About My Favorite Neighbor
My Favorite Neighbor began as an inside joke between two of Paso Robles' most important winemakers. Whenever Stephan Asseo of L'Aventure phoned Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard, he would announce himself in his thick French accent as Jensen's favorite neighbor. Jensen, a former real estate trust broker who bought the historic Booker property in Willow Creek in 2001 and learned winemaking alongside Justin Smith of Saxum and Asseo himself, first bottled a wine by that name in homage to his mentor, with early labels carrying portraits of Asseo and Booker vineyard crew members Angelica, Micaela and Aurelio.
In 2016 Jensen scaled the idea into a standalone brand with an audacious goal: a world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles that could stand against Napa cults and Bordeaux grand crus at a fraction of the price. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate answered with a 96-point score for the 2016 vintage. Fruit comes from what Jensen calls A-plus neighboring vineyards across San Luis Obispo County, sites like Denner, Alta Colina and Moonsprings, farmed to his standards and vinified at Booker's solar-powered winery without concentrates or shortcuts. The flagship Cabernet and MFN Blanc now ship nationally, carrying Paso's clay-and-limestone west side to tables well beyond the neighborhood.
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