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97 WA.
"The 2012 Syrah Broken Stones is a beauty. Made from 79% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah and the rest Grenache, Mourvedre and Roussanne, it offers up full-bodied, decadent, yet incredibly pure notes of creme de cassis, smoked earth, pepper and violets. Seamless and silky, yet with a great mid-palate and notable tannin . . . . Needing no introduction for anyone that’s followed the Wine Advocate or the wine scene in Paso Robles for any time in the past decade, Heather and Justin Smith’s Saxum Vineyards continues to fashion sensational, world-class wines from a number of top sites on the west side of Paso Robles. While I reviewed most of the 2012s last year, I was thrilled to see the late releases this year, and even more thrilled to see that the tannic grip they showed last year had integrated beautifully. These are great 2012s that will still benefit from short-term cellaring and age beautifully. Moving to the 2013s, this is a vintage Justin classified as a “classic” and I think it’s safe to say he was thrilled with the wines. These have more density and richness than the 2012s, with more sweetness to the tannin, yet also the pretty, classy and lively profile that’s the hallmark of the vintage. They’ll be more approachable than the 2012s but still have 15-20 years of longevity. While Justin opted to not bottle any Rocket Block in 2012 (this is still a little up in the air), I think 2013 might be the year we actually see this tiny block of Grenache make it into a bottle. Smith is without a doubt one of the great winemakers of California." Wine Advocate #220, Aug 2015 |