Booker Vineyard

As we continued our Paso journey we came to Booker Vineyard. My date needed to get a bottle of Fracture for a friend, and who am I to deny more wine to be bought and sipped.
Came to Booker, nice quaint property. Not overwhelming. Very boutique-​like,
The service at Booker was amazing. Meeting and talking to our pourers and others was fun. The wines here was just OK to me. Although their rose is phenomenal. But other than that, the wines were OK. And, they didn’t have Fracture available.
Cool place to try.

Unilocal defines 5 stars as «as good as it gets.» That describes Booker wines to a tee. Unfortunately for those who only got to taste Pink, White, and Sweet (and for $ 15 – 20) they sell out their entire production (very small) to their club (I’m a member, needless to say.) and through the tasting room. The wines that were not in the tasting room last fall regularly receive high 90s reviews from Parker and others. People like me who discovered them when they first opened (via a recommendation from Ron Denner) know how good the wine really is. I recommend that when you call for an appointment (Good luck on the weekends!) should inquire what they are tasting and how much that tasting will cost. Do yourselves a favor when you are there, pick up a bottle of Fracture or My Favorite Neighbor. You will not regret it.

All the wines here are very smooth and easy to drink. The bottles are a little on the pricier side but it was a lovely tasting experience. You’ll need to call ahead for an appointment before you arrive.

This is the first one star review I’ve ever written. I’m not a professional basher like some reviews you read. But I have to warn you to avoid Booker if you enjoy wine tasting in the Paso area. $ 20 tasting in Paso? Are you kidding me! We visited at least 10 wineries this past weekend and the most we paid was $ 10. And most waived the tasting fee if you purchased some wine. Fair enough.
But Booker’s wines tasting were only 4 wines. The names were highly descriptive too: «white», «pink» and «sweet»! I’m not kidding you! «Sweet» their dessert wine tasted marginally better than sugar water.
I won’t go on. You get the point. Save your tasting dollars and your time.

Cruised by on harvest weekend and was surprised to see closed gates with a sign saying you needed an appointment. Called and our group of 6 was able to get an appointment for 40 minutes later due to a cancellation. first impression, pretentious. This is not Napa! Beautiful wine bar and grounds with young, hot wine maidens however we were extremely underwhelmed by the slim selection with only four wines to taste. Pours were tiny and the Tasting fee was $ 15 per person! The wines were just ok to good, except the 2012 remnant which was outstanding and $ 65 per bottle. In order to get your tasting fee waived you had to buy 4 bottles which average between $ 50-​$ 70 per bottle. What??? Once again This isn’t Napa. Sorry Booker but there are far too many other superior wineries in the valley with much better wine at much more reasonable prices that do not require appointments and the purchase of four bottles to waive your tasting fee. Our group of sophisticated tasters and wine fans will not be back.

Latest visit was 09/​13/​2014. I booked our tasting for 5 over the phone and was surprised to find out upon arrival that they were out of almost everything and that we would only be tasting 3 wines. No mention was made over the phone nor was our tasting fee reduced. When I was last here in April of 2013, tastings did not have to be reserved and you were given the option to taste 6 wines. The wine is good but a bit overpriced considering there are so many other good wineries within just a few miles. Will I visit again? Probably not.

We had higher expectations, given that Booker was recommended to us by a representative at Denner. Tasting fee was $ 15, waived after purchasing SIX bottles! Were our taste buds altered after driving for 4−½ hours? We found the wines unimpressive — actually, lighter bodied than expected and a bit weak in flavor. The young pouring staff was pleasant-​enough, but seemed to lack the sophistication, passion, and professionalism we’ve experienced at other wineries. Cute tasting room, comfortable outside seating, but not a favorite for us.

I came by here after Opolo and Denner and feel like this place really took the cake as far as great tasting wines.
I loved all the wines here and felt they really packed a lot punch. These wines were anything but dull. Again, I’ll qualify by saying wine is not my preferred drink and I’m no aficionado, but these wines are serious.
I do have to say though, the prices were Rocky Mountain high. If I were paying the bill I may have a different outlook on this place, so I’ll qualify with that too.
Either way, I loved the wine and I loved the cornhole toss to the side.
I also liked the simple tasting room that was no frills and backed right into the area where the wine is made. Cool stuff.

Visited Booker over the 4^th of July weekend. The tasting room was busy, yet we experienced very good service. The wines are very good, and seem to have lots of loyal club members (while we were there a couple was picking up a case). The only reason for 4 stars and not five is that wines are on the expensive size.

They do have some good wines here but it’s a very small selection and the wine club has no discounts.

Great wines, but very expensive. Cheapest was $ 50. It’s a nice tasting room, though with beautiful views.

We had an excellent experience visiting many vineyards in Paso Robles and our favorite was Booker winery. I believe a good part of our enjoyment came from the very talented person pouring our wine. Her name was Erica and her knowledge of wine making and non pretentious attitude made for a wonderful experience. We did buy many wines from her and are planning to join their wine club program which will expose us to some very special wines.
I also would like to mention the whole Western Region of Paso Robles is very special with many great places to visit. I know for us and many others we talked too this area has now replaced the desire to go up to the very commercial Napa Valley. My wife and I are already looking to plan our next trip which will include another stop into Booker winery as well as dinner at Artisan and Thomas Hill Organics (2 great restaurants).

Visited on August 3, 2012
This was our second time visiting Booker, and we had such a great experience it will not be our last. The grounds are beautiful, a perfect place for a picnic. The wines, however, are superb! There were four wines available, a white, a rose, and 2 reds.
I am usually not fond of white wines, but the white at Booker is definitely a «red wine drinker’s white»…it had body and lots of flavor. Ditto for the rose, quite enjoyable.
The two reds were both complex and very interesting. We ended up buying a bottle of the Alchemist, a stunning combination of Syrah (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), and Petite Verdot (10%). I tasted this wine twice, and was very pleased with it.
The tasting room staff was very helpful, and really made the experience a lot of fun.
Highly recommended!

This place is why I love wine tasting so much: very good to outstanding wines, friendly staff (of one), beautiful setting in the vineyards, small scale winery producing wines in small batches. I will come here everytime I am in Paso Robles!

I really, really like Booker. The people are always friendly, and it’s never packed. Most importantly, the wines are great from top to bottom. I’m partial to the varietals, but their blends are always great. If you can get your hands on any Fracture (Syrah), Ripper (Grenache), or the Tempranillo then do yourself a favor and stock up.
Booker is one of the few places I can blindly buy every bottle of wine they’ve made and never be disappointed that it isn’t great. Except the Pink. Need to step up their game on that.

Booker was so highly recommended to us over a year ago that we had to return to the Paso Robles area just to visit for a wine tasting. We were not disappointed.
Warmly welcomed early in the day, we were privileged to try several wines that were part of the regular tasting flight, and a few that were not. The wines, interesting and complex enough to be intriguing, induced us to stay for a picnic on the vineyard’s patio. Nestled amongst the vines in the shade of the hot sun, it was as though we were in a movie. A blissful afternoon with exceptional wine.
Would we recommend it to other? Unhesitatingly. Booker is, in fact, the first wine club that we’ve joined in 5 years of California wine tasting.

***My winery/​tasting room reviews are rated based upon many factors. First is QPR or quality to price ratio of the wine. In other words, is the wine priced according to how good it is. The second factor is the tasting room experience. This involves the staff, grounds and anything unique about the winery.***
Tasted: April-​2012
Tasting room fee: $ 10
Wine price range: $ 45-​$ 90+
Came here on a recommendation from someone in the group who was a member here and picking up 5 cases of wine. I showed up mid-​tasting and opted to skip the first two wines and just taste the last three. Had to flag down the tasting room girl just to get some attention.
The wines were good, but not great. I tasted early in the day and my palate was fresh and ready to go, but I was largely unimpressed as was one of my friends in the group. The wines certainly did not measure up to the prices they were charging.
Our group got limited attention from the tasting room staff, but when we were done they were quick to collect a $ 10 tasting fee from all of us.
Meh.

Booker was far too over the top fashionable for me to enjoy the place. It reminded me of a Tapas joint that hands out the smallest possible plates for the largest possible prices all in the name of ambiance. Also, they only had three wines on their tasting menu for ten bucks?! That’s unacceptable.
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Three wines on their tasting list. No charge. Wines are promoted for using very novel/​experimental wine making methods. Waste of time for the person looking for traditional varietals experience. Very stark and barren tasting room.
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Booker 2007 «White»
The Alchemist
The Ripper
Vertigo
Fracture
Some Wild names for wines!
Paso is the place for me for Rhone Blends! Yes they make some pretty good Zinfandel’s and Cabernet’s. But my favorites are the Rhone’s.
Yes! Even the White Rhone’s. The wine I actually tasted from Booker was the White which is a blend of 85% Rousanne and 15% Viognier. A hearty white wine that I think would pair really well with some warm soups or heartier cheeses. Beautiful wood and flower components on the nose followed by sharp acid and good amounts of Tropical fruit. A great starter wine for any first course. This wine is available at California wine and cheese for $ 30.00 per.
A few of the other wines I mentioned from Booker’s portfolio are sold out.
Give them a try if you dare!
Cheers!