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Saxum James Berry Vineyard Rocket Block 2020 750ml
SALE
Sample image only.Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering, the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description.
SKU 925358
$259.94Original price was: $259.94.$239.94Current price is: $239.94./bottle
1 in stock
Availability: There is 1 bottle available for Rapid Shipment or in-store pick up at our location in Ballston Lake, N.Y.
This is a Grenache-dominant blend from the ‘favourite’ Grenache block of the estate James Berry Vineyard that gives a lighter, more ethereal side of Saxum. A powerful wine wrapped in a cloak of delicacy, with a persistent finish of dark fruit and liquorice notes. On the nose, ripe red fruits from the California sun, black pepper, and baking spices are confirmed on the palate.
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
Region
California
California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
Appellation
San Luis Obispo
DC95pts
Decanter
This is a Grenache-dominant blend from the ‘favourite’ Grenache block of the estate James Berry Vineyard that gives a lighter, more ethereal side of Saxum. A powerful wine wrapped in a cloak of delicacy, with a persistent finish of dark fruit and liquorice notes. On the nose, ripe red fruits from the California sun, black pepper, and baking spices are confirmed on the palate.
VM94pts
Vinous Media
The 2020 Rocket Block mixes savory and sweet with an array of plum sauce, sage, black raspberries and cloves. This washes across the palate like liquid velvet, with bitter red and blue fruits that are perfectly contrasted by violet pastille and a core of juicy acidity. Staining and long, just gently tannic and full of energy, this slowly fades with citrus-laced blackberries notes.
JD93pts
Jeb Dunnuck
Just bottled, the 2020 Rocket Block checks in as 82% Grenache, 13% Counoise, and the rest Mataro. It shows the more challenging style of the 2020 vintage but is unquestionably a beautiful wine, offering smoky dark fruits, roasted herbs, cured meats and pepper. Full-bodied, straight, and focused, it has fine-grained tannins and outstanding length. It's clearly not at the same level as previous vintages and shows some smoky nuances on the nose, but stays clean, although narrower and more foursquare on the palate. It will evolve for over a decade.
WA92pts
Wine Advocate
While not overtly smoke-tinged, the 2020 Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard opens with a muted, inward nose that never quite lifts off the ground as it usually would. The palate is almost frustratingly delicious and sumptuous before transitioning to a finish tinged with gritty fruit framed by grainy tannins. While this, unfortunately, lacks the impressive power and elegance of its typical self, the effort here is to be commended, as the overall commanding nature of this site does show through despite the faults.
Rapid Ship
