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 when they passed, Dick in 1990 and Claude in 2000.
Eric and Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres of the property in 2001 with the intent of growing the best fruit for some of the best wineries in the area.
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 with Booker Vineyard. The 2005 Vintage was Booker Vineyard's first release with the wines being made by founder Eric Jensen.
The vineyard received organic certification in April of 2021 and became Regenerative Organic Certified® in 2023.
Vineyard & Grower Relations Manager Hilary Graves is a winegrower, winemaker and viticulture educator with more than 20 years of field experience on California’s Central Coast. Hilary graduated from high school in Hawaii and studied business at CSU Fresno.
While her father hailed from a Central Valley farming family, she never planned to pursue agriculture. After earning a master’s degree in Library and Information Science, she returned to CSU Fresno to serve as the academic librarian at the library in the university’s Viticulture and Enology Research Center.
After studying Crop Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Hilary taught viticulture at Cal Poly for four years under Dr. Keith Patterson. She also started her own business in 2002, planting a vineyard—called Ohana—and making wines under the Graves Family Winegrowers and Mighty Nimble brands.
She later started a vineyard management company and grew fruit for, among others, Booker Vineyard’s FarmerWinemaker Eric Jensen. Hilary and Eric formed a strong connection, and she ultimately joined Booker Vineyard as Vineyard & Grower Relations Manager in 2020.
Molly Lonborg is a Paso Robles winemaker devoted to organic and regenerative farming and to crafting wines that speak honestly of place. Raised in the coastal village of Mendocino, Molly grew up surrounded by wild landscapes that shaped her curiosity about the natural world.
She went on to earn a B.S. in Earth Sciences with a concentration in Wine and Viticulture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and spent a year studying geology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand—an experience that deepened her understanding of terroir and its quiet influence on a wine’s soul.
Molly began her winemaking journey with harvest roles in Edna Valley and Paso Robles before joining Halter Ranch in 2011.
She rose from Lab Manager and Cellar Assistant to Enologist, Assistant Winemaker, and finally Associate Winemaker, gaining a reputation for precision, curiosity, and a strong connection to the vineyard.
In 2019, Wine Business Monthly named her “Winemaker of the Month,” recognizing her as a rising voice in California wine.
In 2020, Molly took on the role of Head Winemaker at Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery, where she further refined her craft with Rhône varieties and embraced a farming-first approach to winemaking.
During this period, she founded Little Soul, a small, intentionally crafted label rooted in her love for expressive, vineyard-driven wines.
In early 2025, Molly became Senior Winemaker at Booker Vineyard in the Willow Creek District. There, she oversees all winemaking and has been a driving force in the estate’s organic wine certification and continued commitment to regenerative practices.
That same year, Wine Business Monthly honored her as a “Viticulture and Winemaking Star” for her leadership, mentorship, and advocacy for inclusivity within the industry.
Molly lives on a ranch in Paso Robles with her husband, Jordan Lonborg, a Regenerative Vineyard Consultant for Coastal Vineyard Care; their two children, Alma and Ziggy; and their loyal dog, Desmond. When she’s not in the vineyard or cellar, she loves camping, hiking, traveling, live music, and nurturing a growing array of organic crops.
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