Sitting beside winemaker Erica Orr, she spoke about her recent trip to France. It did sound like a killer visit to Bordeaux — very relaxed in the heat of summer. I had too embarked on a trip to France in the heat. Everything is very precise in her winemaking, as the wines by her brand and Baer always share a beginning, middle and end.
Orr Wines began several years back as Erica was dying to produce top class Chenin Blanc and create her own brand. It is a hard knock life right now for Chenin Blanc, as a few years back an old vine vineyard, Rothrock, was ripped up. That was the site for her wine and she had to find another source. All of her red wines come from the esteemed Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA — a site that she is very familiar with, as her Baer wines also come from that location.
I love the new wines by Erica Orr. Do not miss out on her 2021 Orr Wines Chenin Blanc (OB, 92) which is rich and full of finesse, and is truly one of the great wines of its kind in North America. I also adored the new 2021 Orr Wines Grenache (OB, 92) which is also chalk-filled of tension and shows a leaner, very pretty expression of the varietal. Learn more about these great wines at orrwines.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Erica Orr.
2021 Orr Wines Chenin Blanc- Coming from the Gresswell, Rosa Hills and Upland Vineyards, the 2021 Orr Wines, this was aged in a combination of stainless steel, hogshead barrels and used French oak before bottling. This shows a nutty edge once on the nose, with bright pear and starfruit tones. The palate is beautifully textured and shows great poise and weight. This is seamless throughout the drinking experience, as this Chenin Blanc is best consumed over the next five to seven years. Drink 2022-2028- 92
2021 Orr Wines Grenache- The 2021 Orr Wines was stored in natural oak for eight months before bottling in May 2022. Coming from the Corfu Crossing and Stillwater Creek Vineyards, this delivers pretty guava and red cherry notes on the nose with shades of green olives. The texture is soft as this displays great underlying acidity that makes your mouth water. A beautiful core of red fruits mingle on the palate, with citrus rind and shades of wet stone. Drink 2022-2030- 92
2019 Orr Wines Merlot- The 20219 Orr Merlot comes from the Stillwater Creek AVA, as this has 20% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Stored in used oak, this delivers ripe cassis, mocha and chocolate cake notes on the nose. The palate is very fresh and finesse-driven with good structure, showing plenty of mouth-watering acidity. This is beautiful wine to consume now and over the next decade. Drink 2022-2032- 91
2020 Orr Wines Red Wine- The 2020 Orr Wines Red Wine is a blend of 92% Merlot with 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Hand-sorted, this was entirely stored in neutral oak before bottling in May 2022. This is beautifully textured with a soft mouthfeel and delivers chocolate covered cherry, roasted dates and graphite notes. Drinking nicely now, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2022-2030- 91