Eric’s first career was as a very successful broker in real-estate trust sales, but soon grew weary of the city life and dreamt of heading to the rolling hills and rugged coastline of the Central Coast. He founded the Booker Vineyard was founded in 2001 when he and his wife, Lisa, purchased a vineyard in Paso’s Willow Creek District, eventually growing their land holdings to 40 hectares, including 24ha planted to a variety of grapes, primarily Syrah and Grenache.

The fruit was instantly considered among the best in the region, and was eagerly purchased by regional legends including Saxum Vineyards, Linne Calodo, and Clos Solène, among others. After making wine with Justin Smith (of Saxum) for five years and Stephan Asseo (of L’Aventure Wines) for two years, the Jensens decided it was time to create their own expression of the vineyard: Booker Wines. The 2005 Vintage was their first release with the wines being made by Eric with Justin consulting, and they were huge hits out of the gate with scores of 95 points from both Robert Parker and Jeb Dunnuck – an amazing debut!

The name Booker comes from the two orphan brothers, Claude and Dick Booker, who had purchased the land in the late 1920’s. By the turn of the century the Booker brothers had acquired over 1,200 acres on Paso’s Westside. They dedicated their lives to being great farmers and humanitarians, leaving 100% of their estate to charity. This is an ethos shared by Eric, who is a founding supporter of Must! Charities, dedicated to improving quality of life in San Luis Obispo’s North County by offering hope, compassion, and resources to those in need. It raised $2.5m last year alone to support local organisations.