Our 2005 Columbia Valley Riesling offers heady aromatics of white peach, citrus and melons wrapped with hint of grassiness. Peach, sweet pear, anise and lemon flavors are followed by a racy acidity that creates a sensation of almost dryness on the palate even though a small amount of sugar remains in the wine. Enjoy now through 2010.
The 2005 vintage was atypical for Washington. With a cool, somewhat wet spring by our standards, less than 2 inches of precipitation, followed by only moderate heat throughout the summer, the year ended by delivering a slightly cooler and again somewhat wet fall. Although the weather was less intense than in previous years, the vintage still delivered exceptional quality due to the cooler ripening conditions and length of hang time the grapes were afforded with this particular weather pattern.
Harvest extended well into November, a rarity before the final frosts hit and brought a quick conclusion to the 2005 vintage. The red wines from this vintage show fantastic, bright red fruit with ripe, soft tannins and the white wines are delicate, fruit forward and show intense varietal character.
Winemaking
75% of the grapes were hand harvested and the balance machine harvested at optimal maturity during the cold late nights and early mornings in late October. After crushing, the grapes were pressed and the subsequent juice was moved to stainless tanks without exposure to any oxygen. The juice was cold settled for three days and racked off the juice lees to the final fermentation tanks. The juice was then inoculated with 58W3 yeast. This yeast was selected to enhance the aromatics and build greater complexity in the wine along with mouthfeel, volume and richness. Fermentation was held strictly at 58 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain the delicate esters and fruit flavors. Fermentation was stopped 45 days after yeast inoculation. The wine lees were stirred in the wine weekly for another 30 days to enhance the richness and varietal character of the wine before bottling.
J. Bookwalter Riesling 2005
Region: Columbia Valley, Washington
Winery: Bookwalter Winery
Variety: Riesling
Rating: 3
Our 2005 Columbia Valley Riesling offers heady aromatics of white peach, citrus and melons wrapped with hint of grassiness. Peach, sweet pear, anise and lemon flavors are followed by a racy acidity that creates a sensation of almost dryness on the palate even though a small amount of sugar remains in the wine. Enjoy now through 2010.
The 2005 vintage was atypical for Washington. With a cool, somewhat wet spring by our standards, less than 2 inches of precipitation, followed by only moderate heat throughout the summer, the year ended by delivering a slightly cooler and again somewhat wet fall. Although the weather was less intense than in previous years, the vintage still delivered exceptional quality due to the cooler ripening conditions and length of hang time the grapes were afforded with this particular weather pattern.
Harvest extended well into November, a rarity before the final frosts hit and brought a quick conclusion to the 2005 vintage. The red wines from this vintage show fantastic, bright red fruit with ripe, soft tannins and the white wines are delicate, fruit forward and show intense varietal character.
Winemaking
75% of the grapes were hand harvested and the balance machine harvested at optimal maturity during the cold late nights and early mornings in late October. After crushing, the grapes were pressed and the subsequent juice was moved to stainless tanks without exposure to any oxygen. The juice was cold settled for three days and racked off the juice lees to the final fermentation tanks. The juice was then inoculated with 58W3 yeast. This yeast was selected to enhance the aromatics and build greater complexity in the wine along with mouthfeel, volume and richness. Fermentation was held strictly at 58 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain the delicate esters and fruit flavors. Fermentation was stopped 45 days after yeast inoculation. The wine lees were stirred in the wine weekly for another 30 days to enhance the richness and varietal character of the wine before bottling.
Posted by dustinjacobsen on October 5th, 2008 at 3:27pm | report comment