Assorted Booker "The Ripper" Paso Robles Grenache

“Starting out the tasting and absolutely rocking, the 2011 The Ripper checks in as a blend of 100% Grenache that was brought up in equal parts concrete and neutral barrel. Offering up layers of kirsch, dried underbrush, white pepper and hints of spring flowers, it flows onto the palate with a medium to full-bodied, vibrant profile that gains richness and depth with air. Leaning towards the more focused, elegant side of the spectrum, this beauty doesn’t lack for texture or length. Give it a year or three and enjoy through 2023. It’s superb and well worth the effort to track down. Drink 2015-2023. (JD) 96+” (08/2013)

“Eric Jensen has done a fabulous job with the 2011 Ripper, no easy feat after the iconic 2010. Expressive floral notes, mint, spices and kirsch all lift out of the glass. The freshness and crystalline purity of the year come through in spades. Jensen aged the 2011 70% in cement and 30% in neutral oak, an approach that worked beautifully. Over the last few years, Ripper has established itself as one of the most distinctive Grenaches in California. (AG)” (07/2013)

“Deep ruby. Spicy black raspberry and cherry compote on the highly perfumed nose, with zesty mineral and spice notes adding vibrancy. Deeply pitched but lively red fruit flavors show excellent clarity and sweetness, with a jolt of tangy acidity adding spine. The sappy, broad finish is shaped by smooth and harmonious tannins. This wine was raised entirely in used demi-muids. (JR)” (11/2013)

“The 2013 The Ripper (Grenache) is up with some of the greatest expressions of this variety in California. Aged in a combination of concrete and neutral demi-muids, it offers truly spectacular notes of kirsch, black berries, rose petals, licorice and herbes de Provence as well as a full-bodied, rich, voluptuous and unctuously textured feel on the palate. (JD)” (08/2015)

“Bright violet. Complex scents of ripe raspberry, anise, potpourri and minerals, with a smoky accent building in the glass. Very sweet and seamless in texture, offering intense red fruit and floral pastille flavors that gain depth and spiciness with air. Finishes very long, with smooth tannins, impressive vivacity and lingering allspice and cinnamon notes. (JR)” (09/2015)

“A true gem in the vintage, the 2014 The Ripper (Grenache) is reminiscent of a top vintage of Domaine de Marcoux's Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes with its gorgeously pure bouquet of framboise, kirsch, spice box, licorice and dried flowers. Medium ruby colored and semi-opaque, this full-bodied Grenache has no hard edges, a full, layered texture and building, ripe, sweet tannin that really stretches out the finish. This is a fabulous, tour de force effort that I wish every reader could taste. It's sensational today, but should continue to shine for upwards of a decade. (JD)” (08/2016)

“Saturated ruby. High-pitched, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh red berries and candied flowers show outstanding clarity. Smooth, sweet and energetic in style, offering juicy black raspberry and lavender pastille flavors complicated by an exotic Asian spice nuance. The sappy, focused finish is given shape by supple, harmonious tannins that build slowly. (JR)” (09/2016)

“A wine that's all about the limestone, showing structure and focus. Dark raspberry, crushed rock and licorice aromas lead to dense but rich flavors of smoky plum, dusty sage and white pepper. Finishes with big, ripe tannins. (TF)” (03/2017)

“Bottled in February of this year, the 100% Grenache 2017 Ripper has a beautiful perfume of black raspberries, white flowers, licorice, and subtle background oak. Rich and medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful purity, fine tannins, and a great finish.” (10/2019)

“A highly perfumed bouquet displays scents of ripe red fruits, incense, candied flowers and smoky minerals, and a white pepper nuance builds as the wine opens up. Juicy, alluringly sweet raspberry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors become fleshier and deeper with air while maintaining energy. Seamless, focused and graceful for its heft, finishing with resonating red fruit character, strong persistence and harmonious tannins that come up slowly. (JR)” (02/2020)

“The 2017 The Ripper is made of 100% Grenache aged in 25% new French oak puncheons. Pale to medium ruby, it features scents of raspberry preserves, rhubarb, dried red currants and red cherries, dried herbs, charcuterie and blood orange peel with amaro spices and an earthy undercurrent. Light to medium-bodied, the palate offers a great interplay of bright fruits and earthy/savory notions, with a firm, pleasantly chalky frame and great freshness, finishing long. (EB)” (02/2020)

“Shows breadth and presence, with a refined core of stony minerality and lively acidity, caressed by black raspberry, smoky bay leaf and espresso flavors that build tension toward fine-grained tannins. (TF)” (11/2019)