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Wine Description
The Story
Owned by Eric and Lisa Jensen, the Booker Vineyard is extremely steep and rocky with a mix of calcareous and siliceous soils. We lease 2 acres of East facing Syrah that produces extremely concentrated fruit with great acidity, 1 acre of a North West face that we ferment whole cluster to produce a black tannic wine with great texture, and 1 acre of Mataro on a South slope that gives wonderful intensity and structure. The resulting blend is very concentrated, with great texture and tons of fruit and spice. We age it for 20-26 months mainly in new 350 Liter French hogshead barrels with extra thick staves. Our wines are never racked off their lees and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Wine Information
The 2018s are some of the most complex and nuanced wines we have ever released (and will definitely benefit from 3-30 years of aging.) Structured and built like a brick, while at the same time the copious tannins are coming together nicely. I really dig them. To be honest, I was a little scared when I tasted them last. They were so tightly focused and intense. Now I'm seeing how quickly they have softened up, coming out of their proverbial shells. I know it's cliche, but iron fist in a velvet glove suits them well. I have previously compared the 2018s to the 2016s, but now that I've had some time to get to know both vintages I find them to be less similar than I first thought... I think '18 might be better. Yes, you heard it here first. Our '18s might be better than the much regaled '16s. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm slinging them today!) I think the '16s may be a bit more generous and forthcoming, but the '18s will outshine the '16s in their complexity. I'm looking forward to some side by side comparisons in 5 or 6 years. It shall be a momentous battle!
Vintage 2018
Seamless season of heavenly hangtime and phenomenal phenolic development
February saw abundant rains, followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Both bud break and flowering occurred a bit late, but under ideal weather conditions, creating plentiful and even fruit set. Summer brought generous sun during the day and cooler marine influences, virtually uninterrupted by major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created near-ideal conditions for winemakers to allow their fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels. Volume is looking great, up 20-30% increase over average crop quantity.