Blended of 48% Syrah, 21% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah and 1% Roussanne, the 2015 Broken Stones displays a deep garnet-purple color and nose of freshly crushed black cherries and blueberries with touches of fertile loam, garrigue, mossy bark and rare beef. Full-bodied with wonderful vitality and purity, it has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and a very long, pepper-laced finish.

The 2015 Broken Stones showed even better from bottle than barrel, which is common with Justin’s wines. A blend of 48% Syrah, 21% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the rest Petite Sirah and Roussanne, brought up in 75% new oak, it offers a classic, textbook 2015 straight and focused style as well as ample black and blue fruits, thyme, chocolate, and smoked earth. It has a dark, earthy edge and is full-bodied, silky, and elegant on the palate. It will benefit from short-term cellaring and cruise in cold cellars for over a decade. This report looks mostly at the 2016s from undeniable superstar winemaker, Justin Smith. Smith is one of the pioneers of the Paso Robles wine scene yet remains as humble and accessible as ever. Speaking about the 2016s, these are the strongest set of releases since the 2007s, and I suspect at maturity these wines will be even better. They have a rare sense of depth and richness paired with purity and precision, as well as singular characters, and these truly are special wines. The 2016 James Berry is quite possibly the greatest wine ever produced from the region and is a legendary wine in the making. Do whatever you can to latch onto a few bottles of this magical elixir. The majority of the 2016s will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, but good luck keeping your hands off of them. The 2017s are similarly styled, yet they have slightly more elegance and approachability compared to the denser, richer 2016s. I suspect these will continue to put on weight as well with additional time in barrel. As I’ve said in the past, there are few mailing lists worth staying on in today wine world; this is one of them.