Baxter Winery
Wines with a personal touch
Come on down to the Baxter tasting room!
Dear reader, have you tasted some Fathers + Daughters Cellars wines at the inn and thought, “Wow! This is fantastic!”? First, we agree – you are absolutely correct. Every. Single. Bottle. Is. Fantastic. Second, if you can’t get enough and want to explore further in this direction, we really need to introduce you to even more wines from the winemaker behind scenes, the fellow who waves the magic wand and creates such liquid loveliness – Phil Baxter. In fact, you should probably book a tasting appointment right now for your next visit out to Mendocino at his own boutique family winery, Baxter Winery, in Philo in the Anderson Valley. We did exactly that the other day, and we are so glad we did.
We eased our car off Highway 128 and stepped out into the warmth of a mid-August day in the Anderson Valley – 95 degrees and a bit humid. The sweaters that had been necessary out in the fog of the coast immediately came off and got abandoned in the backseat before we even thought about going in to the tasting. Our host for the day, Mark, came out with a welcoming smile in his eyes to meet us at a small table just outside the entrance to the sweetly simple building that Baxter Winery has occupied for the past 7 years. After asking us to wait for a couple of minutes while he set up our table, Mark led us around to the shady outside patio where all tastings are currently being held. It was an unpretentious space, with an air of easy relaxation and attention to simple details – little evidences of an unseen hand quietly filling it with the love of someone who cares.
Phil at work. Photos by Guy Pacurar
Mark, who was happy to share from the extensive depths of his well of wine knowledge, was an excellent host, walking us through the 5 different wines on our tasting menu that day and stopping by every now and again to check in, answer questions, engage in short discussions on the merits of different soils and vineyards, and generally just be the perfect wine tasting Sherpa, if you will. He also explained a little more of the winemaking philosophy that Phil Baxter brings to all of his wines. Essentially, Phil is a firm believer in old-world, traditional methods of winemaking. He utilizes a restrained approach, gently nudging the process along while letting the grapes do their thing – slow wild yeast fermentation, punchdowns by hand, 100% neutral oak barrels, you get the picture. With his own winery, he focuses even more on bringing out the character of the grapes that he uses by producing only single vineyard wines. This way, each wine is totally unique, a clear expression of the soil and microclimate in which it is rooted.
So how were the wines we tasted? In a word, fantastic!
We started off with the 2018 Oppenlander Chardonnay, which Mark said he liked to call a Mendocino Chablis. From a small 1-acre lot of Chardonnay in the acclaimed Oppenlander Vineyard in Comptche, these grapes grew with both inland heat and the beautifully cooling influence of higher elevation not too far from the coastal fog. It being a hot day, it was hard to maintain the cooler serving temperature that is generally preferred for white wines. The ambient warmth opened up a lot of flavors that would generally be kept in check by a crisper chill though. It had good structure, and we could tell that at a cooler temperature, it would be incredibly refreshing and balanced.
A splash of Chard to start things off
Next up, the 2017 Valenti Vineyard Pinot Noir. From high up on the Mendocino Ridge and almost within sight of the coastal cliffs, these grapes are among the coolest climate grapes of all the ones that Phil uses. As such, the wine that he makes from them is incredibly delicate and crisp, with faint hints of mountain herbs and ocean breeze.
Moving up a tick in weight, we tried the 2017 Langley Vineyard Pinot Noir next. This one was incredibly interesting in that the entire vineyard is filled with a clone of Pinot Noir that is generally used for sparkling wine. Roederer Estate was retiring these vines from production, and Langley bought them to transplant in their own little 4-acre space. Phil got his hands on some of these grapes, and the resulting wine is utterly de-lish-us. Seriously. Bright, vibrant, buoyant even – it begged for another glass… or two… or more!
On to the Pinot! Photo by Sarah Rowe
Sadly sipping the last few drops of the Langley, we were comforted by the sight of the 2017 Run Dog Vineyard Pinot Noir as we poured the next adorable mini carafe into our glasses. Slightly darker in color, this 100% Pommard clone wine had a rich, almost bourbon-like smell. It was deeply, earthily tart on our tongues.
We moved on to the last Pinot on the day’s docket, the 2017 Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot. From the same vineyard as the Chardonnay we tasted at the very beginning, this wine was exactly as the concise tasting notes before us declared it to be – elegant and multi-layered. Wow. Truly fantastic. Dangerous, even.
Then Mark surprised us by bringing out a little something extra to finish things off, a taste of the Fox Hill Vineyard Montepulciano. Amazing. Coming off the mineral, savory edge of the four Pinot Noirs we had just tasted, this little-known varietal originally from central/southern Italy smelled like blackberry crumble. It wasn’t sweet, per se, and even had its own touch of minerality, but with the longer than normal aging time that Phil had allowed it, it had developed a glorious richness of nuance and structure. We savored this final wine as long as we could, swirling it in our glasses and eyeing the list of wines available for purchase… The Montepulciano was on there. Good. We were definitely heading home with some of this lovingly crafted wine to share with family and friends!
While we didn’t get to taste it during our visit in Philo, Phil’s Ferrington Vineyard Pinot is another truly fantastic wine that you most definitely need to try.
Reserve your own tasting at Baxter Winery during your next visit to Mendocino. They are open Friday through Sunday, 11:00am-5:00pm. Trust us, you’re going to want to stop by!
Words and some pictures by Laura Hockett