wine that shows outstanding potential.
Back on form. Find this wine
2004 Saxum Heartstone Vineyard. 60% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 10%
Grenache. Like the other ’04’s, this is very ripe with a candied element
on the nose, and quite soft on the palate. Lush and fruity, but not very
structured; simple, and less interesting that the other wines thus far.
Seems more like a straight Syrah right now. Ripe red fruits make this an
easy and enjoyable drink, but I wanted more. Find this wine
2005 Saxum Heartstone Vineyard (NYR). 44% Syrah, 33% Grenache,
23% Mourvedre. Closed nose that takes lots of swirling to open up.
Round, slightly soft but deep fruit, pretty good structure although less
so than the Broken Stones. Decent enough acidity and smooth tannins to
support a rich, ripe but not overripe palate of considerable depth and
length. The varietal components are buried right now but a bit of spice
can be coaxed as the wine airs. This is still a baby but shows good
potential for mid-term aging. 25-30% whole clusters were used here and
probably helped provide a bit of additional tannic grip.
Flight 4 – Rocket Block, and more
Rocket Block is a steep hill within James Berry Vineyard that was
planted to Grenache in 1995. The Grenache-dominated blend that results
is powerful and intense. The James Berry Cuvee is a proprietary blend
begun in 2004 to utilize fruit not used for either Bone Rock or Rocket
Block, as well as fruit from elsewhere within James Berry. Finally,
Booker is a new vineyard and winery to the east of James Berry (adjacent
to L’Aventure) that Justin consults with and obtains a small block of
fruit. He will bottle a Booker-designated Syrah beginning with the 2005
vintage.
2001 Saxum Grenache (unlabelled and unreleased). This bottle,
given to me by Justin some years ago, came from a barrel of Rocket Block
Grenache made for the family as an experiment to see if a separate
Rocket Block bottling was feasible. It essentially is a prototype for
the Rocket Block cuvee. Obviously this “experiment” was a success, as
the Rocket Block took off beginning with the 2003 vintage. Fragrant,
spicy nose of bright , pretty fruit of strawberry and flowers with some
citrus and Provençal herbs; good richness but not especially ripe or
dense; good balance with a touch of finishing heat. This is showing good
development with complex spices and bit of minerality in a very well
balanced package.
2003 Saxum Rocket Block, James Berry Vineyard. 50% Grenache, 40%
Mourvedre, 10% Syrah. Plenty of spice on the nose as well as some dried
fruit notes. Very ripe, rather hot with dried fruit dominating the
dense, extracted palate that is creamy ripe, a bit raisined, but also
shows fresh peach/apricot pit. Just enough acid to hold everything
together. Frankly, this is a bit too ripe and hot for me (16.7%
alcohol), but it’s still very tasty now and balanced enough to stand up
to full-flavored food. But this should be drunk young for its robust
qualities while the fruit is still vigorous. Find this wine
No 2004 Rocket Block was bottled, as Justin did not feel the wine was
distinctive enough to bottle on its own. It was blended into the James
Berry Cuvee.
2005 Saxum Rocket Block, James Berry Vineyard (NYR). 93% Grenache, 7%
Syrah. The nose features pit fruits, Asian spices and
sandalwood. Bright palate that is consistent with the nose, quite rich,
smooth and creamy with excellent balance, fine tannins and decent
balancing acidity. A big wine, but not a heavy one, rich but light on
its feet. Flattens out a bit on the finish, but a very fine wine that
has the structure to age well.
2004 Saxum James Berry Cuvee. 38% Syrah, 36% Grenache, 26%
Mourvedre. Sweet berry fruit with some spice, quite ripe. Softer style
on the palate, ripe but no dried fruit elements, barely enough acidity,
no tannins, a bit simple and short. A bottle of this wine tasted six
months ago seemed sweet with residual sugar, but this is now showing
completely dry (which it is) with plump fruit being the dominant
quality. Perhaps too big to be considered a “quaffer”, but in that
easy-to-drink style. Find this wine
2005 Saxum James Berry Cuvee. 70% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre, 10%
Grenache. Ripe fruit with a bit of spice. Like the ’04, this is ripe
with sweet fruit, but is more structured and all the better for it. Nice
spicy palate with some roasted meat and floral notes emerging from the
deep ripe fruit, a touch of finishing heat, but well balanced. Nice
wine. Find this wine
2005 Saxum Syrah, Booker Vineyard (NYR). 92% Syrah, 8% Grenache.
Very ripe but just short of raisined. Deep, rich with good spiciness and
depth, well balanced with smooth tannins, a bit lower in acid that the
James Berry Syrahs but not flabby, good length. Made from young fruit,
this is a big wine that is very primary and not showing much complexity
now. Seems to have potential.
Saxum through the vintages
Comprehensive tastings such as this really help define the
characteristics of the wines produced by a single a winery and vineyard,
as well as the imprint of the conditions faced in each successive
vintage. Too often, especially in warm climate regions such as Paso
Robles, differences in vintage characteristics are minimized or
considered secondary to the stamp of the winemaker. And to be honest, in
the case of Saxum, the winemaker stamp is both present, and evolving, as
Justin is a young guy who is clearly devoted to learning and perfecting
his craft. Yet he has clear ideas on what he is trying to achieve, and
he adjusts his technique each vintage in an effort to achieve the
distinctive Saxum/James Berry style. This means ripe, but not overripe
fruit with enough balancing acidity to keep the wine fresh and capable
of development in the bottle. Sometimes the weather cooperates and helps
the winemaker achieve these goals, sometimes the weather creates
challenges that the winemaker must strive to manage or overcome.
It seems to me there is a clearly discernable arc in terms of vintage
and winemaking in tasting through all of the Saxum wines. Both 2000 and
2001 offer exceptional balance and depth despite vastly different
condition. In 2000, the weather went from cool to hot to cool again,
similar (although not as badly) as in 2004. In 2001, the weather was
very even with a small crop that was easy to vinify. Yet both years
produced beautiful wines that are ripe but well balanced and show
excellent potential for aging. In 2002, Justin tried to ramp up the
ripeness, and by his own admission may have pushed the envelope just a
bit too far. The weather was also hotter than 2001 resulting in higher
alcohol. The wines are big, but some are a bit too big with some
raisined fruit poking out. Yet there is still enough balancing acidity
to keep them from becoming ponderous or flabby. 2003 represents an
attempt to return to “normal” ripeness levels, and the best wine (Broken
Stones) shows better balance with crisper acids and lower alcohol, yet
both the Bone Rock and Rocket Block are every bit as big as the 2002,
the result of unexpected heat just before the harvest. Still, the wines
are better balanced despite their size. 2004 appears to have been the
most difficult year, as the weather featured extreme heat spikes as the
harvest approached, and sugar levels soared, although acid remained
within normal limits. It is Justin’s least favorite vintage (mine, too),
as the wines are too soft and easy, lacking structure. Yet the structure
may be lurking, as the wines continue to improve with bottle age, so
Justin is hopeful they will improve further. As it is, this is far from
a “bad” vintage for Saxum, just a less interesting one at this point. As
for 2005, all the elements seem to have lined up perfectly, as excellent
weather and Justin’s increasing winemaking skills combined to create a
bevy of outstanding wines that are clearly the best overall he has yet
created from James Berry Vineyard, and his other cuvees.
WOTN: 2000 and 2001 Bone Rock, and 2003 Broken Stones. For potential,
any of the 2005’s could equal these top wines.
Bennett Traub
Reporting From The Left Coast
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In the relatively young Paso Robles AVA, few question that the James
Berry Vineyard is the region’s top source for Rhone varietals. It
has become the most sought-after source for Syrah, and increasingly for
Grenache and Mourvedre as well. It has attained this status quickly,
based primarily on the wines created by three estates:
