March 23, 2020 - This is quite nice. The nose is blue fruit with violets and cherry coke. The palate is filled with more blueberries and a bit of cigar ash. At first open, the mid=palate seemed a bit thin, but that has evolved into a more rich, blue fruit blast that coasts the mouth. Good acidity and bright finish that lasts quite a while. This is excellent, but the blue fruit domination keeps it from reaching the elite levels IMO. For the price, sign me up for more.
April 14, 2019 - Very big wine. Some dark fruits on the nose but not getting much more than that. The taste is explosive with blueberries, pepper and tobacco. The finish is also very spicy with a long mouthfeel. This is right on par with my expectations for this and interested to see where my last bottle with end up.
April 11, 2019 - Every Booker wine I've ever opened proved to be superliative. This one is no exception - great depth, wonderful fruit taste and a balance between tannins and acidity.
March 13, 2019 - Wonderfully balanced Syrah dominant blend. Dark, deep, rich black fruits. Perfectly integrated tannins. Smooth, with a long finish.
January 29, 2019 - PnP. Just didn’t come together for me. No fruit and not much else. Just blah.
January 6, 2019 - Big, big, big, but avoids being clumsy or overbearing. Could use a pinch more acidity to keep things lively, but that’s borderline nitpicking. The nose is a bit restrained, particularly considering how flavorful it is in the mouth. For a 9+ year old, it’s showing quite young. Overall a great cocktail wine.
December 14, 2018 - Still thinking about this wine two weeks later. So happy to have cellared this wine for a decent amount of time. I've long loved the French syrah-heavy blends and I was pleased that this one added something to the conversation. A few weeks out, the main lasting impression was how elegant this was (yes, still a brute but an elegant one... like 007). PnP (well, maybe an hour decant)
November 1, 2018 - delicious, round and sexy. not sure I could pick this as syrah in a blind tasting, but who cares when its this tasty.
April 20, 2018 - I enjoyed this bottle much more than the first one I had 3 years ago. It's a classic Paso wine with gobs of dark fruit. But the oak was much more in balance, the fruit had purity and freshness, and the finish lingered nicely. Drinking beautifully now.
January 27, 2018 - Inky dark purple in color. Rich blackberry on the nose with alcohol that persists. Very high acidity with tannins that have resolved to near medium with age. The structure is nothing like the earlier tasting notes. Extremely fruit forward palate of primarily blackberry and a heavy-handed approach to the oak. Silky texture with well integrated alcohol for a luxurious mouthfeel. Strange residual sugar component in a fresh fruit style like a Bandol, rather than a Port. Beautiful wine on the approach, then the heavy oak and excessive sugar kicks in, making it challenging to like this wine. The good acidity worked with a coffee-rubbed rib eye steak that also helped to mute the sweetness. I wonder if the balance is just off, from a wine that is past its drinking window?