Bartholomew: Washington's Carmenère House
Anchoring in Identity
Carmenère isn't a side project for us, it's the backbone of our production and has been since our very first vintage in 2007. Back then, we were selling wine out of a dusty, lead-covered building in Seattle's industrial district. What could have been a passing experiment became a long-term commitment and the foundation of everything we do.
Nearly two decades later, we're not just producing Carmenère, we've made it our identity. At Bartholomew Winery, Carmenère defines who we are. It's our flagship, our specialty, and the wine that launched our philosophy of broadening palates through unconventional varietals.
Washington's climate offers something special for Carmenère: the ability to ripen it fully while maintaining elegance. Our hot, dry summers and extended autumns provide the warmth this late-ripening grape demands, while cool nights preserve the acidity and nuanced character that set Washington Carmenère apart. The result? Wines with lower alcohol, balanced structure, and a sophistication that comes from patience, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.
Nearly two decades later, Carmenère has grown from our original "unique" varietal to our flagship. It's not just what we make, it's who we are. We believe Washington can produce Carmenère at a world-class level, and we've placed this conviction at the forefront of our house identity.
Showcasing the Range: Two Carmenères, Two Visions
Releasing two Carmenères in the same vintage is a bold statement. But each wine tells a different story, and together they reveal the full spectrum of what this grape can achieve in Washington.
2022 Black Label Carmenère: Power Through Unity
The Black Label is something unprecedented, a blend of five Carmenères from five different Washington vineyards, combined in equal proportion. This has never been done before in Washington State history, and likely not in North America.
Why blend five vineyards? Because each site brings its own character to the wine, and combining them equally creates a complexity and elegance that no single vineyard could achieve alone. This bottling showcases the commitment and mastery of our grape growers, the people who spend every day, year-round, tending these vines. Their collective efforts are woven into every glass.
The 100% new American oak adds power and structure, but unlike a single-vineyard expression, the five-vineyard blend brings remarkable elegance. This is a wine that rewards patience. Decant it for an hour, or lay it down for a few years, and you'll discover layers that continue to evolve. Yet for all its complexity, the Black Label remains approachable, a wine made for both the enthusiast and the novice. It's proof that exceptional winemaking doesn't have to be intimidating.
This wine represents scale, ambition, and collaboration, a portrait of Washington's diverse terroir unified in a single bottle. In 2022, we produced over 1,000 cases of Carmenère from five vineyard sites across four AVAs. Some might see that as risky. We see it as an opportunity to showcase our favorite grape at its most expressive.
2022 Red Mountain Carmenère: Prestige and Identity
Where the Black Label explores breadth, the Red Mountain Carmenère digs deep into a single, prestigious site. This is our tenth vintage from these vines, and every year we're reminded why Red Mountain is considered the Grand Cru of Washington wine country.
Red Mountain is a small but powerful AVA known for producing bold, structured wines, particularly Bordeaux varietals. Carmenère, with its Bordelais heritage, is a natural fit here. The vineyard's stony soils, intense sunlight, and warm days push the grape to its limits, resulting in wines with more tannin and structure than Carmenère typically shows.
This bottling retains the smooth finish and medium body that define the varietal, but it pushes the boundaries. The Red Mountain expression is bolder, more layered, and built for aging. Unlike the Black Label's elegance through blending, this wine achieves power through place. It's a single expression that captures one location exceptionally well.
This is the wine that put Bartholomew on the Washington wine map. It's what helped people discover us, and it's what continues to define us. For those who wonder whether Carmenère can move beyond "curiosity grape" status, this is the answer: world-class, terroir-driven, and unmistakably from Washington.
Broaden Your Palate: Pairing & Accessibility
One of Carmenère's greatest strengths is its versatility at the table. The grape's bold yet smooth finish, combined with savory herbal notes, makes it a natural companion to an impressive range of foods. We've paired it with everything from smoked brisket to Mediterranean grilled vegetables, from ponzu-glazed pork to southern BBQ with baked beans. It even works beautifully with street tacos, a pairing that might surprise you until you try it.
This accessibility is part of our philosophy: broaden your palate by making the unfamiliar inviting. Even though our Carmenères are complex and exceptionally well-made, they're remarkably easy to enjoy. That balance, between sophistication and approachability, is what makes Carmenère such a rewarding discovery.
Lower alcohol levels and supple tannins mean these wines won't overwhelm your palate or your meal. They're structured enough to stand up to rich, boldly flavored dishes, yet smooth enough to let the food shine. Whether you're an experienced wine enthusiast or just beginning to explore beyond the familiar, Carmenère offers a gateway into something new without alienating you along the way.
A House Built on Carmenère
Bartholomew doesn't just make Carmenère. We are a Carmenère house.
This grape started us down the path of unique varietals back in 2007, and it remains the backbone of our total production today. While Chile made Carmenère its national emblem and Argentina claimed Malbec, we're staking our reputation on this grape in Washington, a place where it thrives at a world-class level.
No other winery showcases Carmenère's range like we do. Our two 2022 releases, one exploring elegance through blending, the other revealing power through terroir, demonstrate what happens when a winery commits not just to making a wine, but to mastering a grape. This isn't trend-chasing or experimentation for its own sake. It's a declaration: Carmenère is no longer forgotten. It has found its permanent home here in Washington, and Bartholomew is its steward.
We'd put our Carmenère up against the best in the world. Not because we're boastful, but because we've spent nearly two decades learning how to grow it, vinify it, and express it in ways that honor both its history and its potential. If you've never tried Carmenère, or if you tried it once and weren't impressed, we invite you to discover what it can be when it's grown with intention and crafted with care.
This is what it means to broaden your palate: not just trying something different, but finding something worth returning to again and again. That's the promise of Carmenère. That's the identity of Bartholomew.
