J. Bookwalter Suspense Cabernet Franc 2016
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tobacco, crushed flowers, mint, and cedar notes all emerge from the 2016 Cabernet Franc Suspense, which is a blend of mostly Cabernet Franc blended with 15% Merlot. Possessing medium to full body, nicely integrated acidity, and terrific purity of fruit, it's another seamless wine from this estate that can be enjoyed today or cellared for over a decade.
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Wine Spectator
Svelte and polished, with expressive cherry and blueberry flavors, accented by tobacco and spice notes and picking up speed toward refined tannins.
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James Suckling
There’s a wealth of sweet berries and flowers on the nose, as well as bracken and leaves. The palate has a very smooth and open-knit feel with ripe blue fruit and berries in abundance. Soft and approachable.
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Enthusiast
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.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.