Wine Country: America

Wine Subregion: California

Wine Sub-subregion: San Luis Obispo County

Wine Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Regular Price $60.00, Love Thy Neighbor For Only $43.99 per bottle with shipping on 6 bottles or more

As anyone who has made the trek south to the Central Coast recently can tell you, there’s a whole lot more than cowboys and high-test Zinfandel going on in Paso Robles these days!  In fact, the days when your visits to Paso wine country would be hot, boring and short are long gone. These days there are scores of places to visit, great cooking around the square and far more wineries than ever before on both sides of the highway producing outstanding reds and whites from the Rhone varieties and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the traditional mainstay Zin.  Besides good old Austin Hope, DAOU and the venerable Justin, we’d like to (re)introduce you to the future of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in the region, the compelling My Favorite Neighbor.   Booker is one of the newer wave of producers making some of the most prodigious, compelling wines in the entire Central Coast and winemaker Eric Jensen’s flagship- the one-and-only My Favorite Neighbor- has really turned a lot of heads!  I am sure that it would probably cost twice or three times the price if they were from the Napa Valley or Eastern Washington.  More polished than just about anything else we’ve ever had from Paso, it’s rich with currant-y, raspberry-like fruit that gives way to Bordeaux-like graphite and chopped herbs as well as something pretty and floral.  It’s amazingly complex for such a young wine and just a ton of fun to drink.   And while the other Booker wines, mostly based on the Rhone varieties, are certainly attracting a ton of attention in their own right, this Cabernet-based wine was something of an epiphany for us, especially for the price!  Wow!  I’m pretty sure you’ll agree. This is, we’re told, last call on the outstanding 2021.

Jeb Dunnuck:  The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is smoking good, with a full-bodied, rich, opulent wine that has classic cassis and darker blue fruits as well as leafy tobacco, baking spice, and bouquet garni notes. This textured, ripe, sexy wine stays nicely balanced, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's another awesome value. 95 points

Wine Enthusiast: Dense aromas of toasted walnut, cocoa and coffee bean meet with dark berry and wild mint on the savory nose of this bottling. Chalky tannins frame the sip, where espresso and toasty dark-chocolate flavors give depth to the baked berry core. 93 points

Wine Advocate: The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec, 2% Petite Sirah and 1% Syrah and matured for 20 months in 55% new French oak. It has a nose of red cherries, tobacco leaves, vanilla and allspice. The medium-bodied palate has easygoing yet nuanced fruit, powdery tannins, seamless acidity and a long finish laced with oak spices. 92 points

Vinous: The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark and brooding, mixing dusty sage, currants and mocha with lifting hints of mint. This is texturally thrilling, silky, and nearly creamy in feel. A tinge of sour citrus, tart red and black fruits and graphite minerality add form toward the close. It firms up through the finish, classically structured and long. A pretty bitter sensation gives a fine punctuation to the experience. 92 points