One of the modern-day legends of California’s Rhône Rangers, Saxum’s founder, Justin Smith, has revolutionized the quality and expression of Paso Robles wines. In launching the Saxum Vineyards label twenty years ago, he lifted the reputation of Central Coast wines overall. The heart of Saxum is the estate’s James Berry Vineyard, planted by Justin’s father, James Berry Smith, in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the site was planted over to Rhône varieties and the rest, as they say, is history. In 2015, a new, state-of-the-art winery/cellar was carved into one of the vineyard’s steep hillsides, allowing for a seriously cool (in both senses of the word) atmosphere for Justin to forge his creative expressions based around the rocky, calcareous soils of his family vineyard and other sites he selects for his labels.

Last week, I tasted at Saxum with Justin and his son Colin, who has recently become a “permanent” member of the Saxum team. The tasting was a mix of the bottled wines from the 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages – three very different years with clear signatures that weave distinctive styles into the unique collection of evocative single vineyards, single block, and master-blend expressions.

Justin creates blends based mainly on Grenache and Syrah. Mourvèdre also plays a role in most of the wines, but Justin prefers the name Mataro. “It was called Mataro here in America for the last 100 years or so,” he told me. “Our oldest vines here are real Mataro clone.” In addition to these Rhône varieties, he also likes to work with California classics—Zinfandel and Petite Sirah—and the Spanish varieties that have become popular around this area, Graciano and Tempranillo. 

2018 was clearly a phenomenal vintage at Saxum. “The 2018s are some of the most complex and nuanced wines we have ever released (and will definitely benefit from 3-30 years of aging.),” Justin said in his notes on the vintage. “Structured and built like a brick, while at the same time the copious tannins are coming together nicely. I really dig them. To be honest, I was a little scared when I tasted them last. They were so tightly focused and intense. Now I’m seeing how quickly they have softened up, coming out of their proverbial shells. I know it’s cliche, but iron fist in a velvet glove suits them well.”

The 2018 James Berry Vineyard Bone Rock (released earlier this year) I tasted with Justin is through-the-roof good. The brightness and intensity of this wine genuinely speak of 2018’s extended, more moderate growing season—the perfect conditions to produce a perfect wine!

“2019 was great,” Justin told me as we tasted the 2019 James Berry Vineyard Rocket Block. “It got warm enough to ripen everything but not so hot that we lost the spice. I love the spice of this vintage!” When Justin saw my jaw drop after tasting this wine, he smiled and said, “Yep, that’s why we call it Rocket Block. Like a rocket.”  

“Luckily, the 2020 fires weren’t too close to here,” Justin commented as we came to taste the 2020s. “I think we got through pretty well. There were a few barrels we didn’t like, and they were taken out.”