{"id":22,"name":"Bartholomew Winery","image_url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPLheym8Wab-ucAnGfj6eNsP9S2TSRYFoMJkFEF=w408-h544-k-no","district":"Downtown","hours":"Friday-Sunday 12-5pm","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":false,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":false,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":false,"year_established":2007,"winemaker":"Bart Fawbush","website":"https://bart.wine/","phone":"(206) 395-8460","address":"12 N 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362","description":"Bart Fawbush roams beyond the usual, bottling herb‑scented Carménère, tart‑cherry Primitivo and Earl‑Grey‑tinged Negro Amaro; each small lot a love letter to forgotten grapes and curious palates","lat":46.0672404,"lng":-118.3396136,"appt_url":"https://block55.app/location/bartholomew_walla_walla","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":"$10 per person waived with purchase","explorer_tags":["surprise"],"profile":"# Bartholomew Winery – Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story & Winery Vision\n\nBartholomew Winery, operating under the domain bart.wine, was founded by Bart Fawbush with a clear and distinctive philosophy: to champion overlooked, rare, and unexpected grape varieties and transform them into compelling, small-lot wines. The winery's guiding mission is encapsulated in its own language — \"Broadening horizons one glass at a time, with rare varietals and thoughtful winemaking.\" Rather than anchoring itself to the Pacific Northwest's dominant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot tradition, Bartholomew positions itself as an explorer, seeking out grapes that most producers pass over. The winery describes itself as \"more than a winery — we're explorers of the unexpected,\" framing every bottle as a story of curiosity, history, and discovery. Heritage and innovation coexist in equal measure in the winery's identity.\n\n## Winemaker: Bart Fawbush\n\nBart Fawbush is the founder and winemaker at Bartholomew Winery. His winemaking philosophy is rooted in constraint-driven creativity — the belief that working within limits, rather than against them, produces the most honest and interesting wines. A formative example of this philosophy came in 2013, when a grower contacted Fawbush during harvest offering Carménère fruit. With no available barrels and no cellar space, and in the middle of the most demanding weeks of the winemaking calendar, Fawbush initially declined. When the grower called again, still without a buyer, Fawbush recognized an opening: he had no rosé in his lineup that year. Rather than turning the fruit away, he pressed it immediately as a rosé — a decision born entirely of necessity. The resulting wine was, by his own account, \"amazing,\" and launched seven consecutive vintages of Rosé of Carménère from 2013 through 2019. This origin story is central to understanding Fawbush's approach: he views winemaking as a craft where quality is \"often less about what you add and more about how well you work with what you have.\" He is attentive to technical precision, noting the narrow picking window required for Carménère rosé — harvest too early and there is insufficient color; harvest too late and acidity is lost, compromising the wine's structure and food compatibility.\n\n## Signature Wines & Varieties\n\nBartholomew Winery is distinctly unusual in the Walla Walla context for its emphasis on Italian, Southern French, and South American grape varieties rarely seen in Washington State. The current portfolio includes:\n\n- **Carménère** (2021, 2022 Red Mountain, 2022 Reserve) — the winery's signature red variety, presented across multiple tier levels including a reserve expression at $60\n- **Rosé of Carménère** (2025) — a whole-cluster pressed rosé with no skin contact, intentionally removing the grape's characteristic herbaceous and savory notes while retaining its identity\n- **Cabernet Franc** (2021)\n- **Primitivo** (2021) and **Rosé of Primitivo** (2024)\n- **Sagrantino** (2021) — a rare Italian variety priced at $45\n- **Super Italian** (2021) — a blend in the style of a Super Tuscan\n- **Tannat** (2022) — a variety associated with Southwest France and Uruguay\n- **Nero d'Avola** (2023) — a Sicilian variety\n- **Counoise** (2023) — a Southern Rhône variety\n- **Amativo** (2023)\n- **Reciprocity** (2022)\n- **Aligoté** (2025) — a white Burgundy variety\n- **Malvasia Bianca** (2025) — an aromatic Italian white\n\nPrices range from $19 for the Rosé of Primitivo to $60 for the Reserve Carménère, reflecting a range from approachable entry-level wines to serious cellar selections.\n\n## Tasting Notes & Flavor Language\n\nFor the Rosé of Carménère, Fawbush describes a wine that delivers a \"surprising flavor\" — one that reads unmistakably as Carménère despite the removal of its more herbaceous and savory characteristics through whole-cluster pressing with no skin contact. The wine is described as unexpected and disarming: \"No one thinks a rosé with this grape will taste good until it does.\" The broader portfolio is described as producing \"unforgettable sips\" that speak to discovery and connection.\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nThe 2022 Red Mountain Carménère indicates that Bartholomew sources fruit from the Red Mountain AVA in addition to Walla Walla Valley sources. No further detail on specific named vineyards, farming certifications, or soil profiles is available in the scraped text.\n\n## Wine Club\n\nBartholomew Winery offers a wine club described as featuring wines \"curated by Bart with exclusive perks.\" No further detail on club tiers, shipment frequency, or specific member benefits is available in the scraped text.\n\n## Winery Character\n\nWhat most distinguishes Bartholomew Winery within the Walla Walla Valley landscape is its deliberate rejection of the obvious. While the region built its reputation on Bordeaux and Rhône varieties, Fawbush pursues Sagrantino, Tannat, Nero d'Avola, Counoise, Aligoté, and Malvasia Bianca — grapes that challenge and educate the palate rather than confirm expectations. The winery frames this as a form of advocacy: bringing attention to grapes that would otherwise go \"into less loving hands.\" Carménère, in particular, is treated as a house identity — a grape the winery has championed across more than a decade and multiple expressions. The combination of intellectual curiosity, technical precision, and a compelling origin mythology makes Bartholomew Winery a distinctive and intellectually engaging producer in the Pacific Northwest.","somm_notes":[{"title":"Patti's notes on Bartholomew","content":"Bartholomew is another hidden gem! Bart offers some of the most unique varietals in the valley-and at a great value. You've got to try his Carménère... it's stellar!."}],"wines":[{"name":"Aligoté","vintage":"2025","variety":"Aligoté","price":"$22.00"},{"name":"Malvasia Bianca","vintage":"2025","variety":"Malvasia Bianca","price":"$24.00"},{"name":"Rose of Carmenere","vintage":"2025","variety":"Rosé","price":"$20.00"},{"name":"Rosé of Carménère","vintage":"2025","variety":"Carménère","price":"$20.00"},{"name":"Rose of Primitivo","vintage":"2024","variety":"Rosé","price":"$19.00"},{"name":"Amativo","vintage":"2023","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$27.00"},{"name":"Counoise","vintage":"2023","variety":"Counoise","price":"$32.00"},{"name":"Nero d'Avola","vintage":"2023","variety":"Nero d'Avola","price":"$33.00"},{"name":"Reciprocity","vintage":"2022","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$32.00"},{"name":"Red Mountain Carmenere","vintage":"2022","variety":"Carmenere","price":"$37.00"},{"name":"Reserve Carmenere","vintage":"2022","variety":"Carmenere","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Tannat","vintage":"2022","variety":"Tannat","price":"$35.00"},{"name":"Cabernet Franc","vintage":"2021","variety":"Cabernet Franc","price":"$29.00"},{"name":"Carmenere","vintage":"2021","variety":"Carmenere","price":"$37.00"},{"name":"Primitivo","vintage":"2021","variety":"Primitivo","price":"$29.00"},{"name":"Sagrantino","vintage":"2021","variety":"Sagrantino","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"Super Italian","vintage":"2021","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$35.00"}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"tripadvisor","rating":5.0,"count":8},{"source":"google","rating":5.0,"count":18}],"sample_reviews":[],"critic_scores":[],"community_scores":[{"wine_name":"Petit Verdot","vintage":null,"score":93,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.3/5 (27 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Franc","vintage":null,"score":92,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.2/5 (70 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Reciprocity","vintage":null,"score":92,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.2/5 (60 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Tannat","vintage":null,"score":92,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.2/5 (33 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Carménère","vintage":null,"score":91,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.1/5 (83 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Primitivo","vintage":null,"score":91,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.1/5 (57 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":null,"score":91,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.1/5 (29 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Souljur On","vintage":null,"score":90,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.0/5 (35 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Rosé Of Carménère","vintage":null,"score":89,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 3.9/5 (26 ratings)"}],"events":[]}