Greg Gregory

9.3

Still plenty of time — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose, sweet & slightly baked; blackberries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries & dark cherries. Raspberry cola, perfect intensity of baking spices, soft & savory grilled meats, touch of fresh herbs, just a whiff of pepper, lavender, lilacs and liquid violets. The palate is full bodied, round & lush. The M-M+ tannins are soft and round and about 60% resolved. Gorgeous in the mouth. The fruits are creamy in style. Ripe; blackberries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries and ripe strawberries. Raspberry cola, vanilla, understated spice, pepper, savoy grilled meats, dry herbs, dry crushed rock powder, a little underbrush, iron pan, loamy dry top soil, some black moist earth, hint of mocha powder, milk chocolate, cigar ash, suede style leather, lavender, lilacs & liquid violets, perfect, round, mouthwatering acidity, great; balance, structure, tension and length. The very long finish is round, lush and has sex appeal. It's drinking really well with a hour/hour & half decant. Better in 1-2 years and has another 4-7 years of really good drinking ahead of it. Great pair with the grilled Kentucky Bourbon marinated chicken skewers and seasoned wild rice. Photos of; Eric Jensen (Owner/Winemaker), tasting room bar, Eric working harvest and the Booker vineyard. Producer notes and history...Booker gets it's name from the two orphan brothers, Claude and Dick Booker, who had purchased the land in the late 1920’s. By the turn of the century, the Booker brothers acquired over 1,200 acres on Paso's westside. The Booker brothers dedicated their lives to being great farmers and humanitarians. Aside from lending their farming knowledge and manual labor to neighbors, they were the area's biggest philanthropists, leaving 100% of their estate to charity when they passed, Dick in 1990 and Claude in 2000. Eric and Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres of the property in 2001. After making wine with Justin Smith (Saxum) for five years and Stephan Asseo (L'Aventure Wines) for two years, the Jensen's started Booker Vineyard. The 2005 vintage was Eric Jensen first release. Booker produces about 4,500 cases a year depending on what Mother-nature gives them. Booker is located on the westside of Paso Robles, immediately joining the famous Stephan Vineyards that produce L'Aventure Wines. The high-density vineyard is mostly Rhone varieties planted on steep hillsides of calcareous shale. They farm organically, sustainable and biodynamic and treat the entire vineyard as a living organism. Booker uses animals (normally sheep) for weed control and solar panels are placed at the house and winery. The Jensen's are definitely doing things right. If you haven't tried Booker, it's worth your effort. — 7 years ago

with Ronald

Mark Blatty

9.5

For me. 1.5L — 8 years ago

with Lindsay and Jenny

Jim McCusker

9.2

This is a 75/25 Roussanne/Viognier blend from Guillaume Fabre, former assistant to Stephan Asseo of L'Aventure and now winemaker/proprieter of Clos Solene. Discovered this place based on a recommendation from L'Aventure, and the wines are fantastic. This one is drinking beautifully right now - terrific aromas of white flowers, petrol, and honeysuckle - but with enough acidity to keep it alive. Will be posting notes on a red we'll be pouring in a bit, but RUN, don't walk to try these wines. — 9 years ago

with Vanessa

Diego Flores

8.9

A solid wine but it lacks the oomph of a L'Aventure, for instance. Great brightness up front but the finish is not particularly memorable. Unfulfilled potential. — 10 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.5

Awesome Paso Robles blend: Syrah, Cab, Petit Verdot. I had it 6 months ago and it was tight, incredible what a little time does!
highly recommended! — 6 years ago

with Christine

Daniel Carter

9.3

Lots of violet flowers...perfect for Mother's Day! The alcohol creeps up on you. — 7 years ago

Rob Brobst III

9.8

Blueberry and lead pencil all the way! Rockstar after a 1 hour soak in the California weather. If you can locate a bottle grab it. — 7 years ago

with Jim, Eric and 2 others

Rusty Beets

9.3

This wine is tres bien. — 8 years ago

Lee Lightfoot

9.0

Snappy and austere , not as much watermelon jolly rancher as previous vintages. Pretty . — 9 years ago

Jeff Lander

8.9

My first red Limoux drank for stage 14 of #TourdeFrance. Interesting blend of three "Oceanique" cepages merlot, cab, cab franc and 3 "Mediterranéen" grenache, syrah, malbec. Very fruit forward and smooth with some strong Bordeaux aromas. Not surprising it reminds me of L'Aventure. A little more rustic but nice. — 9 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.0

Fresh leavened dough and feet on the nose and palate. Dark dark fruit. Loving this. Alcohol a biiiiit high. Dark cherry. Dough. Blackberry. Pepper. A bit of eucalyptus. Ryan initially called French. Reminds me of L'Aventure maybe, but with less petit Verdot finish. Floral notes as it opens up. — 10 years ago

Pekka Holma

9.3

Impressive and terroir driven 100% merlot. Medium to full body. Absolutely gorgeous! — 6 years ago

with Nina

Caitlin Echelbarger

9.3

Great refreshing rose with some grapefruit notes. — 7 years ago

Eric Linderman

9.4

This is 100% Syrah. Tasted blind with 3 other similar Paso wines came in second. Huge unfiltered wine, grapes sourced from L'Aventure. Tons of blue fruit, big lingering finish, rich powerful nose. All of his wines are wonderful. Find them — 7 years ago

Phil Gurin

9.2

Big bold and making a statement... definitely a tribute to their neighbors at L'Aventure. — 7 years ago

John Sweeney

9.1

Good drinker. Not overly complex. — 8 years ago

Chris Nowakowski

9.1

Sweet rousanne & Marsanne are delicious. Pineapple and tropical fruit. Way better than my first experience when all the flavors were muted & closed — 9 years ago

with Brigid

Brandon Boesch

9.6

Way better from a fresh bottle. — 10 years ago

Carlos Torres

9.4

Great wine list find. — 11 years ago