2012 Booker Vineyard Oublie, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Tasted this side by side with the extended ageing slightly preferring the extended ageing. This is a blend of 44% Mourvedre, 36% Grenache and 20% Counoise. Purple in color with ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, slight plums, gravel and spice. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this has a lovely texture. Plenty of plum and black raspberry fruit with some spice and underlying char. Nice finish. This seems about at peak but should have another seven to ten years of good drinking ahead. This will work well with a spicy vegetarian chili.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2012

Current Price:

$63.00USD

America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we discussed the white Rhone style wines offered at the 2008 Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco on March 18. This month we turn to the reds, of which we tasted 50. Among those we tasted were some old favorites and some wineries or bottlings with which we were not yet familiar. We don’t pretend that we tasted a representative group of wines, because our sample was skewed to wines we have loved in the past and others about which we have heard positive comments.

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2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

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2012 Booker Vineyard Oublie Extended Age 24 Months, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2012

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$87.00USD

Tasted side by side with the regular bottling, I slightly preferred this one. It is also a blend of 44% Mourvedre, 36% Grenache and 20% Counoise. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is similar with black raspberries, plums, gravel and spice. Full bodied. On the palate, this drinks a bit younger and also more expressive. Lots of black raspberries, plums, some black cherries, black pepper and char. More vibrancy. Long finish. Overall, the distinctions are small, but this did seem a bit younger with more going on. Now, was that due to the extended ageing or

2012 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2012

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$150.00USD

The 2012 Saxums have been pretty open since release although they did recently (last two years) go into a slightly shut down phase. No worries, this bottle was pop and pour and drinking quite well. A blend of 73% Syrah and 27% Mourvedre Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slightly roasted meats and spice. Full bodied with a lovely big texture. Lots of black raspberry fruit on the palate with some blueberries over a bit of char and pepper. Long finish. There is a lot of alcohol here but it is not noticeable. This is delicious if not for everyone. Most

2013 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review

Vintage:

2013

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$150.00USD

This is a blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Mourvedre. Consumed in the NY Jets stadium parking lot prior to the Monday night game between the Browns and the Jets. A lot of fun. While still very young, this was a perfect wine for the occasion. Big, bold and delicious. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, roasted herbs, plums and slight violets. On the palate, this has a wonderfully rich texture. The wine goes down easily. It is also delicious. Lots of black raspberry fruit with underlying char and a bit of pepper. Great energy and balance. Long finish. Goes great with

2012 Booker Vineyard Oublie, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

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America’s Best Rhone Style Red Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

2012 Booker Vineyard Oublie Extended Age 24 Months, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

2012 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

2013 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review