Andy@andyberke.com

9.2

Really spectacular. A lot of personality, especially up front — 8 months ago

Jennifer Vargas

9.4

What a pleasant surprise! Lavender on the nose. Sweet wine up front balanced by a slight bitterness from the lavender. The flavor is strong; if you don’t like lavender, you won’t like this wine. Excellent for pairing with sharp cheeses and breads, or for curling up my the fire on a warm spring evening. — 4 years ago

Phyllis DeJaynes

8.9

Light and pleasant cab. — 5 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.2

Big ole beefy bottle. Fancy. Does that mean it’s going to be good? Maybe that it should be aged long? Anyway, pretty cool etched dragonfly on the label. So dark ya can’t look through it in the glass. Smells lovely. Sweet alfalfa blossoms with olives and something musky. Has an herbal side as well. Fenugreek? Fennel? Forests? It’s lovely on the tongue. Savory. Is that bacon? Lamb and prune stew? Or popcorn seasoned with butter, smoked chiles and nutritional yeast? As savory of a red as I’ve every tried. The seasoned pork thing really hits on this. Hint of fruit. Maybe dried plum? Definitely slightly sweet good cured olives. Dark black licorice as well. Drying on the finish. Chewy as Chewbacca’s throaty yelp. If you like big Petite’s and you cannot lie this fits right in your wheelhouse. — 6 years ago

Rebecca Graham

9.0

Delicious. A little heavier than most Pinot noirs. Goes really well with my grilled hamburger. — 8 years ago

Liz Pollen

9.0

Niagara gifts for Americans. 2016 vintage is so light and dry it goes down like water. Not much flavour, but enjoyable. — 9 years ago

Kristin Stein

9.5

Semi sweet white, great balance, — 9 years ago

Rion Morgenstern

9.0

Lovely and unique sake! — 9 years ago

Kelly Brokaw

9.0

Sweet but beautiful notes of blueberries — 2 years ago

DAL 9000

8.9

Soft and dry dark fruit upfront. A hint of oakiness. Then ends with a tannin dryness. — 4 years ago

Shawn Ross

9.5

Excellent, purchase again. — 5 years ago

Brad Carr

9.2

Very dry for a dessert wine — 6 years ago

Jack Bender

8.9

Turkey digestivo — 8 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.3

I drink what David T drinks 😃. I have had most of the Nickel & Nickel wines. (My favorite is still Dragonfly Vineyard, when they have it.) The Quarry Vineyard on the east side of Rutherford is expressed nicely in this wine. Dark cherry, mineral and earth. — 8 years ago

with Joe and Katherine

Kristin Stein

9.5

Semi sweet white, perfect for a summer day — 9 years ago

Kristin Stein

9.5

Dry Riesling, a little sweetness, very refreshing — 9 years ago

Norman

9.1

Izumibashi Black Dragonfly “Kurotonbo” Kimoto Junmai. This is Kimoto style sake which if I understand correctly refers to how they prepare the Koji mold. Color has a slight yellow tint, less than straw-like. I get almost nothing on the nose. The weight is slightly heavier than water and I’m guessing +2 but I don’t have this calibrated yet. Slight bitterness on the palate as it warms, was what I would call sweet initially. Finish lingers for a long time. Will be interesting to hear the pro comments. Not sure on the rice. — 2 years ago

Kennedy Alexis Roehl-Harris

9.1

Mixed with seltzer, drank on an empty stomach, tasty!!! Sweet. — 7 years ago

Catherine Leith

10

Very complex. Went well with charcuterie platter. Smooth notes of French Oak, black cherry, vanilla. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

A night of Saxum and Booker comparisons. On the nose, bright, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranate, vanilla, cinnamon, red vines, crushed volcanic minerals, loamy top soil, dark Burgundian earthiness with dark red florals. The body is M with well resolved tannins. The fruits are bright; dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, cranberries & pomegranate. Vanilla, cinnamon, steeped fruit tea, red vines, cherry cola, crumbled, grey volcanic minerals, limestone chalkiness, stem inclusion, red roses, violets, cherry lifesavers, softened leather, bright red florals, brilliant fresh acidity and a long, lush, round, elegant and well polished finish. This will be even better in 2-3 years. Photos of; the James Berry Vineyard, barrel room, rock shale and Justin barrel tasting. Producer notes and history...Justin's father James was a veterinarian in a fast-growing suburb of San Diego who wanted to live in the countryside. He bought the James Berry Vineyard property when Smith was 10 years old and planted Chardonnay, because that's what he liked to drink. He sold the grapes to Fetzer and argued continually with Bobby Fetzer who wanted them farmed organically. Justin Smith does farm organically, but is not certified because he says, "my dad would keel over." James Smith still lives on the property, a few hundred yards away, and still farms a section of the vineyard for his own pleasure. But he has given over the majority of it to Justin, although that didn't happen for years. It was in the late 1980s, John Alban (Alban Vineyards) that convinced James Smith that the area in western Paso Robles was better for Rhône varieties than Chardonnay. Slowly over time, the Smiths pulled out Chardonnay and replanted to Mourvèdre, Viognier and Syrah. Justin did much of the early work. When he graduated from Cal Poly, he came back to manage the vineyard. As payment, his father gave him one block of Syrah. Justin and his college roommate Matt Trevisan started Linne Calodo winery with the fruit, making 300 cases in their first vintage. They later parted ways and Smith formed Saxum. In 2003, he built the garage winery under his house. By 2004 it was the most crowded building in the county. Villa Creek also made its wine there. At the time, they were all making about 500 cases of wine. Saxum is now well out of the garage and makes around 4500 cases give or take what conditions allow. Only a few hundred cases are not sold to their members and into marketplace, mostly in restaurants in California, New York and Chicago. Saxum's largest production wine is Broken Stones, a multi-vineyard blend that's heavily weighted towards Syrah and is a little more mineral driven. There most famous wine is the one Smith has been farming the longest, the James Berry Vineyard red blend. The stylist labels for Saxum's single vineyard wines are made by local artist Joe Kalionzes. Some change from time to time., but the Paderewski Vineyard, Joe scratched an eagle onto a rock that came from the vineyard and made a block print from it. For the Terry Hoage single vineyard wine, he painted a label and scratched some of the paint away to create a dragonfly because Terry Hoage has a big pond in his vineyard with lots of dragonflies. — 9 years ago