Short trip to Paso Robles (Booker/Turley)

Short trip to San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles with two winery visits at Booker Vineyards and Turley Wine Cellars. Both worth a visit not only due to the good wines but also thanks to the lovely people working at these estates.

In addition two notes from two dinners we had. The first one at the Il Cortile (Paso Robles), which serves amazing pasta and good meat in is certainly the best restaurant in Paso. Wine selections comes from a wine lover with a focus on Central California, California in general and Italy. Really fair prices. The second dinner was in San Luis Obispo at Ciopinot. Definitely worth a visit: eclecting NY decor, focus on fish with really good choices and a wine list for abolut wine lovers with a selection of great names from Europe and California at incredibly attractive prices (some even below retail prices).

• 2015 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines 79 Points

  USA, California

  Small tasting pour. Very ripe fruit, raisiny, alcoholic nose. Palate overripe dark red fruit, alcohol and slightly greenish palate. Rather hollow, light wine. I hardly have any experience with Zinfandel wines but this was neither very enjoyable or memorable.

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• 2015 Turley Zinfandel Judge Bell 93 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County

  Small tasting pour. I'm not a Zinfandel expert but this is rather out of character but I found it quite Interesting. Due to the volcanic soil the wine is very mineral driven with smoke, ash, stone complementing the ripe dark red fruit aromas. Round tannins, medium body and a good freshness to keep it all light and balanced. Certainly one of the more intellectually appealing and enjoyable Zinfandels I had and the best among the four Zins we had that day.

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• 2015 Turley Zinfandel Amadeo's Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Small tasting pour. Ripe (not overripe) dark red and dark fruit aromas, more mineral than fruit driven, light body, medium flavor intensity. Pleasant wine but not overly exciting.

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• 2015 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Small tasting pour. Less minerality driven than the Judge Bell and the Amadeos drunk next to it. This is sweeter with sweet dark and especially red fruit, even some honey scents. Not overripe. Round tannins, medium- body, medium+ flavor intensity. I liked the precision of the fruit aromas quite a bit.

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• 2016 Turley Petite Syrah Turley Estate 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Small tasting pour. A dark ripe wine with smooth tannins and quite some power. Dark berries and earth aromas dominating. Still quite wild and not yet ready to drink. Does not have the depth of Turley's high-end Petite Syrah's.

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• 2016 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Small tasting pour. Distinctively darker, denser and deeper than the Estate Petit Syrah. Will have a good balance with round but young tannins, a good freshness to cope with the quite intense flavors and aromas (mostly dark forest berries, wood, wet forest floor). While the nose is quite intriguing the wine is not yet ready to drink with all the different parts having yet to come together. Give it a very long decant or better wait a decade.

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• 2015 Turley Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Small tasting pour. So much power, density and concentration; such a dark soul with so much dark/forest berries, blackberries, dark cherries, earth, leather, wet forest floor aromas. Very good structure with smooth tannins and medium+ acidity, round and balanced. Of course the wine needs a lot of time to gain further intensity and aromatic complexity (10 years?) but one can see all the components of a very good wine. Clearly the best showing of all Turley wines we tasted today. 94

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• 2016 Booker Vineyard White 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Small tasting pour. Floral and saline nose, creamy Viognier driven palate with white fresh fruit, little sweetness. The Chardonnay adds a certain pleasant crispiness vs usually heavier Rhone whites. 92 for the overall impression with no rough edges and good intensity.

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• 2017 Booker Vineyard Pink 86 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Small tasting pour. Not really a rosé wine but Booker‘s take on it, a light sweet bright red wine with sweet candied strawberry. Round and tasty but just not my cup of tea. 86 as it seems well made and has character.

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• 2016 Booker Vineyard Grenache The Ripper 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Small tasting pour. Ripe red fruit dominated nose. On the palate very ripe but not overripe red fruits, floral aromas, slight herbal aromas, hints of vanilla and oak. A good amount of extraction, good structure with sweet, round but noticeable tannins, well integrated gentle acidity. At this early stage very light and not overly exciting but will certainly gain lots of depth and power with more bottle age. 90 points today potential for substantially more with some age.

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• 2016 Booker Vineyard Oublie 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Small tasting pour. Red, dark fruit nose with dark chocolate scents on the nose. Much more masculine than the Ripper with a clearly darker fruit profile, much bigger but smooth tannins. Overall good structure, good depth, aroma intensity and complexity. Will drink beautifully in a few years time. Drinking experience today and without decant is 92 but potential to become a very good wine (95) wine.

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• 2016 Booker Vineyard Vertigo 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Blackberries and melted dark and red cherries dominating on the nose and the palate. Dark chocolate aromas screaming California. The Syrah adds a nice layer of spices. Good structural frame with sweet melting tannins and a good acidity to balance the intense fruit/flavors. With a long decant this might drink beautifully today but will for sure be much better and get a higher score in 5 years. 92-93 points today.

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• 2016 Booker Vineyard My Favorite Neighbor 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  I‘ve been buying Booker wines for some years now but never opened a bottle so far. This winery visit showed that the high praises seem deserved. Bold flavors, ripe but never overripe fruit paired with superb tannins and a good freshness. All the ingredients for very good wines.
  
  TN: Small tasting pour. Sweet cassis, licorice and minerality driven nose. On the palate sweet strawberries, some cedar wood and tobacco complementing the bouquet. Full bodied, concentrated wine with depth, silky tannins and a good fresh acidity. Can certainly compete with a good Napa Cab. 93-94 for now but can certainly reach greatness.

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• 2012 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard 97 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  Needed 10 minutes in the glass to reveal its charms but the real deal was on day two: Dark forest berries, deep forest floor, violets and chocolate nose with lots of minerality, salty scents, fennel seeds, tobacco, black truffle and especially bittersweet chocolate and precise and clear blackberry aromas on the palate. So dark, deep, smooth, silky with an incredible amount of concentration, sweet tannins, good freshness and impeccable balance. Sensational. 98+ points for the best and most harmonious moments on day two (on day one it would have been a 93-94 experience at best). Overall, 97 seems fair. If you drink it today give it at least a 7h decant.

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• 2014 DuMOL Pinot Noir Ryan Widdoes Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  When I think of a young Pinot Noir from California, it would be exactly like this wine: distinctive Pinot nose, stems, earthy, red strawberries, red cherries, gentle sweetness, soft and melting tannins, good structure, expanding mid-palate, long finish. Light-footed but still deep and complex. Glides down your palate and you don't want to stop drinking it. It may be not a Marcassin or a great Burgundy but it is indeed a big treat to drink.

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