2017 Saxum White James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

My first time trying this wine. It is 55% Grenache Blanc, 32% Roussanne, 8% Chenin Blanc, and 5% Petit Menseng. It is fantastic. Golden in color with just the slightest ruby coloring to it. The nose is tight at first but opens up nicely in the glass. Aromas of caramelized pears, orange peel, wax, and chalk. Full bodied. It is a big wine but deep with complex layers of pears, oranges, spice and smoke. Long finish. Delicious. This drinks great on its own and will work well with bigger foods. Roasted fowl would be a good match. This is drinking great now and should continue for ten to twelve more years.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2017

Current Price:

$145.00USD

America's Best Rhone Style White Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Like many lovers of Rhone style wines from America, we have just returned from the 2008 edition of the annual Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco (March 18). This was the 11th year that the Rhone Rangers , a group of about 200 American producers of wines using 22 varietals traditional to France’s Rhone Valley, have shown off their wines at this public tasting event. This year, about 138 wineries presented approximately 520 wines. During the tasting, we enthusiastically tasted as many wines as we could within the 5 hours (3 public and 2 trade/media) the event was open. We tasted 30 white wines first, and then we tasted 50 reds. We skipped the rosés, not because we don’t love them, but because we didn’t have time. Kudos to Rhone Rangers for providing eco-friendly paper spit cups instead of the plastic cups so common at other tastings. We divided our attention between wines and producers we have known previously, producers new to us, and specific bottlings we didn’t already know. While we found many wines to admire, we are sure we missed other gems.

Read full article

2011 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2011

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$130.00USD

Mostly Syrah with a bit of Rousanne. The 2011's from Saxum are in a great place right now. They drink a bit younger than most of Justin Smith's wines. Pop and pour, this one was great. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, white pepper and "purple" floral notes. On the palate, this has a great texture. Big but not blowsy. Lots of energy. Good acidity. Notes of black raspberries over char and spice. Long finish. This was great on its own (with a cigar) by the fire but will work well with heavier stews and roasted meats, or even cheeses. No hurry, t

2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$40.00USD

This is a blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan, and Clairette Blanche. From a 375ml size bottle which is a great format for early drinking or when one wants just another glass or two. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with pears, spice, slight wax, and slight honey. On the palate, this is full bodied. The pears come thru along with the baking spices. Good balance. Light tannins. Long finish. White Rhone varietals can be tricky to age, but this seems like it should be good for five to seven and probably more. It will work well with sea

2012 Saxum Broken Stones, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2012

Score:

Grade:

A+

Saxum is one of my favorite wineries so no surprise, but this is outstanding. It has really opened up since last tried reinforcing my belief that despite what some say, these big reds are best after ten years in a good cellar. This is made from 79% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah and the rest Grenache, Mourvedre and Roussanne grapes. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, white pepper, roasted meats and slight violets. On the palate, the texture is wonderful. Velvety with excellent acidity. Complex and layered, this unwinds in the glass. And, it is delicious with black raspber

2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$45.00USD

This is their take on a white Chateauneuf du Pape and they do it very well.

2017 Saxum White James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Food and Wine Pairing Tool

Related Articles

America's Best Rhone Style White Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

2011 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

2012 Saxum Broken Stones, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida, Wine Review