One of the great stories in Washington wine, the Bookwalter family spans ten generations in American agriculture. Jerry Bookwalter, generation nine and father of current company president John Bookwalter, decided to venture into viticulture. A UC-Davis grad, Jerry spent 13 years farming in California’s San Joaquin Valley before moving his family in 1976 to the Tri-Cities in Washington State. From 1976 through 1982, Jerry helped manage the plantings of three famed Washington vineyards – Sagemoor, Bacchus and Dionysus. He eventually became vineyard manager of the Conner Lee Vineyard and in 1982, he started J. Bookwalter Winery. John Bookwalter had a 10-year sales and marketing career with E&J Gallo, Winterbrook Beverage Group and Coors Brewing Co before returning to Richland in 1997 to focus on his family winery.
For years they utilized the talents of winemaker Caleb Foster who helped grow production and crafted many downright killer red and white wines over the years. In summer 2021 Jeremy Santo came to Bookwalter as head winemaker. Prior to this job he served as head winemaker for Mercer Estates Winery from 2017 to 2021. I love the new wines across the board. A killer new value is the 2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ White Wine (OB, 90) which completely over-delivers for the price. I absolutely adored the 2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 11’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which impresses with its concentration and underlying finesse, with dense dark fruits. Learn more about this historic Washington winery at https://www.bookwalterwines.com Here are my reviews of the beautiful new J. Bookwalter wines.
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Sauvignon Blanc- Lithe and fresh, this offers sweet pink grapefruit and green papaya notes with good tension. Enjoy now. Drink 2022-2026- 89
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ White Wine- A blend of 80% Chardonnay with the remainder Viognier, this offers white peach and juicy pear tones that combine with vanilla cream on the palate. Enjoy this great value over the next several years. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Very soft on the mouth, this shows light to medium-bodied dark chocolate with sweetened blackberry and black cherry notes. Drink 2022-2026- 88
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Syrah- Coming from the Wahluke Slope, this 2021 Syrah shows off smoked brisket with tar and coffee grounds on the nose. Very approachable and coming off a touch sweet, enjoy now and over the next several years. Drink 2022-2026- 88
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Conflict’ Red Wine- The 2020 ‘Conflict’ Red Wine blends 56% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Very fresh and soft once on the mouth, this shows off light dill and red cherry candy flavors alongside dusty tannins and loads of bright acidity. This is really good to enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2022-2034- 93
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Protagonist’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 ‘Protagonist’ comes mostly from the Connor Lee Vineyard, as well as the Dionysus and Elephant Mountain Vineyards. Aged for 20 months in 60% new French oak this delivers a soft mouthfeel with rich red and dark fruits, with tobacco leaf and dusty soils on the palate. Drink 2022-2034- 92
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ Red Wine- The brilliant 2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ Red Wine is a juicy and inviting effort that is already nicely evolved. Once on the nose this takes on layers of red raspberry and red rose petals that combine with espresso grounds and suggestions of Earl Grey tea. The palate is very approachable with its forward core of red and dark fruits with milk chocolate and herbal undertone notes. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Fourth Edition’ White Wine- One of the very cool and unique blends that you will find in Washington State, the ‘Fourth Edition’ by J. Bookwalter blends 57% Semillon, with smaller parts Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Sourced from the Connor Lee Vineyard, this offers a soft mouthfeel, with banana, lychee, white grapefruit and cashew nut flavors alongside a seamless texture. Rich and concentrated, enjoy at a warmer temperature to take in the gorgeous flavor range. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Volume Ten’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Entirely sourced from the Dionysus Vineyard, the 2020 ‘Volume Ten’ was stored for 20 months in 80% new French oak before bottling. Dried herbs with boysenberry and suggestions of baking spices all mark the nose. The palate is rich and decadent with a great mineral backbone. Finishing long with copious minerals, chocolate and black fruits, this is delicious, well-structured Cabernet Sauvignon that is best enjoyed now and over the next fourteen years. Drink 2022-2036- 93
2020 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 11’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 ‘Chapter 11’ comes from the Connor Lee Vineyard and has 5% both Syrah and Cabernet Franc blended in. Stored for 20 months in 60% new French oak, this shows off black tea and exotic spices alongside roasted dates and shades of creosote on the nose. The palate is deep and concentrated with mocha, tar and tobacco leaf flavors alongside a wall of intense dark fruits. This is delicious wine that is already starting to hit its stride. Drink 2022-2037- 94
2020 J. McLarnin Red Wine- Equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah coming from the Connor Lee Vineyard, this wine was named after one of the most famous welterweight boxers of all time. The wine is really stunning and deep, with a vibrant core of minerality. Rich black currants with creosote, Turkish coffee, and creme de violette flavors all brilliantly combine, with light tannins holding everything in place. Showing a luxurious texture, enjoy this beauty over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2022-2037- 95
2016 J. McLarnin Red Wine- The 2016 J. McLarmin is a gorgeous showing now at the six year mark. The wine is already wonderfully evolved on the palate. Caramel covered chocolate brownie, black cherry cordial, Arabica bean and Asian spices all come together seamlessly, with good underlying tension. Finishing long with ripe dark fruits and minerals, this is a downright stunning new bottling that is best enjoyed now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2022-2034- 95