Saxum Vineyards, G2 Vineyard Red, Paso Robles, California, 2022

Overview of the Wine
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.

Grape / Blend
44% Grenache, 19% Mataro, 18% Graciano, 14% Syrah, 5% Carignan

Origin
Paso Robles, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A little about the 2022 vintage. The defining feature was a heat wave that settled down over the west coast for an extended visit. Let’s face it, this visitor overstayed their welcome by at least a week! It ended up splitting the season into three distinct harvests. The first brought in fruit that was ready before the real heat kicked in. This included our white varieties, usually the first grapes we pick at James Berry Vineyard, and our early ripening vineyards like Paderewski Vineyard. Then there was the middle harvest, when we brought in fruit knowing that after two weeks of hot weather, needed to come off. The flavors were finally there and if we left them much longer we would be picking raisins instead of grapes. So a chunk of fruit came in at this point, and thankfully we are well versed in co-fermentation, because varieties like Mataro, Carignan and Touriga National that are immune to heat really helped to buffer the varieties like Syrah, Graciano and Grenache, that are a little more temperamental when it comes to adverse conditions. Co-ferm was the name of the game during this part of the harvest, almost every lot of Grenache was 40% Mataro from the get-go. A marriage made in heaven. The last part of harvest included blocks that despite the heat, weren’t close, forcing us to let them ride. After the heat passed, we went out into the field with little manicuring scissors and actually dropped berry by berry the ones that had turned to raisins. A real PITA and we ended up losing 40% of that crop, but what we did eventually bring into the winery was sublime! 

When it came time to blend up these 22s we were blown away. They had matured into gorgeous wines. Very aromatic in the red fruit spectrum, not much of that spicy pepper you get in the wet cool years, but real pleasers. If you’ve enjoyed our 2017s, you know exactly what you’re getting with the 2022s. They will open for business early and stay open late. The tannins are soft, but one thing the heat does is concentrate everything, so they are a hedonistic mouthful.

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 G2 Vineyard checks in as 44% Grenache, 19% Mataro, 18% Graciano, 14% Syrah, and 5% Carignan that’s clearly from one of the leading sites on the west side of Paso Robles. Blackberries, red plums, Asian spice, pepper, candied violets, and incense-like nuances all shine in this killer wine. With full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, sweet yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish, this heavenly bottle of wine deserves 2-3 years of bottle age and will evolve gracefully over the following 15-20 years. It might be the wine of the vintage in 2022.

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The nose is deep, charred and brooding, clearly displaying this site's burly, unabashed power. The palate is a split personality that combines extreme, plush, opulent ripe fruits with a beautifully refined, elegant structure with impressive energy and clarity. The finish is coiled and long, ceaselessly expanding in its grip and dimension, which should carry this wine gracefully well past its 15th birthday.

While there is no shortage of Paso Robles producers who hang their hats on going for the biggest and boldest wines in the area, Saxum's ability to craft powerful wines that deliver opulence and complexity while remaining balanced and authentic is second to none. Proprietor and winemaker Justin Smith's influence in the region is inescapable, as many other premier winemakers in the area either grew up with him, have hired him as a consultant, worked stints at Saxum, or any combination thereof. The wines are a true reflection of the region and, as such, are unapologetically bold and intense. However, they consistently offer nuance and elegance that are fleetingly rare in wines of their size and stature.

94 Points - Vinous
Intense, the 2022 G2 Vineyard bursts from the glass with a mix of crushed raspberry, violet pastille and autumnal spice. Though silky smooth and weighty, this wine lacks the crisp acidity expected. Instead, it offers masses of ripe wild berries, swirling around a core of intriguing mineral notes with a hint of clove. It takes on a liquid floral concentration through the finish, with subtle tannins, hints of baking spice and sweet herbs.

Product size: 750ml