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97-99 JD.
"The 2016 Booker Vineyard is made from 73% Syrah and 27% Mourvèdre and saw 13% whole clusters and 100% new French oak. Inky colored, it gives up killer notes of blackberry, blueberries, crushed rock, and liquid violets in a thick, unctuous, structured and tannic style. It's a blockbuster, no doubt, but I suspect short term cellaring will be your friend. I’ve raved so much about the wines from Saxum’s Justin Smith, I feel like a broken record every new vintage. Nevertheless, these latest vintages are all stellar, and certainly the move to the new cellar hasn’t affect or changed the quality here. The 2014s show the richer, more fleshy style of the vintage, yet still carry the slightly more streamlined/elegant style that Smith has chosen over the past few years. The 2015s play even more in that realm, which is very much the vintage, and are lively and elegant, with pretty, perfumed characters – and plenty of fruit. The 2015s share a lot of similarities to the 2011s (which shined for their aromatics), yet have more fruit and power. It’s worth noting that the majority had just been recently bottled, which makes these showings even more impressive. A vintage that really excites me is the 2016s, which appear to be a return to a more bombastic style, with beautiful fruit and texture." Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, Aug 2017 |