Saxum Vineyards was founded by winemaker Justin Smith and is
focused on producing Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (Mataro) based blends from
the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. They let their rocky calcareous
soils, steep hillsides, sunny days, and cooling ocean breezes speak through
their wines by keeping their yields low, picking the fruit at the peak of
ripeness, and using a minimalist approach in the cellar. No chemical
fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides are used in their vineyards. The
bottlings are extremely limited and produce the following nine cuvée's: Broken
Stones, James Berry Vineyard, G2 Vineyard, Bone Rock, Rocket Block, Booker
Vineyard, Paderewski Vineyard, Heart Stone Vineyard, and Terry Hoage Vineyard.
Justin grew up in Paso Robles, helping his father tend to
vineyards in the region and occasionally making a barrel of wine for fun, but
he never had an intention of becoming a winemaker. He left Paso and went to college at Cal Poly
to study Botany. There he would meet
Matt Trevisan, his college roommate and future partner in another winemaking
venture. After leaving college and
moving back to Paso Robles in 1998, Justin's first winemaking endeavor was when
he joined forces with Matt in the project, Linne Calado. After parting ways, Justin went out on his
own and formed Saxum. The first vintage of Saxum was in 2000, and Justin's wine
took off nearly immediately. His 2007 James Berry Vineyard Rhone Blend was
awarded Wine Spectator's 2010 Wine of the Year - no. 1 in the world, and Robert
Parker gave it 100 points.
The 2018 Broken Stones cuvée is a multi-vineyard blend
(utilizing all of the vineyards that Saxum sources from) and is composed of 49%
Syrah, 21% Graciano, 13% Petite Sirah, 8% Grenache, and 7% Mataro, and 2%
Viognier. "It is made in the more meaty, powerful style that this cuvée has
shifted to, Killer stuff, it has a massive Syrah nose of black and blue fruits,
ground pepper, game, and crushed violets. With full-bodied richness, a bright,
juicy texture, ripe tannins, and a rocking finish, it's a thrill a minute and
can be enjoyed today or cellared for a solid decade." Jeb Dunnuck, 98
points.
