2023 Saxum 4hearts Vineyard

A blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petite Syrah, and 25% Zinfandel, aged 22 months in French oak, the 2023 Four Hearts Vineyard offers exotic aromatics of plums, pepper, tropical flowers, watermelon rind, and exotic herbs. It's full-bodied, with a broad, textured mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and flawless overall balance. This brilliantly pure, seamless, graceful wine has so much to love and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face any time over the coming 15 years or more. Drink 2025-2040. I’ve been raving about the wines from Justin Smith’s Saxum estate for close to two decades now, and at times I feel like a broken record. That said, the quality this family consistently delivers is jaw-dropping year after year. I don’t recommend many mailing lists, but this is certainly one to be on. Looking at the 2023s, the wines are brilliant across the board. They reflect the longer, cooler style of the vintage while staying true to form, with serious richness and depth. The 2022s are much more open and expressive, showing the sunny personality of the year. They still have plenty of structure, and I suspect they’ll age beautifully. It’s also worth noting that as Cayucos Ridge continues to come online, Justin is moving more and more toward estate-only fruit. As a result, 2023 will be the final vintage for both Heart Stone and Paderewski. He’s still holding onto a bit of G2 fruit, but we’ll see how long that lasts. At the same time, a new cuvée called The Old Blocks will replace the former Hexe release, although it will no longer include any G2 fruit.

Spicy to the core, the 2023 4 Hearts Vineyard wafts up with a perfumed blend of cedar box, clove, dusty blackcurrant and a hint of rosemary. Deeply textural and cool toned, it reveals its Cabernet component through a tinge of graphite minerals while ripe red and black fruit drench the palate in primary concentration. Fine-grained tannins frame the palate as the 2023 tapers off classically dry and long, with a resonance of allspice that lingers. Classic in feel and beautifully balanced.