A great house 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.
Winemaker Cameron Parry serves s director of winemaking and viticulture who has been 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 has been spending a lot of his time in the vineyards. Check out the glorious 2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 13’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which is dense and delicious stuff from the esteemed Connor Lee Vineyard. Learn more about this historic Washington winery at https://www.bookwalterwines.com Here are my reviews of the beautiful new J. Bookwalter wines.
2023 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Sauvignon Blanc- Stored in stainless steel, and sourced from the Yakima Valley, the 2023 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Sauvignon Blanc offers honeysuckle and kiwi notes alongside freshly cut limes on the nose. The texture is really nice as is the freshness as this saw some extended less stirring. Drink 2025-2030- 90
2024 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Riesling- Made in the Kabinette style, this 2024 Riesling saw 17G/L. Coming from a range of sites in the Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills, this delivers serious texture with honeysuckle water and kiwi alongside bright peach on the palate. Drink 2025-2030- 90
2024 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Chardonnay- The 2024 ‘Readers’ Chardonnay has a touch of Viognier blended in and comes nearly all from the Gamache Vineyard. This is also nicely textured stuff with kiwi and pear notes alongside pastry crust on the palate. Drink 2025-2030- 90
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Merlot- The 2022 ‘Readers’ Merlot has 10% Malbec and 5% Syrah blended in. Mainly stored in neutral oak barrels, this delivers black plum and a dusting of cocoa powder on the nose alongside blackberry compote. The palate is neatly structured, with good weight and balance. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Red Wine- The 2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Red Wine is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) with 13% Syrah, 10% Malbec and the remainder Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This is soft and approachable wine that mainly comes from the 2021 vintage. Juicy black fruits and chocolate meld together with dried herbs on the palate. Drink 2025-2031- 90
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Syrah- The 2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Syrah offers white peppercorns and shades of fresh sage alongside Black Forest cake on the nose. The palate is soft and refined with good richness. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Readers’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 ‘Readers’ Cabernet Sauvignon has a large amount of Syrah blended in. This is chewy and delicious stuff with black currants alongside tar and tobacco leaf on the palate. Drink 2025-2030- 90
2024 J. Bookwalter ‘Double Plot’ Chardonnay- Bottled in May 2025, the 2025 ‘Double Plot’ comes from the Connor Lee Vineyard. Stored in 21% new French oak this delivers cantaloupe and pie crust on the nose alongside shades of butterscotch and suggestions of white peach. The palate is big, round and generous with bright acidity and a smooth texture. Drink 2025-2031- 93
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Foreshadow’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Foreshadow’ Cabernet Sauvignon offers black tea and Middle Eastern spice on the nose alongside heady dark fruits. The palate is soft and refined with a smooth mouthfeel. Drink 2025-2033- 92
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Conflict’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘Conflict’ is a Merlot-dominant wine (67%) with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Malbec. Cocoa powder and garrigue notes mark the nose alongside espresso bean and shades of blackberry pie. The palate is silky and refined with good elegance, structure and richness. Enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2023 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ Cabernet Franc- The 2023 J. Bookwalter ‘Suspense’ Cabernet Franc comes from this warmer vintage, as the wine has 17% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Mainly coming from the Connor Lee Vineyard, this is fresh and rich stuff with lovely herbal notes on the nose alongside tar and black currants. Gorgeous now, with a savory edge, watch this evolve over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2023 J. Bookwalter ‘Antagonist’ Syrah- The 2023 ‘Antagonist’ nearly all comes from the Connor Lee Vineyard. Very juicy and earthy, this has dark raspberry notes alongside dried herbs, orange peel and shades of bulls blood on the palate. Savory and rich, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Volume Twelve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from the Dionysus Vineyards in the White Bluffs AVA, this 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a barrel selection wine that spent 20 months in mainly new French oak before bottling. This is seamless, elegant and stunning wine that is a joy to drink right now. Dense dark fruits mingle well with chocolate pie, fresh sage and dusty earth on the palate. Drink 2025-2040- 95
2022 J. Bookwalter ‘Chapter 13’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from the Connor Lee Vineyard, the 2022 ‘Chapter 13’ has a little bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot blended in. This is silky and refined stuff that is drinking marvelously now. Dense fig and cassis notes combine with savory herbs and chocolate on the palate. A stunning wine, this has a ton of stuffing and freshness to cellar well over the next fifteen years. Drink 2025-2040- 95