Many years ago before I was writing professionally I would visit Baer on the weekends and taste. It was a winery producing some outstanding wines but at the time few people knew about this hidden gem in Woodinville. One of Washington’s great boutique wineries, Baer was founded in 2000 by Lance Baer. Lance was known for crafting exceptional red wines as many of his wines were met with critical acclaim.
Erica Orr took over this program many years back and originally got her start in the wine industry back in 1998, working her first harvest with eminent winemaker Cathy Corison in the Napa Valley. She immediately caught the wine bug and enrolled in the enology master’s degree program at UC Davis where she completed her master’s degree in 2003. Erica also has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UC Berkeley and three years of research experience as a biochemistry lab technician for 2009 Nobel Laureate Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn at UC San Francisco.
Her background in chemistry gives her a very precise, scientific winemaking style that I have noticed over the years. She has become one of the great winemakers in the state with her highly focused, Bordelaise style, carefully crating red wines from the famed Stillwater Creek Vineyard, that are built to age.
I adored her 2017 Baer ‘Star’ Merlot (OB, 93) which shows a brilliant purity of fruit and good freshness. This has some great aging potential. Even better is their sensational 2017 Baer ‘Ursa’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which might be the best edition of this wine that I have tasted over the past fifteen years. Learn more about this great Woodinville winery at at baerwinery.com Here are the great new releases by Baer
2017 Baer ‘Star’ Merlot- Entirely sourced from the ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ in the newly minted Royal Slope AVA. Ripe red currants and cocoa powder tones mingle with sage and smoke on this gorgeous nose. The palate is fresh and beautifully textured. Bright red cherry and roasted dates collide with coffee grounds and chocolate cake on the palate. Gorgeous in its youth, this has some great cellaring potential. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2017 Baer ‘Ursa’ Red Wine- A blend that changes each year, the 2017 edition is a melange of 46% Merlot with 42% Cabernet Franc and small parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot all sourced from the ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’. Once on the nose this takes on beautiful red florals that mingle with red cherry compote, mocha, tar and dried herbs. The palate is fresh and lively with a silky texture. The wonderful length compliments the beautifully pure red and dark fruits. This is quite simply up there with the best ‘Ursa’ wines that I have tasted over the past fifteen years, with its great sense of elegance, verve and weightless character. Sensational now, this will provide drinking enjoyment for the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2021-2035- 94
2017 Baer Cabernet Franc- The 2017 Baer Cabernet Franc is a gorgeous effort from this warm vintage in the Columbia Valley. Very silky and elegant once on the palate, the wine shows off red currants that mingle with smoke, sagebrush and chocolate tones. Delightful to savor in its youth, with good freshness and flavor density, this beautiful wine will cellar well for the next fifteen years or more. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2017 Baer ‘Arctos’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Arctos’ shows off rich dark currant aromas that mingle with espresso bean, blackberry compote and herbal undertones that all march in unison. The palate is fresh, vibrant and beautiful textured. The wine shows a very pretty purity of fruit, with a great acid backbone with firm tannins holding everything in place. Delicious with its dense core of dark fruit, coffee ground and dark chocolate tones, this outstanding new wine will cellar well for the next fifteen years — or more. Drink 2021-2036- 93
2017 Baer ‘Callisto’ Red Wine- Always one of the unique blends out of the Columbia Valley, the 2017 ‘Callisto’ combines 42% Syrah and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon with 29% Petit Verdot. The PV shines aromatically with its dill and green bell pepper tones, alongside chocolate and mocha. The palate is silky and elegant with great acidity and weight. Firm tannins hold in a great core of dark fruits with Turkish coffee, sagebrush and menthol tones on the palate. Seamless and soft, this is gorgeous in its youth and will cellar well for another decade or more. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2017 Baer Malbec- This single vineyard and single varietal bottling shows off violets with shades of white pepper, black cherry compote and milk chocolate on this beautiful bouquet. The palate is soft, round and generous with refined tannins. Rich dark fruits collide with minerals, smoke and shades of sagebrush on the palate. The length adds to the enjoyment. Drink 2021-2035- 93