Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Notes of crème de cassis, ground pepper, and crushed flowers emerge from the 2017 Fracture, which, as always, is all Syrah and was brought up in 65% new French oak barrels. Full-bodied, beautifully layered and textured, it has classic Booker power and richness yet shows the pretty, elegant style of the vintage as well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made of 100% Syrah aged in 65% new French oak, the 2017 Fracture has a deep ruby-purple color. The nose opens with tar, chargrill, woodsmoke and roasted lamb over bitter chocolate, bay leaves, sweet spices and blue fruits. Medium to full-bodied, it gains amplitude and nuance in the mouth, firmly supported and grainy with just enough freshness on the long, flavorful finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Booker Fracture is one of the richest and balanced Syrahs from Paso Robles. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with zesty red fruits, dried leaves, and earth in its aromas and flavors. Serve it with a classic pot roast. (Tasted: December 9, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
A wine of distinction and breadth, with an expressive core of crushed-stone minerality, wrapped in complex blackberry, garrigue and freshly cracked pepper flavors that build toward big but polished tannins. Best from 2021 through 2026.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.