Tag: rhone blend

Delicate and Floral Rhône Blend From Paso Robles

Today’s Story: Booker Vineyard

Booker Vineyard as it exists today stems from the purchase of 100 acres by Eric and Lisa Jensen in 2001. The history of this land, however, traces back to the late 1920s when Claude and Dick Booker, two orphaned brothers, purchased land on Paso’s Westside that amassed to more than 1,200 acres by the turn of the century. The Bookers were some of Paso’s best-known residents for their farming knowledge and philanthropy, with their largest gift being 100% of their estate left to charity when Dick died in 1990 and Claude died in 2000.

Now back to 2001 with Eric and Lisa, the couple intended to use their new land to grow grapes for some of the best wineries in the Paso Robles area. Though they achieved this goal selling grapes to Saxum for five years and L’Aventure for two years, Eric and Lisa wanted more out of their land and decided to bottle their own wine beginning with the 2005 vintage. A unique and more personalized expression of their land, Booker wines are made by Eric Jensen himself.

Though Booker did not receive organic certification until April 2021 and they are not certified biodynamic, their farming practices have always pulled inspiration from both philosophies. The Jensens have come to realize that biodynamic farming practices help maintain the interconnected lifestyle and cycles of all entities in the vineyards, providing a boost to soil and vine health that becomes apparent in their wines. Furthermore, the vines are planted in rather high density so each plant can focus its energy on few clusters that create concentrated wines rather than an abundance of fruit. This is also important because Booker’s vineyards do not get much water.

Much like the mentality in the vineyards, Booker makes their wines in minimalist fashion. Eric strives to interfere as little as possible, with his red wine fermentations started using pump-overs and moving to punch-downs in most cases once fermentation starts. The wines are not racked until bottling and these wines are typically aged for 18 months. With his white wines, Eric doesn’t stick to a particular formula or practice and tries to make wines that stand out within the region. For more, check out the Booker website here where much of the above information finds its source.

To explore another bottling from Booker after today’s tasting notes, I previously reviewed the 2016 Vertigo GSM Red Blend.

Today’s Wine: 2017 White

49% Roussanne, 30% Viognier, 12% Chardonnay, 4% Clairette Blanc, 3% Grenache Blanc, 2% Marsanne; 14.8% ABV

The 2017 White is pale to medium gold in color. I let this open up in the glass for about 30 minutes or so. The aromas are of medium intensity, and the very delicate and floral nose showcases aromas of dried pineapple, white peach, mango, white lily, chamomile, brioche, and wet river stone. The flavors are also of medium intensity, and on the palate I get notes of pineapple, Meyer lemon, tropical citrus, orange peel, beeswax, chamomile, dried wild herbs, and stony mineral. This dry white blend is medium- to full-bodied with an oily mouthfeel, medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish.

Price: $50. I think this is a solid price-point for this wine, particularly for how true to variety it is given the blend. The ABV is certainly higher than I prefer in my wines, but it doesn’t stick out at all and the balance here is great. While there may be better “values,” this is a delicious wine from a great producer.

Coveted Paso Robles Rhône Blend – For Good Reason

Today’s Story: Saxum Vineyards

Saxum Vineyards is a highly regarded winery in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, established in 2002 by husband and wife Justin and Heather Smith. The winery is situated in the James Berry Vineyard, a property purchased by Justin’s father around 1980 which he planted to white grape varieties popular at the time. However, toward the end of the 1980s the Smith family started replanting their vineyard to Rhône varieties following the suggestion by a friend, and today Saxum is known for their Grenache, Syrah, and Mataro dominated blends.

The Saxum vineyards are planted on steep hillsides and rocky soils, with the region offering sunny days and cool ocean breezes. Yields are kept low to create healthy, concentrated berries and the fruit is picked at optimal ripeness to ensure profound texture in the finished product. A sustainable and rather uncertified organic viticultural philosophy is followed by minimal intervention in the cellar, allowing each of the ten crus produced by Saxum to show a true sense of place while being profound and elegant at the same time. Saxum produces roughly 8,000 cases of wine per vintage nowadays, with all bottles highly allocated to a mailing list with a very small amount making it to retail or restaurants. To put this demand into perspective, I’ve been on the Saxum waiting list for about 4 years already and from what I hear have several more years to go.

To learn more about Saxum, particularly their individual bottlings with incredible libraries of tasting notes, check out the website here.

Today’s Wine: 2016 Broken Stones

52% Syrah, 18% Mataro, 10% Grenache, 10% Tempranillo, 8% Petite Sirah, 2% Roussanne; 15.9% ABV

The 2016 Broken Stones is opaque deep purple in color with deep ruby hues. I decanted this for 3 hours and drank it over the following 2 given its youth. There’s pronounced intensity on the nose, offering up aromas of blackberry, juicy black plum, black cherry, violet, lavender, licorice, roasted game, grilled herbs, scorched earth, gravel, clove, vanilla, and charred cedar. With the proper stemware, the alcohol level goes practically unnoticed. Meanwhile the palate also offers flavors with pronounced intensity, including blackberry, blueberry, black plum, anise, smoked meat, violet, cracked black pepper, dried green herbs, a touch of smoke, vanilla, baking spice, and coffee grounds. This dry red blend is full-bodied with medium acidity, high and grippy tannins, high alcohol, and a long finish. Surprisingly the alcohol practically blows off and this wine showcases great depth, balance, and immense promise at such a young age.

Price: $135. While there are better “values” out there, I think this is fairly priced in the secondary market even though it gets released at $98. The complexity, elegant power, and depth to these wines are truly special based on the several I’ve tasted over the years and this 2016 Broken Stones is no different.