2011 J. Bookwalter Foreshadow Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington, 1.5L Magnum

We are particularly proud of this Cabernet Sauvignon as 2011 was one of most challenging vintages to ripen late season varieties such as Cabernet. With judicious blending of warm sites and earlier ripening varieties such as Syrah, we were able to develop a compelling balanced wine that is more reminiscent of a wine from a warmer vintage. Both aromatically and on the palate the wine displays a symphony of bright red fruits led by red raspberries, Bing cherries, cassis and sweet cranberries. The fruit is followed by secondary and tertiary notes of violet, sage, resin, tea leaves, sweet baking spices and classic Eastern Washington dustiness. The wine enters the palate sweet and round, has a medium to full body and finishes with a seamless silky texture created by fine grained tannins and balanced acidity. Recommended cellaring 6–12 years.

Vintage: The 2011 vintage was the coldest vintage on record in Eastern Washington based upon accumulated heat units. The cool, damp spring delayed bud break by three weeks, which led to a summer that although very pleasant, was atypical in that we did not experience dramatic heat spikes and or stretches of extreme heat. The cooler summer contributed to veraison setting almost three weeks late and well into September on some varieties. Thankfully, September was warm and dry, and Eastern Washington experienced a more typical Indian summer. October was a mixed bag of warm sunny days and damp weather, but without any damaging frosts, harvest was extended well into November. The red wines from this vintage show more red fruit, higher acidity and lower alcohol, which are all hallmarks of this uncharacteristically cool vintage.