Saxum Vineyards Broken Stones, Paso Robles, USA 2021

Saxum Vineyards is focused on producing Grenache, Syrah, and Mataro based blends from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. We let our rocky calcareous soils, steep hillsides, sunny days, and cooling ocean breezes speak through our wines by keeping our yields low, picking the fruit at the peak of ripeness, and using a minimalist approach in the cellar. We respect our land and farm everything sustainably without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Because our vine’s roots penetrate deep through the fissures in the calcareous soil irrigation is rarely needed. Production is kept around 8000 cases a year divided between ten different cuvees, Broken Stones, James Berry Vineyard, The Hexe, Bone Rock, Rocket Block, G2 Vineyard, Paderewski Vineyard, Heart Stone Vineyard, 4hearts Vineyard, and James Berry Vineyard White.

If a wine can show the best possible expression of where it came from and what season it was grown in, as well as please the senses, you have a great bottle.    — Justin Smith

NOTES FROM JUSTIN:
I’m really excited about this version of Broken Stones. It seems fairly typical. It is Syrah dominated, and was mainly raised in small 225L barriques, about 75% of which were new. However, this is the first year our new Syrah planting up in the Santa
Lucia Mountains made its way into the blend. (What we are now calling Old Creek Vineyard, formerly referred to as Cayucos Ridge.). The new Syrah only makes up around 11%, but it definitely brings a bit of black pepper spice to the game. The
rest is the usual sources, with James Berry Vineyard making up the bulk, a sprinkling of G2, Heart Stone, and a splash of Dusi. It’s a show stopper. Rich in texture, aromas of black fruits and spices, and our characteristic brightness that is always there thanks to our limestone soils. Oh yeah, and the finish goes on and on and on and on……. This wine is a pleaser.

54% Syrah, 24% Mataro, 20% Graciano, 2% Petite Sirah