California native Pete Turrone is the GM and Director of Winemaking & Viticulture at Booker Winery in Paso Robles. He inherited a love of wine from his first generation Italian American Father and a love of farming and craftsmanship from the Mennonite on his Mother’s side. He cut his teeth at Wild Horse Winery in Templeton, CA, and then apprenticed under legendary winemakers Steve Leveque and Jordan Fiorentini at Chalk Hill Vineyards and Epoch Estate Wines before completing his education under Eric Jensen at Booker Winery. Pete loves making wine, not for the glory, but for the challenge of the process, the expression of the art, and most of all the joy it brings inside your glass. Media Inquiries: pete@bookerwines.com | https://www.bookerwines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
What does it mean to “do the right thing?” I believe that the right actions never come about by accident but through intentionality and conviction. Booker was founded by Eric Jensen upon a bedrock of beliefs that still guide our actions at the winery in every way, every single day. By keeping true to our history and these founding principles, we feel confident in continuing to make the right choices that benefit our earth, our community, and our beloved patrons.
It all starts in the vineyard with our dedication to organic and regenerative farming. Early on, Eric embraced the concepts of organics and biodynamics because he cared about what chemicals he, his farm workers, and his customers would be exposed to. Raising his family on the vineyard gave him an intensely personal connection with farming and how it impacts the world. He didn’t want to use any synthetic products in the field that he didn’t feel comfortable exposing his family to. It was never about gaining and flaunting a certificate, but 20 years later we did choose to do the paperwork and obtain CCOF and ROC, not to brag or show off, but to maintain accountability and learn how we can go even further down this path of responsible farming.
I am incredibly proud to continue this important work on behalf of Eric and the entire Booker team. Since we have become officially recognized Regenerative Organic Certified, there has been such an incredible buzz surrounding it. Several customers and wine writers have been very vocal asking us to put the ROC logo on our labels so that consumers can make a more informed choice in the marketplace. So, I think that will be my next goal.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
We already offer a diverse array of curated tastings and tour experiences at our state-of-the-art hospitality center with underground wine caves, indoor and outdoor tasting lounges, a bocce court, and a heated patio all integrated within the vineyard environment. But without constraints? I have always thought that the best way to spread the word about our story and our wines is to get people onsite to experience it for themselves. This place is just too beautiful to hog all for myself. I would love to expand on our hospitality offerings with integrated vineyard tours where guests could get whisked about in luxury to a few super high-end niche tasting locations throughout the vineyard. There, they would learn all about our organic practices “in the room where it happened” while enjoying the fruits of our labor and, of course, the spectacular views.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
The most Iconic Booker wine has got to be the Fracture. In high demand (and the first to disappear at a bottle share) Fracture is always 100% Syrah sourced from the estate’s most challenging parcels. The name refers to the fractured calcareous limestone soils that run a few feet, or sometimes even just inches, below the surface. The fractured nature of the stone allows the roots to penetrate deep and find water in the porous rock. However, the chalky nature of the soil means its pH is above 8.0 and that makes the vines work very hard for their nutrients. This results in small vines with low yields, small clusters, and very small berries all of which translates into a wine with incredible concentration of flavor and intensity on the palate. Additionally, the wine displays a sense of minerality from the chalky soils and a freshness I associate with the ocean just 14 miles away as the crow flies. The Fracture to me is the quintessential iron hand in the velvet glove: Power, Grace, Complexity, Balance, and Length. You can read the Fracture Syrah wine review here.
What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I have never taken a class on viticulture or enology. I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a college now well regarded for their Vit & Enology program. But back when I went there, that program was in its infancy and I had not yet decided that wine was my future. I obtained a double B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry with a concentration in Polymers & Coatings. This set me up well for a winemaking career, but I truly worked my way up from the very bottom. First as a harvest Cellar Rat, then Lab Tech/Cellar Tech, then Enologist, Assistant Winemaker, etc. All of my wine and viticulture knowledge has been gained through on-the-job training, mentorship, and self-guided study. To be honest, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. In college, I “learned how to learn” which is truly the most important lesson and the only one I needed. I think I escaped a certain degree of indoctrination and dogma that says “this is the way it’s done” and was able to keep a more open mind about what was possible and how.