2020 Saxum "The Hexe" Willow Creek District Red Blend

“A step up over the Rocket Block and one of the finest 2020s out there, the 2020 Hexe is 51% Grenache, 17% Petite Sirah, and the rest Graciano and Mourvèdre, all from a single parcel of old vines in the James Berry Vineyard. Darker red and black fruits, smoked herbs, graphite, and spicy notes all dominate the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, has terrific concentration, and ripe, polished tannins. It's a gorgeous bottle of wine.” (08/2023)

“The 2020 The Hexe is a blend of 51% Grenache, 17% Petite Sirah, 11% Graciano, 10% Mataro, 7% Syrah and 4% Carignan aged 32 months in 75% new 300-liter barrels and 20% amphora. The nose is poised yet intense, combining savory, decadent aromas of black plums, blackberry compote, black pepper and olive framed by pleasing hints of new French oak that should integrate into further complexity with time in the bottle. The palate is gigantic yet impressively balanced, with a sappy, concentrated, decadent texture slingshotting into a refined, pleasant, expansive finish that grows continuously layered with time—a fantastic success within an immensely challenging vintage. (ML)” (06/2024)

“Depths of exotic florals, wild herbs, stone dust and crushed black currants rise up from the 2020 Hexe. Velvety smooth yet lifted and energetic, it splashes across the palate with opulently ripe wild berries fruits and tactile mineral tones. This firms up through the finish, gently tannic yet full of tension as a bitter tinge of cocoa fades. (EG)” (06/2024)

“A bit of a brute -- but a handsome brute. Offers a concentrated blackberry note highlighted by licorice, smoked pepper and savory meat accents that build torque toward broad-shouldered tannins. Grenache, Petite Sirah, Graciano, Mataro, Syrah and Carignan. (TF)” (10/2024)