Booker, Vertigo, Paso Robles

Just about opaque. Gushing aromas of pine needles, blueberry, and soil. Full bodied and sappy but it has enough liveliness to avoid being heavy or syrupy. Amazingly deep blue and blackberry, espresso and dark chocolate, earthy core, and ripe tannins hidden behind the volume of fruit. Although this is only 50% Syrah, that varietal dominates. A touch of heat on the finish. Stacked and packed. It should last for decades.

2018 vintage

A neat GSM blend (the Chateauneuf grapes) but heavy on the Syrah. Full bodied and flavorful, great with pizza. 1/27 Another bottle, another 93 :)

2018 vintage

This has certainly improved. Even though it is 55% Syrah, the Grenache is in the forefront initially. Over the evening the dark berries, blood and peber from Syrah becomes more visible, and the wine shows more muscles. Still young, this wine has improved considerably

2018 vintage

Opened several hours beforehand but not decanted. Rich blend of Syrah 55%, Mourvedre 25%, and Grenache 20%. Dark, intense fruit, with the Grenache in the lead at first and then becoming more balanced and integrated. On the second, day, the Mourvedre dominated. Mature. In a good drinking window.

2018 vintage

As a do-over, I’d decant. As an SGM it’s just big and aged enough to warrant it. But a day 2 superstar that offers a very sophistical fruit profile, some garrigue & cedar and a hint of white pepper. The day 1 alcohol heat is absorbed, and brings together a fun mix of north & south Rhone. Finishes with a flourish.

2018 vintage

Another splendid Booker. Lot's of dark fruit that lingers forever.

2018 vintage

Very tight when first popped, opened up over dinner. Not as big a si remember, probably on way down

2018 vintage

Just fantastic! Not as jammy and in your face as previous vintages, which I believe it a nice change. EJ approach to his wines has evolved over the years and this is a perfect example of elegance and restraint, while still having brooding dark fruits along with subtle hints of smoke and bacon fat. Coats the mouth. Yum.

2018 vintage

Like before, with the alcohol turned down a notch.

2010 vintage

Brilliant purple. Exciting aromas of violet, thyme, and spice. Powerful attack but really only medium bodied. Fresh, tangy blueberry and blackberry complicated by soil, licorice, and citrus with a long, harmonious, chocolatey finish. Great acidity for such a warm climate. Fantastic wine that is already displaying tremendous complexity while retaining its verve. This should easily age for another decade.

2013 vintage

A bit heated probably due to the alcohol level, but quite good anyway. Bing cherries and bramble. Long finish and tannins are fairly well integrated.

2010 vintage

Dark. Purple fruits, pepper and spices. Rich and smooth. Medium/full bodied and balanced. Integrated tannins and a medium length finish. Not quite the wow factor as other vintages of Vertigo I've consumed. Paired with a burger/rice casserole. Would be a better match with grilled meats.

2018 vintage

Top ten wine for my this year

2018 vintage

Deep purple, jammy. In a very good place right now, highly recommend.

2018 vintage

woody you will like this

2018 vintage

Blackberries, black cherry, leather and pepper. Smooth and balanced. Full body. Fine grain tannins and a long finish. In it's zone. Delightful wine.

2013 vintage

Color/App: deep, dark, ruby core -> moderately deep, slightly diffuse ruby rim with no bricking yet evident. Bright, intoxicating nose of Bing cherries, raspberries, rhubarb, graphite, some charred oak and a clutch of violets. Plush mouthfeel showing red fruits (see above), a little smoke and earth (Mourvedre). Pumped-up midpalate and some fine-grained, low level tannins make this really pleasant to drink. Long, luscious finish that does a good job hiding that 15.6% Etoh. Impressive, well balanced, and drinking perfectly; this …

2010 vintage

A little disappointed with this one. Not at the heights I am used to with Booker. Maybe a little closed. Anyway, nice, but no real impression

2018 vintage

Winery tasting. Fruit like blueberry in the front. Solid middle with some tobacco. Long finish. This works. I prefer a bit of age but excellent at the tasting.

2018 vintage

Medium+ ruby. Medium intensity aroma of black cherry, spice. Dry, medium acidity, medium- tannin, medium+ alcohol. Medium body. Medium intensity flavor of red cherry, blackberry, black pepper, plum. Medium finish. Spicier, more of a Côte du Rhône style. Peppery. Smooth tannins.

2018 vintage

Good spice; Nice definition; Ripe raspberry

2018 vintage

Earthy nose, complex and delicious dark rich fruit on the mouth with a tremendously long rich finish. Just joined their wine club on my last trip to Paso and this was their first shipment. Very glad I joined. Most of their wines I cellared but chose to pull this out for a dinner tonight instead of racking it in the cellar.

2018 vintage

The 2018 Booker Vertigo is a GSM blend (30/40/30) made with 30-35% stem inclusion and new oak. Fresh blue fruits (plums, blueberry) dominate, but there is some earthier and meatier elements in there as well. Once again, a great mouthfeel with the fine grainy tannins. There is lot of unintegrated new oak so let this rest for another 3 years. Virtual tasting of the 2018 Booker Ripper, Vertigo, and Fracture with Booker and friends.

2018 vintage

Successful pairing with Kalbi-style grilled beef short ribs. After decanting for about 3 hours on day 1 the Syrah notes were the star, leaping out of the glass and featuring prominently on the palate with green pepper notes. Day 2 was much more integrated with blue fruits coming out. Plenty of life left and would recommend a long decant.

2013 vintage

Syrah predominates initially, a bit of dark fruit and char, the palate gives up more Grenache and Mourvèdre with blueberry, sweet; long finish. Great QPR, showing better even after a month or two since the last taste. 93-94

2018 vintage

What a beauty! Shows why the GSM (in this case SMG) recipe is so successful. Big and full but smooth and integrated. Nice job from Booker on a classic formula. 4/30/21 Another bottle, this time 93. A big CA version of Chateauneuf, fun to drink. A mouthful!

2013 vintage

Smells like Syrah, lovely meaty nose, a bit of a candy sweet palate, but finishes nicely. More fruit forward than I'm used to; crowd pleaser but a touch sweet for me; May be better in a year or two. 92

2018 vintage

Big, lush, aromatic GSM in an excellent place. Balanced. Long finish. Perfect with filet mignon. Open up beautifully with some air time. Killer stuff.

2010 vintage

Drinking well although a bit too full, sweet and jammy for my taste. My wife loved it so just a function of style preference. We both enjoyed it though and the score is a compromise between the two of us. Worked well with grilled ribeye.

2013 vintage

Quite good. Not a fan of these wines upon release, but this aged, and properly aerated example was just lovely, showing restraint, balance, and freshness. Could easily have been confused with some modern-leaning old world efforts. Time has been good to this, and all is in a proper proportion. Best to aerate in decanter at least one hour, and serve < 18,5C. A nice surprise, with several years yet ahead. recommended

2010 vintage

Ok, another winner from Booker. A fault, or at least a stylistic minus for me, is the “heat” of this wine. There is a burn associated with the high alcohol that subtracts from its elegance. This attribute aside, the wine is stunning. Bring this into balance and you’d have a wine leaving nothing to be desired.

2010 vintage

Just a perfect vintage and wine. Booker does a nice job. Cheers

2018 vintage

Big, lush GSM wine with plenty of character. Lots of life left in it. Enjoyed with steak & mushroom sauce.

2010 vintage

Fabulous

2013 vintage

Popped and poured at BYO. Great food wine.

2013 vintage

Extremely well made blend. Totally seamless, with everything from nose to mouthfeel engendering a unique characteristic greater than the sum of it's parts. This is why we don't always drink single-varietal wines!

2013 vintage

Well.. that was good. Glad I took the advice of others and popped this gem.

2013 vintage

Big, lush and powerful, but age has given this some graces as well. Black and Blue berries, freshly tilled earth, and coffee notes.

2010 vintage

Amazing GSM from Booker. Layers upon layers. Nicely aged and smooth.

2013 vintage

Started really good but started to run flat after a little while.

2013 vintage

Rich, dense and luxurious blend of Syrah 45%, Mourvedre 29%, and Grenache 26%. Integrated so that no one varietal overwhelms. What a wonderful Booker wine.

2013 vintage

Pop and pour. Smooth, silky GSM from this reliable producer. Black licorice with a touch of sherry on the palate. Well balanced. Showing beautifully.

2013 vintage

Consistent with previous notes. Drinking at peak I think.

2010 vintage

Fabulous wine. Aged to perfection. Wish I has more.

2010 vintage

Deep, dark purple in color. A mouthful of cherries, licorice and light tannins. Spectacular.

2013 vintage

Delicious! Just great all around, wonderful fruit, nicely structured, wish I had more.

2013 vintage

This was a beautiful, rich wine even with only five years of age and having been poured without being decanted. Wish I had ten more of these.

2013 vintage

This is a very nice, big and bold red wine. The blend is 63% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 12% Mourvedre, aged in 50% new oak barrels. The nose shows off red cherry, ripe plum, charcoal, and some cooking spice. On the palate, the wine is velvety, with beautifully melting tannins that have softened with bottle age. The fruits and spices repeat from the nose, leading into a long and fruit-driven finish with moderate complexity. Drink this very pretty wine now …

2010 vintage

Drinking very nicely now. No edge, just a big, full wine.

2010 vintage

Luscious, velvety, strong and elegant - all in one!

2013 vintage

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Booker, Vertigo, Paso Robles

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