J. Bookwalter Washington State Wine Tasting with Special Guest John Bookwalter

"It ends with a finish that's long overdue and I think this would go well with a gun."
- Brad Zimmerman, comedian

Next week we have an incredible line-up of events and winery personalities that will be visiting the Wine Bar.  Not only will you get to drink some of the world’s greatest wines but all week long we have incredible personalities that can tell the story of their wines as well as the wine industry from the point of view that only a professional can.  On Friday March 8th we have one of the top minds from Washington state John Bookwalter at the Wine Bar.

Washington State is one of the most exciting wine regions in the U.S. today.  The state has grown from 300 producers in 2007 to over 850 today and many of Washington's best wines are still not available in the state of Florida.  Wine Watch has been traveling to the Wine Auction the last few years to see firsthand what is happening here and things are progressing at a very rapid pace and the best wines from Washington are on par with the best made anywhere in the world today.

Join us as we taste through some of the new releases with one of the top minds in the state of Washington John Bookowalter, one of the best kept secrets from Washington State.  The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

J. Bookwalter Washington State Wine Tasting
With Special Guest John Bookwalter
Friday, March 8th
7:30 PM

Reception
2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Readers Chardonnay Columbia Valley
J. Bookwalter Notebook 16NV Columbia Valley

Dinner
2022 J. Bookwalter Winery Sauvignon Blanc Readers Columbia Valley
2020 J. Bookwalter Readers Merlot Columbia Valley
2020 Bookwalter Winery Readers Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Conflict Conner-Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
2020 Bookwalter Winery Protagonist Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
2021 J. Bookwalter Winery Suspense Conner-Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Chapter 11 Conner Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
2020 J. Bookwalter Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon Volume Ten Columbia Valley
2016 J Bookwalter Winery Chapter 9 Cuvee, Columbia Valley
2017 J Bookwalter Winery Volume Seven, Columbia Valley
2014 J Bookwalter Volume Four COLUMBIA VALLEY

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Tuna and Wahoo Tartar served in Sesame Cones with Ponzu Aioli and Creamy Avocado
Duck Foie Gras Sausage Pasta with Sundried tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Prosciutto Wrapped Iberico Pork Loin Served over Black Beak Puree with Red Pepper Salsa
Double Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

The story of J. Bookwalter Winery is a story of family heritage, deep roots and a centuries-old commitment to the land.
Ten generations of the Bookwalter family have been involved in American agriculture. But it was Jerry Bookwalter, generation nine and father of current company president John Bookwalter, who led the family into viticulture. After graduating from UC-Davis in 1963, Jerry spent 13 years farming in California’s San Joaquin Valley before moving his family in 1976 to the Tri-Cities in Washington State.
Once there, he firmly stamped the Bookwalter name on the state’s nascent wine industry.  From 1976 through 1982, Jerry helped manage the plantings of three iconic vineyards – Sagemoor, Bacchus and Dionysus.
He eventually became vineyard manager of the famed Conner Lee Vineyard which remains the largest source of grapes for J. Bookwalter wines. And in 1982, he leveraged his vineyard connections and industry knowledge to start J. Bookwalter Winery.
Jerry’s son John quite literally grew up in the vineyards of Eastern Washington, but left in the late 1980s to pursue a successful 10-year sales and marketing career with E&J Gallo, Winterbrook Beverage Group and Coors Brewing Co. In 1997, he returned to Richland with a keen understanding of the winery’s heritage and a clear vision for its future.
Since then, John has made sweeping changes to improve and expand the J. Bookwalter brand.
He hired world-renowned consulting winemakers Zelma Long and Claude Gros to support the company’s winemaking efforts and introduced a sleek new brand identity and award-winning packaging.
In 2014, John turned over most of the winemaking responsibilities to Caleb Foster, who is recognized as one of the top winemakers in the United States by multiple industry experts and publications.
The winery’s flagship tasting room in Richland, named one of the best tasting rooms in the United States by Sunset magazine, now includes a renowned, full-service restaurant, Fiction. J. Bookwalter also operates an attractive, modern tasting studio in Woodinville.
Today, J. Bookwalter has grown from one of Washington’s oldest wineries into one of Pacific Northwest’s most recognized boutique wine brands, relying on exceptional vineyard sources and meticulous winemaking to produce some of the world’s finest wines.

All the J. Bookwalter Wines we have in the store on SALE!!

2022 J. Bookwalter Winery Sauvignon Blanc Readers Columbia Valley
Price: $21.00        Your Price: $18.48
(90 Points) A mouth-watering stainless steel gem of a wine with a crisp, clean texture, medium body and brilliant acidity. Pronounced cut grass and basil aromas mingle with peaches and a touch of yellow apple peel. Flavors like white grapefruit and pineapple-flavored Life Savers make this wine easy to sip. — Michael Alberty Wine Enthusiast

2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Readers Chardonnay COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $15.75        Your Price: $13.86        Quantity in Stock: 18
Pouring the 2020 Readers Chardonnay in your glass, you are met with hues of fleshy white pear and honeysuckle. The aromatics on this wine are bright and fruity that transports you to thoughts of a tropical summer. Notes of pear, starfruit, pineapple, mango, and white flowers delight your senses as you prepare to take your first sip. On the palate, this wine has tropical fruit, citrus, and crisp Asian pear. The finish on this wine is bright and light, leaving you refreshed and wanting more.
Blend: 77% Chardonnay, 23% Viognier

J. Bookwalter Notebook 16NV Columbia Valley
Price: $16.50        Your Price: $14.52    Quantity in Stock: 29

This edition of the Notebook is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Mourvedre.  Aromatically rich and delicious to quaff, this dry wine is ready to drink from summer barbeque through to winter meals. There's heaps of youthful red fruits like black cherries, plums, red currants and figs wrapped with cedar, caramel and chocolate. Succulent smooth fruit begins, with flavors of bakers chocolate, black cherry, blackberry, toast, dried herbs, tobacco and cola finish. The combination of long-aged powerful Cabernet Sauvignon and fresh fruity young Syrah from Washington's ripest vintage fill this deliciously affordable wine.

2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Subplot #40 Columbia Valley
Price: $21.00        Your Price: $18.48
(89 Points) A fresh, floral nose packed with raspberry, lemon and cedar aromas makes a nice introduction. Fine-grained tannins and elevated acidity back rich flavors of maple syrup, raspberries, toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate. A most enjoyable sipper for a great price. — Michael Alberty Wine Enthusiast

2020 J. Bookwalter Readers Merlot Columbia Valley
Price: $30.00        Your Price: $26.40
Our 2020 Readers Merlot is a fantastic value. Dark red in color, the wine opens up with aromatics of Black fruit, deep plum, spice, violets, and black tea. Focused on the palate, the big fruit continues to shine through with flavors of blackberries and dark spices. The soft tannin carries the wine to a long finish. Enjoyable by itself or paired with a delicious pizza, this wine is one to enjoy as an everyday drinker.

2020 Bookwalter Winery Readers Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Price: $30.00        Your Price: $26.40    Quantity in Stock: 8
A stunning Cabernet from Washington’s oldest and most revered vineyards.  Dark and deep in color with aromatics of cassis, red currant, dark berries, and walnut shell. Rich and open-textured on the palate, the wine has flavors of dark cherries, currants, and blackberries. Fine-grained tannins carry wine across your tongue and the vibrant acidity leaves a fresh finish to this great value.

Sourced from our favorite Columbia Valley vineyards, this wine has old vine fruit from ’87 and ’88 blocks of Conner Lee Vineyard, Dionysus Vineyards’ old block 18 as well as Elephant Mountain Vineyards’ high elevation block. Each brought its own element to the table and developed a powerful, rich wine. It offers massive value for all wine appreciators.

2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Conflict Conner-Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
Price: $60.00        Your Price: $52.80
56% Melot 32% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Petit Verdot 3% Cabernet Franc

The 2020 Conflict has a dense ruby core with purple hues. Aromas of black Mission Figs, Wild Oregon Blackberries, & exotic spices. The texture is luscious with fine, soft tannins.

2018 J. Bookwalter Conflict Columbia Valley
Price: $55.00        Your Price: $48.40    Quantity in Stock: 3
Blend: 60% Merlot 35% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Petit Verdot

Vintage & Winemaking: 2018 was another warm vintage for Washington that was marked by ideal weather during the harvest season. July and August temperatures were quite warm and then it cooled considerably in September, creating ideal conditions for ripening. Warm days during harvest continued sugar accumulation while cooler nights preserved acidity. As a result, Brix levels were slightly above average in 2018, while acid levels were higher than anticipated for a warm vintage giving this wine balance and complexity. These grapes were then fermented with skin contact for two weeks for a beautiful, extracted color and tannin. The wine then aged in large format 100% French Oak barrels for 20 months to soften the taste and texture.

Sensory Notes: This red blend is vibrant ruby with pink hues shining through. The aromatics resemble dried fruit, fresh thyme, mesquite, with a lifted and bright spirit. On the palate, there is juicy cherry, semi-sweet chocolate, sweet roasted red pepper, and savory currant. Hints of grilled stone fruit make an appearance in the background. This full-bodied wine has smooth and polished tannins with a lingering and elegant finish -bookwalterwines.com

2020 Bookwalter Winery Protagonist Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Price: $60.00        Your Price: $52.80
Classic ripe Cabernet Sauvignon aromas fill this richly perfumed wine. Fragrant currant and blackberry, mocha and sweet French oak tones harmonize with mineral tones in this powerful reserve old vine Cabernet. Long flavors and powerful structure come from low yielding vines and fully extracted winestyle. Fragrant and able to drink now, it will age for years to come, like the many vintages before.

2021 J. Bookwalter Winery Suspense Conner-Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
Price: $60.00        Your Price: $52.80
80% Cabernet Franc 15% Merlot 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Flavors of dark cherries, mission figs, baking spices; Velvet & Plush with silky tannins on the finish.

2014 J Bookwalter Volume Four COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $125.00        Your Price: $110.00        Quantity in Stock: 5
Luxurious Cabernet Sauvignon aromas fill the glass of this classic old vine wine. Savory black cherry and red currant fruits are seamlessly blended with fine oak and cream, black cherry, currants and graphite flavors harmonize with new French oak leading to a smooth finish. Selected from Dionysus Vineyard’s old block D18, this reserve Washington Cabernet produces a reserve style of pure Cabernet expression. Refreshingly bright and smooth the Cabernet shines in all its dimensions of terroir.

2017 J Bookwalter Winery Volume Seven, Columbia Valley, USA
Price: $125.00        Your Price: $110.00        Quantity in Stock: 21
In the heart of the Columbia Valley, Dionysus Block 18 enjoys breathtaking views alongside the Columbia River. Its southwest facing slopes of sand over deep gravel beds are ideal soils for exacting irrigation. Block 18 was planted in 2000 to clone #8 Cabernet Sauvignon on Dionysus’ SW hillside, 1,000 yards from the Columbia River. We designed this reserve cuvée to show off Dionysus Vineyard’s character through Cabernet Sauvignon’s singular best expression. This bottling is among our most powerful and age worthy red wines. Concentrated and filled with ripe fruit it will deliver pleasure   decades to all who pursue Cabernet’s special gifts.

VINTAGE: The 2017 is another stunning vintage at Bookwalter. Despite smoke haze during harvest, because of careful testing our wines’ natural character was preserved and classic flavor extraction to ideal reserve proportions was achieved. 2017 yielded an average crop which ripened early in the season. We lowered our yields and by harvest the vintage was measuring abundant color and tannin. Our vintage portfolio carries a volume an weight that matched our house style of rich and smooth age worthy reds. Spring’s early budbreak and flowering in June at Dionysus Vineyard was followed by a warm month of heat creating small cluster yields. Summer temperatures were hotter than average again with many July and August days over 100°F. Verasion began in early August and completed quickly, a hallmark of great vintages. Our well managed vineyard blocks had fruit shaded by a few west side leaves keeping fruit from sunburn. We picked our fruit perfectly ripe at 125 days of ripening.

WINEMAKING: The Dionysus 18 block Cabernet Sauvignon was picked in clear weather and rescued from the difficult smoke haze of early harvest. Rigorous lab testing of all fruit revealed summer smoke haze had not damaged this vineyard by great fortune. Hand sorted in the vineyard then picked by Pellenc Selectiv at perfect timing in the last weeks of September for merlot and first weeks of October for Cabernets. We mixed by pump over and punch down for 22 days two tanks which we felt were the best of the vineyard and showing the best of the harvest tanks. The vintage was measured for anthocyanins and tannins daily allowing us a perfect balance of extractables to build into these two special reserves. Fermentation completed in new GAMBA French oak puncheons. We aged on lees reductively developing savory tones complimentary to the powerful fruit. After 20 months, we selected each puncheon for this reserve bottling. We then blended and filtered for purity and aging stability. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon the wine describes Cabernet at its most gorgeous and pure vintage expression. This rich wine will age for a decade or two, enjoyable with a host of foods throughout those seasons.

CASES PRODUCED 576 6-pack cases/750mL

TECHNICAL DATA Bottled: August 7, 2019 • Alcohol: 14.8% by volume • pH: 3.95 • TA: 6.0 • RS: 0.2%

2016 J Bookwalter Winery Chapter 9 Cuvee, Columbia Valley, USA
Price: $125.00        Your Price: $110.00        Quantity in Stock: 31
This is our uber reserve red. It’s a unique vineyard trial which we share to challenge your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon assumptions. Designed to out-perform Bordeaux’s ripest vintages, the French consultant Claude Gros designed our unique low-yield growing style for power and grace unlike anything before.  Fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon accented by the subtle minerality of Syrah enhances the brambly aromatics in this sophisticated blend.

Smooth palate texture shows off concentrated fruit and abundant ripe tannin. Dark berries, espresso and filigree tannins round out this terroir filled tour de force.

VINTAGE: Conner Lee Vineyard block 1988 was planted by Jerry Bookwalter, own rooted at 1,100 feet elevation in sandy loam soils 100 meters deep allowing for ideal irrigation control. This Cabernet block has many excellent vintages, such as 2002, 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2015, and 2016 we consider the finest. Early flowering in late May began another warm year offering early consistent ripeness for Cabernet Sauvignon.

WINEMAKING: Our technique yields two bottles per vine, like the Grand Cru of Bordeaux. The French consultant Claude Gros designed this vine design and harvest selection in our favorite healthy old Cabernet block 1988. The 6–8 cluster yield per vine is like premier Grand Cru Bordeaux vines ripen. We repeat this technique in the Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Syrah vines for blending. The Columbia Valley being warmer than Bordeaux, thinning must take place at 20 brix. We thin to balance natural sugars and acids and allow ripening for six long weeks. Hand harvested, we ferment separately in small lots for 20 days building suave tannins, designed solely for this wine selection. Finished in new Le Grand and Jarnac Bordeaux puncheons, the wines age 20 months sur lees using all techniques to build full body. We choose to blend in 5% Syrah and 5% Merlot for supple texture and dark favors. Using only this field selected cuvée, we select our favorite puncheon expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon and supporting varietals for bottling less than 300 cases.

CASES PRODUCED 490 6-pack cases/750mL

TECHNICAL DATA Bottled: Summer 2018 • Alcohol: 14.9% by volume • pH: 3.85 • RS: 1 g/L

2020 J. Bookwalter Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Chapter 11 Conner Lee Vineyard Columbia Valley
Price: $127.50        Your Price: $112.20

2020 J. Bookwalter Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon Volume Ten Columbia Valley
Price: $127.50        Your Price: $112.20