Booker Vineyard 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, My Favorite Neighbor, Paso Robles

The name Booker comes from the two orphan brothers Claude and Dick Booker who had owned the land, as well as hundreds of 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. Booker Asseo is located on Paso Robles' Westside, immediately joining the famous Stephan Vineyards that produce L'Aventure Wines. The high-density vineyard is planted on steep hillsides of calcareous shale.

What started as an homage to Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery and his Bordeaux roots quickly became an obsession. Stretching wide across the Westside Hills of Paso Robles is clay soil amazingly similar to those found in Napa and Bordeaux. Today, these special sites are farmed meticulously by the farmers who have become Favorite Neighbors. The final belnd is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Sirah, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc and  2% Syrah and this wine aged 18 months in 70% new French oak.

Jeb Dunnuck scored this 96+ saying "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (this was reviewed as the “My Favorite Neighbor” in last year’s report) is similarly deep purple/ruby-hued and has slightly more red fruits with lots of black raspberry, cassis, toasted spice, unsmoked tobacco, and incense aromas and flavors. It almost has a Margaux-like perfume and is medium to full-bodied, seamless, and wonderfully balanced on the palate. Some chalky minerality comes through with time in the glass, and it has plenty of tannins and a great finish. It’s not an over-the-top blockbuster and impresses just as much for its elegance as its richness."