an annual purchase over the past decade, there is occasional premox and common price increases, but it is a premier cru that always performs at grand cru level. This bottle is packed, full of citrus and acid, tightly coiled and so promising, such a graceful elegant wine. It’s a 30 year wine that’s just a baby now. — 3 years ago
A lunch for the folks who have been extremely generous and influential in my wine journey. Salon always needs 20 + years from vintage. As expected no where near maturity.A shy nose of apple , pear and flint. On the palate more round than linear. Acidity is very good but not as assertive as some previous vintages .A coiled spring. — 9 months ago
Showing very young with notes of lemon, porphyry, some florals but faint and barely ripe apricot. Some confectionary comes through as well. Tightly coiled on the palate but has terrific freshness and just insane acidity. Electricity. Tactile impression of minerals and faint fruit on the backend which dissipated gorgeously. So pure and so sappy. Exceptionally long. Needs to open a lot. But 9.5 for now. Getting more confectionery on the nose after some air. More elegance as well. But fiercely mineral. Almost no fruit. A contrast to last time I had this. — 2 years ago
I double decanted this for about an hour then consumed from bottle over the next three.
I’ve had most of the Saxum offerings, but I don’t think I’ve had Broken Stones before, yet it’s just absolutely killer like every other Saxum I’ve had. Deeply purple/black in the glass with aromatics of roasted blueberries and blackberries that are then dipped in dark chocolate, alongside smoked meat. I never know how else to describe it, but certain high quality Paso Rhône style blends have this airy/weightless-jammy flair to them, which I love…definitely present here. Coiled up at first but as the evening moved on, the layers kept unfolding with notes of charcoal, spiced dark fruits, cherry jerky. Perfect balance of acidity & tannin.
Best in 2-3yrs, but quite enjoyable with 3-4hrs of air now. — 2 years ago
After visiting here last Fall, and leaving with more wine than any other visit (mostly due to their incredible white wines), this has been a fun wine to follow. This is my second to enjoy, and I think I have one left. For a 2014, this was pretty tightly coiled.
76 cab/24 cab franc. Love those percentages, especially from To Kalon. It certainly sports the classical powerful To Kalon flair with dominant black cherry and plenty of fragrant aromatics of violets and potpourri. Even after a few hours of bottle air, this remained tannic and slightly unyielding (very uncommon for 2014 valley floor Napa). At the end of the evening, it gave way to sweet pipe tobacco, black currant, dark spiced red fruits, and savory herbs. Hard to deny the powerful black cherry core that To Kalon normally sports. I’d hold for another 5yrs or decant 3+ hrs. — 2 years ago
Jay Kline
As far as I’m concerned, these School House Mescolanzas are like, the anti-Napa Zinfandel. They are just so different from anything else out there. Until they get close to 10 years from vintage, they are backward; lean, green and mean. But if one has the patience, they eventually become quite charming. For this bottle, I did not follow my own advice.
Popped and poured, consumed over four days. On Day 1, this was completely coiled and the oak seemed a bit out of balance. I finished my glass and placed the cork back in the neck of the bottle. I checked in for a small taste on Day 2 and 3. By Day 4, it had opened enough to really enjoy. The 2016 School House “Mescolanza” Zinfandel Blend pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core. Medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. There appears too be some very faint signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing. Expressive of dark bramble fruits, stone minerals, and baking spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium(+?) tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes on the nose. The finish is medium(+). This has all of the trappings for very nice expression of this wine but it’s a little young to my taste. Best after 2025 and these will drink well through 2037…and possibly longer. — 9 months ago