2019 Booker Fracture

Saturated purple. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe blackberry, kirsch, candied licorice and violet scents that turn spicier with air. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering intense, smoke-tinged black and blue fruit liqueur, exotic spice, vanilla, olive paste and floral pastille flavors that pick up a minerally nuance as the wine opens up. Shows superb delineation and spicy cut on a strikingly long, energetic finish framed by sneaky, well-judged tannins.

The 2019 Fracture is energetic and mineral-driven this vintage. It has a medium ruby-purple color with rich cassis on the nose, accented by nuances of tar, iron, bergamot and charcuterie. The medium-bodied palate has a silty structure and fresh acidity that highlights its spicy undertones, and it finishes very long. It's drinkable now but has a long life ahead in the cellar.

The 100% Syrah 2019 Fracture comes all from the Booker Estate Vineyard and is another pure, balanced, incredibly classy wine from this estate. Loads of darker fruits, ground black pepper, crushed stone, and scorched earth give way to a medium to full-bodied, powerful, concentrated Syrah that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for 10-15 years. Eric Jensen continues to tweak the style of these wines, and today the wines play in the much more elegant, streamlined end of the spectrum while still bringing plenty of classic Paso Robles fruit and texture. Alcohol levels are almost all under 14.5%, yet the tannins are ripe, and the wines have solid mid-palate density, integrated acid levels, and straight-up terrific overall balance. These all required plenty of air to show at their best, and I don’t think there’s a wine reviewed that won’t benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age.