2017 Saxum White James Berry Vineyard

The 2017 James Berry Vineyard White, the first vintage of this wine, is made up of 55% Grenache Blanc, 32% Roussanne, 8% Chenin Blanc and 5% Petit Manseng aged 21 months in 80% new oak. The nose gives warm Golden Delicious apples, quince and poached pear with a hint of baker’s yeast and honey-nut touches. Medium-bodied, it’s fresh and pure in the mouth with a lifted, honeyed finish. 310 cases produced.

Starting with the white from one of the unquestionably great estates in wine today, the 2017 James Berry Vineyard White offers a concentrated, richer style as well as classy notes of caramelized tangerines, toasted spice, orange blossom, and brioche. I love its texture and richness, and it’s beautifully balanced. Saxum’s Justin Smith has hit a home run with these recent vintages, and his 2015s, 2016s, 2017s, and 2018s all have singular styles, with the quality remaining sky-high. The 2018s show the slightly more pure, fresh, yet concentrated style of the vintage nicely. While not yet bottled, these will offer pleasure in their youth as well as benefit from short term cellaring. The 2017s are more pretty, perfumed wines that don’t quite have the density of the 2016s yet certainly don’t lack for fruit. Most are already drinking nicely today, yet as with all great wines, they’re going to evolve gracefully. Lastly, the 2016s are some of the greatest wines I’ve tasted from this estate, and they offer massive, layered, yet impeccably balanced profiles that are a joy to drink today; they’ll also be a joy to drink in 10-15 years as well. As I’ve written more than once, there are few mailing lists worth being one, but without a doubt, this is one of them.