2015 Booker The Ripper 22
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Tasting notes
Made from 100% Grenache, the 2015 The Ripper (Grenache) has a pale to medium garnet-purple color and charges out of the gate with vibrant raspberry, black cherry and wild strawberries with hints of dried flowers, cinnamon stick and Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, the palate is packed with spicy red berry coulis flavors, paved with plush tannins and finishes with loads of layers.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Tasted out of bottle and always 100% Grenache, the 2015 Ripper is smokin’ good effort in what was a difficult vintage. Brought up in a mix of concrete tanks and older, larger barrels, this beauty offers a ruby, transparent color to go with phenomenal notes of kirsch liqueur, wild strawberries, sappy flowers, violets and underbrush. A wine that just glides over the palate and shows no weight or heaviness, this full-bodied 2015 has perfect integration of its fruit, alcohol and tannin, no hard edges and an incredible finish. It will be at its best from 2020-2030. One of the leaders of the Paso wine scene is undoubtedly Eric Jensen’s Booker Vineyard (I’ve affectionately called this group the motley crew before). Jensen and his wife Lisa purchased these 72 acres in 2001, with their wines released in 2005. Since then, the wines have evolved from uber rich and forward, to today where they’re more polished, complete and structured. Looking at his 2015s, which Jensen compared to his 2010 and 2013s, they show the more elegant style of the vintage, yet pack plenty of fruit and texture. His 2016s are certainly bigger wines, yet have plenty of tannin and a focused style on the palate which I suspect will benefit from short term cellaring. In addition to his Rhône variety releases and blends, it’s worth pointing out the quality coming from his Cabernet Sauvignons as well. These are seriously good wines!