Booker Vineyard Vertigo 2020
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Vinous
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Vertigo is their Syrah-based blend, showcasing some new varietals this vintage! It is spicy, structured, and always performs. The name is a nod to the steepness of the hillside on their estate where they grow the fruit for this wine. Debuting a blend with just a bit of Petite Sirah and Tannat from the estate, it is also the only Booker wine from the 2020 vintage to be crafted from a whole cluster fermentation.
Aromas of dark chocolate, dark berries and a hint of smoked meats are sure to blow your mind. The palate offers plum, cinnamon and black pepper that gives way to a long and exciting finish.
Blend: 47% Syrah, 32% Mourvedre, 9% Grenache, 7% Petite Sirah, 5% Tannat
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Deep and brooding nose with dark cherries, grilled meat. Slightly reductive, with flinty crushed stones, sweet dark cherries, cocoa powder. Crunchy, bright and juicy palate full of blue and black berries. Really tight but caressing. Drink now or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2020 Vertigo, and it's one of the standouts in the lineup, which has been the case now for a number of years. Lots of cassis and assorted blue fruits as well as violets, graphite, and chocolate give way to a full-bodied, ripe, incredibly sexy barrel sample that has beautiful fruit. It seems free of smoke as well.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Vinous
The 2020 Vertigo Extended is dark and rich in the glass with savory herbs, seared meats, currants and brown spice forming its dramatic bouquet. It's softly textured and round on the palate, with plush wild berry fruits and exotic spice. This finishes with decent length and concentration, leaving gritty tannins to fade slowly. Throughout it all, the 2020 maintains marvelous freshness. Of note, I don’t pick up any notes of smoke as I did from the regular version of the Extended, which is matured only for 18 instead of 22 months in oak. Today, this is one of the top wines in Booker’s 2020 portfolio.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Vertigo is a blend of 47% Syrah, 32% Mourvedre, 9% Grenache, 7% Petite Sirah and 5% Tannat. Medium ruby-purple, it's slightly reticent on the nose, taking time to reveal blueberry and blackcurrant fruit with touches of dried herbs, tar and violet. The medium-bodied palate is lighter than expected with bright acidity, supple texture and a floral finish.
Other Vintages
2017-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
Booker Vineyard is located on Paso Robles' Westside, immediately joining the famous Stephan Vineyards that produce L'Aventure Wines. The high-density vineyard is mostly Rhone varietals planted on steep hillsides of calcareous shale.
The name Booker comes from the two orphan brothers Claude and Dick Booker who had owned the land, as well as hundreds more acres on Paso's Westside. The Booker brothers were Paso's favorite sons, dedicating their lives to being great farmers and humanitarians. Aside from lending their farming knowledge and manual labor to neighbors and those in need, they were the area's biggest philanthropists, leaving 100% of their estate to charity when they passed.
At Booker Vineyard they have dedicated their lives to farming perfection. They are constantly striving to find perfect balance in the vineyard through sustainable farming practices and methods. Beginning in the spring of 2010 Booker Vineyard began their venture into the world of Biodynamics. Booker Vineyard wines are always 100% estate fruit and are a true reflection of the calcareous and salicious shale hillsides provided by their Westside Paso Robles vineyard.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.