2017 Booker Vineyard

Inky ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet features ripe black raspberry, cherry liqueur, cassis, exotic spice and licorice qualities that show outstanding definition and mineral lift. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering impressively concentrated black/blue fruit preserve, violet pastille, spice-cake and savory herb flavors that slowly tighten up on the back half. Shows superb energy and breadth on a strikingly long, floral- and spice-driven finish shaped by steadily building tannins. (JR)

The 2017 Booker Vineyard is a blend of 76% Syrah and 24% Mataro. It was made with 21% whole cluster and aged 21 months in various vessels including 55% new oak and 30% amphorae. Deep ruby, it has a nose of blackberry and raspberry preserves, orange oil, dusty earth, garrigue, tar and loads of amaro accents. Medium to full-bodied, intense, layered and firm, the palate is lifted by fantastic juicy freshness and finishes long with oodles of floral and citrus accents. 430 cases were made.

The 2017 Booker Vineyard got a few expletives and wows in the notes. It’s a full-bodied, flamboyant, straight essence of Paso Robles beauty that’s loaded with notions of black fruits, chocolate, ground pepper, candied orange peel, and spring flowers. It’s a masculine, powerhouse of a Syrah, which is classic Booker Vineyard. Saxum’s Justin Smith has hit a home run with these recent vintages, and his 2015s, 2016s, 2017s, and 2018s all have singular styles, with the quality remaining sky-high. The 2018s show the slightly more pure, fresh, yet concentrated style of the vintage nicely. While not yet bottled, these will offer pleasure in their youth as well as benefit from short term cellaring. The 2017s are more pretty, perfumed wines that don’t quite have the density of the 2016s yet certainly don’t lack for fruit. Most are already drinking nicely today, yet as with all great wines, they’re going to evolve gracefully. Lastly, the 2016s are some of the greatest wines I’ve tasted from this estate, and they offer massive, layered, yet impeccably balanced profiles that are a joy to drink today; they’ll also be a joy to drink in 10-15 years as well. As I’ve written more than once, there are few mailing lists worth being one, but without a doubt, this is one of them.