Saxum Bone Rock James Berry 2007, 750ml

"The 2007 Bone Rock, which comes from the James Berry Vineyard (82% Syrah, 13% Mourvedre, and the rest Grenache, also aged 28 months in a combination of smaller barrels, demi-muids, and pungeons), is super as well. Like its late-released sibling, it has an inky/purple color to the rim and an extraordinary, soaring set of aromatics consisting of spring flowers, pepper, graphite, blackberry and blueberry fruit with hints of raspberry and licorice and jus de viande as well. The extraordinary freshness and elegance of this wine leads to a minerality that even eclipses the Heart Stone. The finish goes on for a good 45+ seconds, and the purity is awesome. This extraordinary wine completes the 2007 portfolio of unbelievable efforts from the Smiths.

James Berry Vineyard, which I have mentioned many times, remains one of the iconic grand cru sites of California, an extraordinary block of limestone soil spread over a moderately steep hillside. The amazing thing is that there are probably many other sites in the area that are still cow pastures and would probably be just as suitable for the production of high quality grapes. The Smith family (in this case, Justin and his wife Heather) have continued to fine-tune their wines, having moved to proprietary Rhone Ranger blends. All of them are extraordinary in quality. Their 2007s were their greatest vintage to date, but as the following tasting notes evidence, 2008 (which produced another tiny crop from the 55-acre James Berry Estate Vineyards) is extremely impressive as well. I think most readers will find – and this is the case for many wines from California’s Central Coast – that 2008 is a much more inconsistent vintage, but those who waited and waited have achieved impressive success. By and large (and there are always exceptions to the rule), the 2008s are more evolved than the 2007s were at the same time last year."

RP 99