Saxum Broken Stone 2018
- v98
- jd98
- wa95
| Category | Red Wine |
| Varietals | |
| Region | California, Central Coast, Paso Robles |
| Brand | Saxum |
| Alcohol/vol | 15.9% |
2018 was a perfectly normal vintage, and I don't mean that in a negative way. In farming, you want things to be normal. No crazy droughts or floods (here in Paso at least), not super cool or crazy hot, just nice and even. Letting us decide when to pick the fruit and what crop load we want the vines to have. We make the calls as opposed to mother nature making the calls for us. It produces a vintage that is strictly ours to mess up..... and we didn't. We nailed it. The 2018 vintage is very similar to the 2016s. Deep, dark, and structured, but still plenty of ripe tannins. It is another vintage that is really going to benefit from laying down for a handful of years. Drink those '17s before you drink these '18s (except for the '17 Rocket Block, hold that baby indefinitely). These '18s show tons of promise, you just need to be patient with them.
Vinous
- v98
Vibrant purple. Powerful dark berry, cherry cola, incense, potpourri, musky earth, licorice and spice-cake aromas show superb clarity and acquire a smoky mineral nuance as the wine opens up. Sweet, seamless and energetic in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated blueberry, cherry preserve, five-spice powder and floral pastille flavors that are given lift and focus by a spine of juicy acidity. Marries richness to finesse with a sure hand and finishes incredibly long and precise, with gently firming tannins adding shape and closing grip.
Jeb Dunnuck
- jd98
Made in the more meaty, powerful style that this cuvée has shifted to, the 2018 Broken Stones is 49% Syrah, 21% Graciano, 13% Petite Sirah, 8% Grenache, and 7% Mataro, and a splash of Viognier. 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.
Wine Advocate
- wa95
The 2018 Broken Stones is composed of 49% Syrah, 21% Graciano, 13% Petite Sirah, 8% Grenache, 7% Mataro and 2% Viognier aged in around 60% new oak. Vibrant ruby-purple, it opens to char, bacon fat and violets over a dense core of jammy black and blue fruit with lifting minty accents. The palate is full-bodied and packed with ripe fruits, wrapped in a very firm but finely grained frame and with just enough freshness, finishing on a floral note.