The name Bookwalter, Mennonite Swiss for “tender of beech wood forests,” has also come to stand for “maker of very fine wines,” thanks to J. Bookwalter Winery.
When John Bookwalter joined his father’s winery in 1997, he made some sweeping changes. He quickly hired California wine pioneer Zelma Long, whose keen attention to detail helped John tremendously. The name Bookwalter was soon lauded in many wine publications and, in 2005, the winery was named Winery of the Year, by Wine Press Northwest.
In the spring of 2009, John partnered with winemaker Claude Gros. Claude has earned great respect from Robert Parker, who considers him one of “two of the finest winemaking consultants.” John couldn’t be more pleased. “Claude has an impressive resume of successful projects in France and Spain,” John reports, “and, quite frankly, he is one of the most exciting winemakers in the world today.” Claude helped John finalize the 2007 and 2008 blends and now influences the winery’s approach toward winegrowing and winemaking on an ongoing basis.
The grapes for J. Bookwalter wines are largely sourced from the Conner-Lee Vineyard, acreage that his father has managed for 25 years. When asked about sustainability, John shrugs and says, “I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the concept. To be sustainable means being a good steward of the land. Washington is naturally sustainable because the pressure on our vineyards is very low. At the end of the day, being moral and ethical with your business and your people and taking care of your land is ‘green’. It’s no longer a movement, it’s a natural shift.”
Today, when the name Bookwalter is mentioned, people are certainly more apt to think of a bottle of fine Merlot, Riesling, or Cabernet Sauvignon than a forest of beech trees. And that’s a very good thing.