Bookcliff Vineyards - Are Bookcliff Wines for You?

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Spring in the Rockies – another snow storm, another wind storm followed by blue sky and 70-degree weather. It is always good to be prepared with some wine be it a Rosé for the patio or a red to pair with a hearty soup.

Get ready for Rosé all May at our Palisade and Boulder tasting rooms.

Starting in May our Palisade tasting room will be open seven days a week from 11:00am to 5:00pm. In Boulder we will start offering some events again, starting with the Mother’s Day dinner in May followed by a chocolate and wine experience in June; find out more below. All our events will comply with the COVID requirements in place at the time of the event.

Raise a glass of Colorado wine and see you soon,

Ulla & John

Are Bookcliff Wines for You?

Social media has ushered in a time where the consumer is more closely connected to the producer of the products they buy. Our small family-owned winery, Bookcliff Vineyards, affords wine enthusiasts a close-up view of our winery operation in Boulder and the vineyard operation in Palisade. And if you swing by our Boulder or Palisade tasting rooms at the right time, you may even meet the owners too.

I want to share with you our perspective as owners, what we try to achieve and what makes Bookcliff wines unique and different; ultimately you are the judge. As most small wineries, our wines are driven by

1. Our personal passion and believes, and rooted in

2. The physical reality of owning vineyards and growing grapes in Palisade, Colorado.

From day one we have been committed to making wine from 100% Colorado grown grapes, as we believe in the goal of making excellent wine from Colorado grown grapes. We feel that Colorado wine needs to showcase what is unique to the Colorado terroir. This led us to invest in planting our own vineyards, so we can be in control of the quality of grapes we harvest.

Our goal is that each wine expresses the unique character of the grape it is made from. Terroir-driven wines is a phrase used to express that a Cabernet Sauvignon made from grapes grown in Colorado is unique from a Cabernet Sauvignon made from grapes grown in any other place. The Colorado terroir is expressed in Bookcliff wines through minerality and a savory finish, bright, fruit-forward notes, and higher acidity (compared to California wines). Without overpowering tannin and rich, intense fruit notes, Colorado and Bookcliff wines are versatile; they pair well with food or as an afternoon glass on the patio. Bookcliff red wines also tend to cellar well, which means they improve with bottle age.

The following tasting notes are courtesy of Associate Winemaker Will Thompson and Assistant Winemaker Joshua Smith, with the addition of some general comments from John and Ulla about the wine.

"Ensemble is Bookcliff Vineyards Colorado take on the classic Bordeaux blend. The 18’ is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with small additions of Petite Verdot and Malbec. Focused notes of blueberry, blackberry, graphite, and cedar are accentuating orange zest and mocha. Approachable and balanced, Ensemble is a must try for anyone venturing into the world of Colorado wine. “

Our Ensemble blend is a good overall representation of Bookcliff wines. Each vintage the wine is a different blend consisting of the five classic Bordeaux varieties. It is a red blend that you can drink now, but also cellar for aging, as the 2008 and 2010 vintages have shown well in recent tastings. We aim to create the most pleasing wine to highlight each vintage rather than striving for duplication year to year

"The 20’ Viognier from Bookcliff vineyards is a floral full bodied white wine with notes of rose petal, cherry blossom, and tangerine filling the glass. Known for its oily texture, the palate shows fresh peach balanced with tangerine rind softening to a savory finish."

We have made the Viogner, a white wine, for many years and feel that we found an expression of the grape that our customers like and enjoy. The Bookcliff Vineyards’ Viognier benefits from ripe fruit, is full-bodied and dry, and highlights the minerality and expressive fruit-forward aromatics typical of Colorado Viognier.

We think that Malbec is a grape where Colorado can find its unique expression and stand out. Like the famous Malbec producing region of Mendoza in Argentina, Colorado enjoys a high altitude growing season of hot, dry days and cool nights and requires irrigation. Bookcliff Vineyards makes two different types of Malbec with the source of grapes from different vineyards. The “regular” Malbec as we call it is aged in stainless steel tanks and is a young, very fruit forward wine. The Reserve Malbec is aged in oak barrels for 12 months and is more restrained in its expression.

"Malbec 2019, our “regular” Malbec: “Boysenberry, fuji apple, hatch green chili, just hints of sweet spice. Approachable, full coated tannin. Jammy boysenberry finish. Mint chocolate, mild chocolate. Marion berry. “

"The 2018 Bookciff Vineyards Malbec Reserve is produced from vines at our Hawk Ridge vineyard. Like great high elevation Malbecs, this wine has a medium weight and is a refined balance between the fruit and soil, held together with oak aging. Concentrated and lean, the Malbec Reserve features notes of blueberry, milk chocolate, red plum, and barrel spice, with more subtle cardamom and wet clay coming through as the wine opens up."

When you visit Bookcliff Vineyards for a wine tasting, we hope that you find something you like from our wide selection of wines.

Mother's Day Dinner

We are excited to offer a Bookcliff Mother's Day dinner and made sure to give you options where to celebrate the special day with your mom - (1) seated dinner at the winery or (2) take-out in the comfort of your home. You will enjoy the same fabulous four-course dinner with each course paired with Bookcliff Vineyards' wines.

Enjoy this special treat prepared by our chef Willem DeFroy who brings his European flair to the dishes he prepares.

Seating is limited at the winery with each party booking together seated at their own table.

Please note when you order to select either take-out/pickup dinner or the dine-in/seated dinner

Assorted appetizers – paired with Viognier 2020
Puff pastry boat of Lobster, Scallops, and Shrimp with flageolets beans and mousseline sauce – paired with Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Shoulder tender of beef with tarragon jus, mixed vegetable flan, Hasselback style baked potato – paired with Reserve Malbec 2018, Ensemble 2018
Chocolate mousse – paired with Merlot/Souzao port

Purchase Now

Date: Sunday 5/9/21

Pickup Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm

In-person dining: 6:00pm

Cost: $75/person plus tax

Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304

Minimum purchase two dinners for take out/pickup

An Afternoon with Chocolate and Wine

Join us to savor, socialize, and learn about crafting premium local luxury goods. Bookcliff Vineyards will be pouring two ounces of four Colorado wines, including our Ensemble, Syrah, Malbec Reserve, and Moscato. Moksha Chocolate (winner of 2021 Best of Boulder for local chocolate), will unwrap single-source chocolates from Belize and Peru, one to accompany each wine. With two seatings in our elegant fresh-air tasting room/winery, a ticket guarantees ample space for each attendee or group. Tickets also include a handout with room for personal notes and a full-size craft chocolate bar to take home.

When you purchase a ticket, please select either the 1:00pm or 4:00pm seating; both sessions are identical.

Purchase Now

Date: Sunday 6/13/21

Time: 1:00pm & 4:00pm

Cost: $55/person plus tax

Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304

Shipping Bookcliff Wines Just Became Easier

We opened new doors for you to ship and enjoy our wines in more states than Colorado, California and Texas, thanks to subscribing to a service that takes the minutia out of selling and shipping wine. Now when you visit www.bookcliffvineyards.com/wines you can select shipping to CO, CA and TX or to OTHER STATES. Now, you can send your friends in Illinois, Ohio or Oregon, to name some states, wine from Colorado you enjoy. Club members, please e-mail clubmaster@bookcliffvineyards.com to receive instructions for ordering wines including members only wines and receive your customary discount.

Find out where you can ship Now

If you joined us for one of our past events, we want to say thank you for your patronage! I hope we will see you in the future, as you make BookCliff Vineyards your stop for local wine purchases.

Cheers,

Ulla & John