2023 Booker Vertigo

Tellicherry peppercorns bring slightly heady seasoning to meaty boysenberries and mountain berries. A savory center and licorice-root tannins mingle with dried sage, Mediterranean scrub and woodsy spices, layered with chewy, plummy and brambly fruit. Drink or hold.

Based on 49% Syrah, 32% Mourvèdre, 18% Grenache, and 1% Viognier, the 2023 Vertigo EXT has a deep purple hue and a great perfume of cassis, graphite, blackberries, smoked meats, and peppery nuances. Offering a more Old World-like complexity and character, it’s rich, medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. This is another smoking good effort that readers will absolutely love. Booker Vineyard, founded by Eric Jensen in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, was fully acquired by Constellation Brands in 2021 after an initial minority stake in 2020, and Jensen remains involved. Winemaking is now led by Senior Winemaker Molly Lonborg (appointed in 2025) alongside GM/Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Pete Turrone. The lineup includes a single white, the Grenache-based Ripper, the GSM blend Oublie, the Syrah-led Vertigo, the 100% Syrah Fracture, a varietal Tempranillo, tiny Ones bottlings (Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon) from the best barrels, and EXT versions that see extended élevage. The 2024s are still in barrel and primary, the 2023s are bottled and already showing their class, and overall these are medium to full-bodied, structured, age-worthy wines. While it’s valid to worry about quality when an estate is purchased by a larger corporation, the quality here remains every bit what it’s been.