Bartholomew
MAKER OF OBSCURE VARIETALS.
Primitivo, Horse Heaven Hills AVA
Bart Fawbush is the owner/winemaker at Bartholomew Winery located (with a tasting room) in Kennewick, Washington. His venture into obscure varietals started with Carménère from Red Mountain AVA. He said that wine was so interesting and fun to make and so well received by his clientele that he never looked back.
We think he’s a super-talented winemaker. Hope this article encourages you to try some grapes you may have never heard of…. growing in your backyard (so to speak).
Bart Fawbush in his Kennewick winery
Originally from Ogden, Utah, Bart attended college at Gonzaga where he studied biology & chemistry. After college, Bart worked in finance, starting a mortgage brokerage in the early 2000's. His interest in winemaking called, though, and he combined his business & science backgrounds to form Bartholomew Winery in 2007.
Today, Bart’s production includes: Aglianico, Sagrantino, Negro Amaro, Carménère, Primitivo, Tannat, Cabernet Franc, and Barbera (all reds), Albariño, Malvasia Bianca, and Muscat Blanc (whites), rosé of Primitivo, and several red blends.
NOTES ON FEATURED VARIETALS:
Bartholomew 2021 Counoise
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington // Reg $31.99 | Mixed Case $25.59
Bart: Originally, I planned to make rosé, but I got a bottle of Counoise from California. It was light, not oaky, fabulous with food. 2021 is my first vintage. Six months in neutral oak with some additional bottle aging. European styling.
Portalis: 100% Counoise, a blending grape from the Southern Rhône Valley. Wild berries, strawberries on the nose. Raspberries, dark ripe plums on the palate with licorice & pepper. Fresh finish with fine tannins. Lighter in body, especially for a Washington red. So fun. Great fall wine.
Bartholomew 2019 Graciano
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington // Reg $33.99 | Mixed Case $27.19
Bart: I have contracted 7 acres with Coyote Canyon Vineyards and Horse Heaven Hills. One of the acres is Graciano. One is Grenache. One is Counoise. Graciano acts very similarly to Malbec in terms of how it grows. This is my second vintage. 57 cases. I love it. This one has more depth and character.
Portalis: 100% Graciano, a blending grape from Rioja. Plums, blueberries, earth. On the palate add in licorice & leather. Medium-body with lots going on! Lively. Long finish. Good food wine. Bart says to pair with lamb kabobs with saffron rice, paella, or olive tapenade. To this we’ll add roasted turkey or a baked ham.
Bartholomew 2019 Primitivo
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington // Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39
Bart: 100% Primitivo from Coyote Canyon Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills. Another of the underrated Italian varieties that continues to show well from this vineyard. Our 5th vintage of this grape, and IMHO the best one yet. Perfect growing conditions meant a well balanced wine that you can drink now or hold onto for the next 5 years.
Portalis: Primitivo = Zinfandel. Inviting nose. A lot of dark fruit: blackberries, blueberries, dark plums. Spicy, herbal note (nutmeg, black pepper). Flavors add in black cherries. Very plummy. Great acidity. Fuller-bodied. Smoky notes on the long, fresh finish. Great wine. Spare ribs, sausages, duck, rich cuts of beef. Flavors really come out after a good hour+ open.
Bartholomew 2022 Malvasia Bianca
Columbia Valley, Washington // Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
Bart: Ran into this grape on a spreadsheet. I had never heard of it. Bought what was left and made 22 cases. It sold immediately. Found another vineyard growing Malvasia. Pressed the grapes from these two vineyards together. Made two pallets. Aromatic. Pleasant. It’s what people want [in summer] when they visit the winery. That or rosé.
Portalis: 100% Malvasia Bianca. Originally from Greece, this white grape is grown mainly in the Mediterranean. Dried apricots, white peach on the nose. Earthy notes. A little clay? Flavors of pear, apple, stone fruit, honeysuckle. Complex. Great acidity. Long finish. Good with fish and veggie pasta, roasted chicken and more.
Bartholomew 2022 Albariño
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington // Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59
Portalis: 100% Albariño, a white grape originally from vineyards on the Atlantic coast in Galicia, Spain. Wet stone, dried apricots, a little lime, floral notes. Flavors of nectarines, lime, citrus. Lighter body. Refreshing. Great food wine — fish, Asian dishes, pasta with veggies.
Bartholomew 2022 Rosé of Primitivo
Horse Heaven Hills, Washington // Reg $19.99 | Mixed Case $15.99
Bart: For the rosé, I was looking for a fruity red grape that wasn’t too tannic and that had decent color. We do whole cluster press, and then age the wine in stainless steel. The Primitivo grows at the Coyote Canyon Vineyard. About half an acre produces 6.5 tons of grapes which is a lot. They’ve worked to maximize growth because with rosé you need to produce a fair amount. They harvest at 23 bricks which seems to be the sweet spot for us. I attended a winemaking class with a Provence winemaker. At the end, I hit him up on some technical details regarding pH etc. It helped a lot!
Portalis: 100% Primitivo. Red berries, strawberries. Water over stone. Melon. Lighter. Refreshing. Delicious. Fun wine!
Note: The rosé is currently out of stock, but we’ll get more next season, and we didn’t want to leave it out of this stellar lineup!
It’s clear by talking to Bart, that he digs this work. He’s curious, he likes to learn, and he really enjoys the challenge of learning how to make great wines out of these less traditional grapes.
”I really like having all of these options to meet the different palates of my customers. If you want something with tannins and fruit? I’ll give you Sagrantino. If you want something lighter-bodied and a little more in the Pinot Noir camp, I’ll give you Counoise.”
Go, Bart! We love your work.