Today we share one of the outstanding houses in Washington wine. 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. Recently winemaker Cameron Parry has been hired as director of winemaking and viticulture which is a total coup for Bookwalter. Parry, was formerly with Corliss and also was director of winemaking at famed Napa house Groth for many years. Prior to that he was winemaker at Chateau Montelena. Parry plans to spend a lot of time in the vineyards to make his mark on the program. “And I have a bag of tricks which we will employ, cellar management and fermentation management which will elevate these wines. These are tweaks” he said. “To make sure we are getting he most out of these beautiful vineyards.” I adored the 2021 J. Bookwalter ‘5th edition’ White Wine (OB, 94) which at 38 bucks is a total steal. Arguably the best wine I tasted was the outstanding 2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 12’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which is heady and dense with lovely non-fruit nuance. 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 ‘5th Edition’ White Wine- This is now the 5th edition of this beautiful that combines Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The first plantings of Washington State Muscadelle were done here at the Connor Lee Vineyard. Aged in a combination of oak barrels and concrete (35% new oak) this delivers honeysuckle and white rose mark the nose alongside green melon and shades of baking spice laced pie crust. The palate is silky and refined with serious texture and mineral backbone. Beautiful and refined, enjoy over the next eight to ten years. This offers some serious value at a mere $38.00. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Double Plot’ Chardonnay- The 2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Double Plot’ Chardonnay comes from the Connor Lee Vineyard which is located on a bench near the Wahluke Slope AVA. This was aged in a combination of French oak and concrete before bottling. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture and good sense of weight and length. Drink 2024-2032- 93
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Conflict’ Red Wine- The 2021 ‘Conflict’ Red Wine combines 60% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The nose shows very classic Merlot tones with chocolate covered coffee bean, black currants and shades of black florals. The palate is really well-made with a soft mouthfeel and good sense of tension. Rich and viscous, this is a gorgeous bottling that has a long way to go. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Protagonist’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Protagonist’ comes mostly from the Dionysus and Connor Lee Vineyards. Nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (87%), this has small parts Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. Stored in 43% new French oak this offers dark currants, black pepper dusted blackberry and shades of chocolate cake on the nose. The texture is outstanding as this delivers mocha, tar and sagebrush tones making this very savory with dense dark fruits. Really refined and rich, this is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ Red Wine- The brilliant 2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ is a blend of 81% Cabernet Franc with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. Coming all from the Connor Lee vineyard, this was stored in 35% new French oak before bottling. Red bell pepper and bay leaf mark the nose alongside shades of anise and black currants. Silky and seamless, this is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2024-2040- 93
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Antagonist’ Syrah- This is 100% Syrah coming mostly from the Connor Lee Vineyard. This comes off smoky and savory on the nose with roasted dates, blackberries and chocolate on the nose. The palate is soft and plush with a great sense of texture. A great savory edge with its smoked meats and black olive tapenade notes, this is drinking beautifully already. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Volume 11’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The Volume 11 is a blend of nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (92%) with the remainder Petit Verdot and Malbec. This is almost entirely sourced from the Dionysus Vineyard. Tar, black currant cordial, mocha and suggestions of black tea mark the nose. The palate is plush and dense with a silky texture and great sense of weight. Finishing long with beautiful black fruits and suggestions of sweet pipe tobacco, this is a generous, broad-shouldered bottling that has great acidity and aging potential. Drink 2024-2044- 95
2021 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 12’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Chapter 12’ comes from the Connor Lee Vineyard and has 5% both Syrah and Cabernet Franc blended in. Stored for 20 months in 95% new French oak, this offers sagebrush and pipe tobacco notes alongside sandalwood and shades of exotic spice on the nose. This is ultra-plush with a seamless texture and great sense of weight. Showing beautiful verve with good length, this weightless bottling is showing beautifully now at the three year mark. Drink 2024-2042- 95