Booker, The Alchemist, Central Coast

Singing. After a couple of hours in the decanter this was gorgeous, black fruits, medium + tannin and long finish. This has a few years ahead, shame this was my last bottle.

2009 vintage

This is quite nice. The nose is blue fruit with violets and cherry coke. The palate is filled with more blueberries and a bit of cigar ash. At first open, the mid=palate seemed a bit thin, but that has evolved into a more rich, blue fruit blast that coasts the mouth. Good acidity and bright finish that lasts quite a while. This is excellent, but the blue fruit domination keeps it from reaching the elite levels IMO. For the price, …

2009 vintage

Very big wine. Some dark fruits on the nose but not getting much more than that. The taste is explosive with blueberries, pepper and tobacco. The finish is also very spicy with a long mouthfeel. This is right on par with my expectations for this and interested to see where my last bottle with end up.

2009 vintage

Every Booker wine I've ever opened proved to be superliative. This one is no exception - great depth, wonderful fruit taste and a balance between tannins and acidity.

2009 vintage

Wonderfully balanced Syrah dominant blend. Dark, deep, rich black fruits. Perfectly integrated tannins. Smooth, with a long finish.

2009 vintage

PnP. Just didn’t come together for me. No fruit and not much else. Just blah.

2009 vintage

Big, big, big, but avoids being clumsy or overbearing. Could use a pinch more acidity to keep things lively, but that’s borderline nitpicking. The nose is a bit restrained, particularly considering how flavorful it is in the mouth. For a 9+ year old, it’s showing quite young. Overall a great cocktail wine.

2009 vintage

Still thinking about this wine two weeks later. So happy to have cellared this wine for a decent amount of time. I've long loved the French syrah-heavy blends and I was pleased that this one added something to the conversation. A few weeks out, the main lasting impression was how elegant this was (yes, still a brute but an elegant one... like 007). PnP (well, maybe an hour decant)

2009 vintage

delicious, round and sexy. not sure I could pick this as syrah in a blind tasting, but who cares when its this tasty.

2009 vintage

I enjoyed this bottle much more than the first one I had 3 years ago. It's a classic Paso wine with gobs of dark fruit. But the oak was much more in balance, the fruit had purity and freshness, and the finish lingered nicely. Drinking beautifully now.

2009 vintage

Inky dark purple in color. Rich blackberry on the nose with alcohol that persists. Very high acidity with tannins that have resolved to near medium with age. The structure is nothing like the earlier tasting notes. Extremely fruit forward palate of primarily blackberry and a heavy-handed approach to the oak. Silky texture with well integrated alcohol for a luxurious mouthfeel. Strange residual sugar component in a fresh fruit style like a Bandol, rather than a Port. Beautiful wine on the …

2009 vintage

A huge wine for sure, but it's damn tasty. Still black as night with explosive Paso GSM style fruits on the nose, and blackberries, Tar, and licorice on the palate. Seriously full bodied but with a little shot of acidity to keep it drinkable. Still, AFWE peeps should run, not walk away from this wine. Bit of a tannic bite on the finish but I don't see much upside to holding this any longer. Drink up and enjoy if you've …

2009 vintage

Just fantastic. Sweet briery dark raspberry. Tannins have subsided somewhat. Some residual sugar here? Loved it, knock out nose

2009 vintage

A bit unbalanced toward the blackcurrant note, but otherwise tasty.

2009 vintage

Very good. Great flavors, smooth tannins, nice lasting finish.

2009 vintage

Sweet and fruity. This is a big, over the top beast.

2009 vintage

Seriously good place right now. Fragrant & smooth. Tannins are medium, with notes of red & black berry, mocha, with terrific integration & balance. Thanks tacman!

2009 vintage

This was an amazingly good, rich but but very smooth wine. Wish I had a lot more.

2009 vintage

Flavor and balance excellent right now.

2009 vintage

Best Burger Event, Monthly Tasting Group (Jason and Tracy's, Mpls, MN) : Sweet ripe fruit, fairly well balanced, not over the top at this point, very dark fruit, firm tannins. Can hold on a bit more.

2009 vintage

Wonderful. Tannin aged nicely but has more time to improve.

2009 vintage

Mind blowing...seriously. The purity of the fruit is amazing. This bottle was silky smooth and very enjoyable young, much like most of the Booker wines I've had. If you have more than one bottle of this definitely open it now!

2009 vintage

On the sweet side for sure with very rich fruit. Hard to pair with food... maybe some BBQ? But the wine is delicious and the fruit it pure. Oak is kept in check with all the sweet fruit. Not a wine I want to drink often but a hedonistic pleasure as a change of pace.

2009 vintage

Decanted 4 hours. Gorgeous depth and quality to the California Grand Cru quality fruit but it is buried beneath excessive oak. A problem repeated throughout his entire '09 vintage. Even our grilled ribeye couldn't tame it. Aargh, so frustrating!

2009 vintage

Beautiful. Berry juice bomb. Really love how the Cab emerges here. Still a bit of heat which is why my rating is low. 2016 this will be 94 IMO. Booker does not disappoint!

2009 vintage

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Booker, The Alchemist, Central Coast

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