J Bookwalter Chapter and Volume the best wines from our Washington State trip and all the wines from this great producer on SALE!!
"Drinking wine is just a part of life, like eating food."
- Francis Ford Coppola
And we have to drink wine everyday just like we eat food every day!!
We just got back visiting some friends in Oregon and Washington state and although wine was not the focus of the trip you know I had to stop and visit a few friends. We have hosted John Bookwalter at the Wine Bar a couple of times over the years and when I go to visit somewhere I always call the people that I know personally especially when I wait till I get to town before contacting them.
I knew that harvest was just starting and people like John are very involved with every aspect of production so seeing him in Woodenville where he has a tasting room would probably not happen, but John offered to host our group to the winery in Richland where they have a restaurant called Fiction for either lunch or dinner.
Richland is around 2 hours from where our friends lived that we were visiting so that was not in the cards for this trip but Richland is a great stop on the way to or from a visit to Walla Walla. We stopped at Fiction for lunch on one of our visits to Walla Walla a few years back and the restaurant near the winery is worth a visit. We still serve the Avocado fries that I had for the first time on our visit to Fiction at the Wine Bar for events that feature Washington State wines.
John offered to host us at the tasting room in Woodenville where we tasted pretty much everything they make in terms of new releases including the wineries two top wines the Chapter and Volume wines that are considered to be their “Reserve” wines, the winery only produces a few hundred cases each vintage and the tasting room was showing the 2020 vintage, and our entire group was blown away with both of these wines. So I immediately contacted my distributor for these wines to see what they had in stock and was happy to learn that they had 2016 Chapter Nine and 2017 Chapter Seven, I then proceeded to buy everything they had as these wines need a few years in the bottle and the winery has been sold out of these vintages for a few years.
J. Bookwalter makes a range of wines from the Readers that sell for around $15, to the subplot in the $20 range from the Suspense, Conflict and Protagonist in the $40-$50 price range and then their top wines the Chapter and Volume in the $100 price range. The wines are all distinct and showcase some of the best vineyard sites in Washington which the Bookwalter family had a hand in planting several of these great sites.
These are not only some of the best wines in Washington State but we challenge you to find better wines in these price ranges from anywhere!
Two of the top wines in Washington State - Chapter and Volume!
2017 J Bookwalter Winery Volume Seven, Columbia Valley
Price: $125.00 Sale $99.00 Quantity in Stock: 28
Wine Watch Review: A good amount of crushed rock minerality, with a bit of a green mint character notes of dark coco and a good amount of red and black berry fruit on the nose, nice complexity. A very silky wine on the tongue the tannins smooth and a good hand of acidity holding things firmly in place with a long-layered finish, a lovely freshness and balance. This wine was even better on the second and third day opened, the sign of a truly great wine and one that can age another decade or more in the cellar. Finish 50+ Most Excellent
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 Nine, Columbia Valley
Price: $125.00 Sale $99.00 Quantity in Stock: 32
Wine Watch Review: A beautiful bouquet with an exotic spice and smoky incense like quality to the red and black currant, cherry and plum like fruit, opening up nicely within a lot of earth and exotic spices, espresso and fresh earthy notes coming out as the wine opens, even better on the second and third day open. A good amount of tongue tingly minerality lengthening the finish a good amount of fruit, spice and a long mineral laced zesty finish with a lot of complexity, a big wine that has lovely balance and freshness and one that still has youth and will age for at least another decade in the cellar. Finish 50+ Most Excellent +
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
A bit about J. Bookwalter Winery:
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 Winery Wine in the store on SALE!!
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.
2018 BOOKWALTER CONFLICT COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $55.00 Your Price: $48.40 Quantity in Stock: 6
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.
2019 J BOOKWALTER SUSPENSE CABERNET FRANC COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60 Quantity in Stock: 4
For all of you who follow our special small production cabernet franc Suspense, we have a treat in store. The 2019 vintage is amazing. It’s the combination of what many of you said are the best traits of this wine of ours; smooth, aromatic and bold.
2018 BOOKWALTER WINERY PROTAGONIST CABERNET SAUVIGNON COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $39.60
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.
(94 Points) The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Protagonist (92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah, and 3% Petit Verdot) is another outstanding wine. Lots of cassis and black cherry fruits as well as lead pencil shavings and tobacco notes emerge from this medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced Cabernet. It's one of the more expansive, complete wines in the lineup and will evolve beautifully for 15+ years. Jeb Dunnuck
2017 BOOKWALTER WINERY SUBPLOT #37
Price: $19.50 Your Price: $17.16
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, and 5% Malbec.
The best part of this hot vintage is all the wines are powerful and rich. The Columbia Valley in 2017 grew big flavors in this longtime reserve quality Sagemoor Vineyard. This is another great vintage for our house style of bold, rich and easy drinking young reds.
Spring’s great weather grew heathy plants for early flowering in June. Summer temperatures were hot and dry and with abundant Columbia River water we cared for all our vineyards easily. The early Summer lead into a warm harvest in our intermountain dry desert developing the powerful vintage. We picked all our red fruit without any smoke damage on this vineyard.
2020 BOOKWALTER WINERY READERS CHARDONNAY COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $15.75 Your Price: $13.86 Quantity in Stock: 22
Varietals: 76% Chardonnay 24% Viognier
Both the Chardonnay and the Viognier were harvested at optimal maturity, at cool night temperatures in late August. Chardonnay was harvested first, and then the Viognier juice was added to the fermentation a week later. We chose specific white wine yeast VL3 to enhance the flowery notes and fruitiness of the wine. Fermentation was slow at 58 degrees, maintaining the delicate aromas and fruit. We prepared for bottling in July to preserve the bright varietal character.
Production: 2,590 12-pack cases/750ml
2018 BOOKWALTER READERS MERLOT COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $22.50 Your Price: $19.80 Quantity in Stock: 2
Our 2018 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: $27.75 Your Price: $24.42 Quantity in Stock: 11
A Stunning Cabernet From Washington’s Oldest And Most Revered Vineyards. This Is A Follow Up To Our Award-Winning 2015 Readers Cabernet Sauvignon, Which Made The Coveted Top 100 List For Wine Spectator. 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.
BOOKWALTER NOTEBOOK 15NV COLUMBIA VALLEY
Price: $14.75 Your Price: $12.98 Quantity in Stock: 3
This edition of the Notebook is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Syrah 12% Malbec 2% Petit Verdot and 1% 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.