As you drive up Anderson Road, passing the large Niner Winery on the left, look to the right and you will find the small family run Booker Vineyard. The tall black walnut doors lead you into a attractive tasting room with oriental rugs, a stained concrete floor and an attentive staff. Outside their is a small patio with tables, chairs and umbrellas.
The winery was named after the former land owners, brothers Claude and Dick Booker. The two orphans were well known philanthropists who left their entire estate to charity--including hundreds of acres on Paso's Westside.
The vineyard in planted to mostly Rhone varieties and is a grape source for a number of well know quality names in the area, including Villa Creek, Linne Calodo, L'Aventure, Saxum and Summerland. The high-density vineyard is planted on steep hillsides of calcareous shale on a 7x3 spacing, averaging about 2.5 tons to the acre. The vineyard is sustainable using no chemicals or pesticides in the daily farming. Owner Eric Jensen tends the vines himself.
The wine making style is extremely soft and hands-off, allowing the fruit to dictate the wine. They rarely use a pump, never rack or filter, and use minimal sulfur in the wine production. Try the Booker 2006 Fracture -- their flagship 100% Syrah that tastes of blackberries, cassis and soft hints of all-spice and chocolate.
