2019 Saxum Somnus

The 2019 Somnus is exotic and impossible to ignore with its beguiling spice-box bouquet. White pepper and clove come together with dried roses and blackberries. It smooths over the palate with ripe red and black fruit yet quickly builds in tension as a liquid floral concentration and a bitter tinge of cedary spice and cocoa saturate toward the close. It finishes impossibly long and tannic, but the tannins are sweet and round. Violet inner florals and a saturation of salted licorice linger for ages. The Somnus underwent an extra year of barrel-aging (44 months, 87% new). It’s a co-ferment of Syrah, Graciano, Touriga Nacional and Petite Sirah, with 16% whole clusters. This is not to be missed.

The first release of this co-fermented, extended aging cuvée that collects the most spice-driven, tannic blocks of James Berry Vineyard and Heart Stone, the 2019 Somnus is impressive in its ability to deliver monstrous size and refined intrigue in nearly equal proportions. Composed of 33% Petite Sirah, 32% Syrah, 16% Graciano, 10% Tourginal Nacional and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, it was aged a full 44 months in 87% new 225-liter barrels. The nose is seemingly endless in its dense opacity, showing off a plethora of sumptuous, dark fruit, black pepper and exotic spice aromas that continuously elevate and morph in the glass. The palate continues this lavish profile with a rich, extracted yet muscular texture that provides welcome vibrancy against the immense concentration of the palate. The finish is explosive and multidimensional and impressively continues to gain layer after layer of dark-fruited, chocolate-laden nuance with time in the glass.