The Bookwalter family has worked with the Conner, Lee and Sullivan family owners of Conner Lee Vineyard for over 28 years, planting, redesigning, harvesting and producing every vintage.
Today, we buy over half Conner Lee’s produce and bottle these wines in our top selections. It is a special 150 acre vineyard in a cool site in central Washington growing fruit for over ten of Washington’s best wineries. We harvest the oldest 1987, 1988 and 1991 blocks of cabernet sauvignon and 1992 merlot, along with cabernet franc, syrah, malbec and chardonnays all of various chosen clones.
Jerry Bookwalter with Tom Thorsen and David Ayala built and grew daily over the last 25 years the many blocks we harvest with guidance from John Bookwalter and his leading international consultants Zelma Long and Claude Gros. Together now with Caleb Foster as winemaker, who has produced Conner Lee wines since 1992, the shared depth of understanding of the vineyard shines through the Bookwalter portfolio produced with Conner Lee fruit.
ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN
Developed in 1995 and owned by the Hattrup Family, Elephant Mountain Vineyard is high on the southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Ridge at the base of Elephant Mountain, in the Yakima Valley Appellation.
The vineyard has a unique warm micro climate, soil type and outstanding wine growing management which John Bookwalter recognized from his first harvests from Elephant Mountain Vineyard in 2006.
Elephant Mountain Vineyard has unique advantages of slope, elevation, and gravelly & calcareous soils, and long growing season with extra frost free days. These advantages are realized with the diligent growing team of this new vineyard who work closely with us to grow fruit to our highest expectations. We produce outstanding cabernets and syrahs every year from Elephant Mountain, often showing them off in our wine club wines.
BACCHUS & DIONYSUS
The Sagemoor group is comprised of Sagemoor Farms, Bacchus Vineyards, Dionysus Vineyards and Weinbau Vineyards. Sagemoor, Bacchus and Dionysus Vineyards are located together on the dramatic banks of the mighty Columbia River on the southwest facing hillsides. Here the ice age floods exposed the various ideal gravel beds for planting red and white wines, especially Cabernet.
Jerry and Jean Bookwalter raised their family from 1976 until 1982 at Sagemoor Vineyards planting and raising the many blocks we love and harvest today. The Blocks of Dionysus #18 & #12A cabernet sauvignons, #15 merlot and Nuestadt clone riesling overlooking the Columbia are on some of the best gravely slopes in the heart of wine country.
Mostly now a generation old, they provide the consistent extraordinary quality we enjoy bottling in our top wines. With Kent Waliser we’ve worked closely for years custom growing our wine styles in each block allowing us to realize the common goal of growing great wine.
