2007 Booker Alchemist

(79% syrah, 19% petit verdot and 2% cabernet sauvignon) Vivid ruby. Highly spicy aromas of red and dark berry skin, cherry compote, violet and licorice. Youthfully taut, with firm tannins adding definition and support to the deep, sweet dark berry and bitter cherry flavors. Finishes long, focused and vaguely peppery. This wine is still a baby.

The 2007 The Alchemist, an intriguing blend of 79% Syrah, 19% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, is fabulous. Inky ruby/purple in color, with an extraordinary nose of scorched earth a la a top Graves wine from Bordeaux intermixed with tar, acacia flower, blackberry, and creme de cassis as well as graphite, its incredibly complex aromatics are followed by a full-bodied wine with considerable opulence, flesh, purity, and depth. Seamless integration of tannin, good, vibrant acidity (no doubt from the limestone soils), and a freshness (despite the wine’s substantial size) make for a compelling red. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. Booker Vineyard, a 40-acre vineyard planted on limestone soils just west of Highway 101, continues to strut its stuff after its impressive debut in 2005. I retasted several of the 2006s I had last year, and the ratings were slightly elevated. Tel. (805) 237-7367; Fax (805) 237-7368