Baer Winery Reserve Chardonnay
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Sourced from Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA, a high elevation certified sustainable grower.
- Erica Orr, winemaker, achieves consistently high ratings on these wines. She holds high credentials from UC Davis and UC Berkeley and extensive hands-on experience in California.
- Fermented in one new French oak barrel and two neutral used barrels. The new barrels selected are “Hydro-Pure,” which reduces the astringent oak tannin impact and adds a subtle vanilla and light spice character to the wine.
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Elaboration: Hand-picked. Whole cluster pressed. Naturally fermented with native yeast in three oak barrels. Full malolactic fermentation. Racked off lees after 11 months into stainless steel drums for 6 months. Lightly bentonite fined, unfiltered before bottling under TCA free micro-agglomerated cork. Aged 11 months in oak (33% new), then 6 months in stainless steel.
Tasting Notes: “The nose opens with enticing aromas of ripe yellow apple and sandalwood, transitioning to flavors of juicy peach and toasted almonds on the palate. This Chardonnay is full-bodied and generously round, offering a rich texture that coats the mouth. The finish lingers with a delightful sweet spice, leaving a lasting impression of warmth and balance.” – Jeremy Young, International Wine Report
PRESS
2022 – 92 Sean Sullivan | 93 Owen Bargreen
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Winemaker Lance Baer founded Baer Winery in 2000 with a single passion—to bring something unique to Woodinville. After years of working with some of the most prestigious wineries in the area, Lance wanted to take his winemaking skills in his own direction. Lance succeeded in handcrafting blends distinctly his own, and in April 2003 the first vintage of the winery’s signature blend, Ursa, was released. Ursa, a feminine expression of red wine, predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Franc, was soon followed by Arctos, a bolder Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.
As operations moved from an apartment in Redmond to a converted property on six rural acres in Woodinville, the winery was able to grow in production. Lance’s passion went from just 200 cases in 2003 to over 3,000 cases now. In late 2007, Baer Winery moved into the popular warehouse wine complex near downtown Woodinville – a move which has allowed us to grow to producing approximately 3,500 cases per year, with a view to continuing to increase to 5,000.
Sadly, founder, son, brother and friend, Lance Baer, passed away in May of 2007, at the age of 39. But the Baer family, Lisa and Les, with the expertise of consulting winemaker Erica Orr, are continuing to produce the wines that Lance was devoted to creating, as well as continuing to evolve and add new blends to the winery’s line-up.