Newbie Intro - Orr Wines

Hiya everybody – I’m Erica Orr of Orr Wines

Origin Story: At a bar in San Francisco in 1998, I met winemaker Aaron Pott who convinced me that winemaking was the coolest job in the world. I took a vacation from my lab tech job at UCSF to work harvest with Cathy Corison while applying to the master’s program at Davis. I was hooked and there was no turning back. Harvest internships at Cain Vineyard, Domaine Dujac and Yering Station were followed by a couple years training in Oakville at Rudd Estate. Fifteen years ago, in 2005, I moved up here to Washington state and started a wine lab and winemaking consulting business in Woodinville working with Baer, Mark Ryan, Guardian, and Sparkman.

Orr Wines: I started my own brand 7 years ago with just over 100 cases of old vine chenin blanc. Now I’m making 4 different wines - all small production lots (5 to 10 barrel blends for the grenache and merlot, the chard is 4 barrels, the chenin is under 300 cases). This is a scale that I can micromanage and worry about the details (like being onsite for the picks or patiently guiding the native fermentations) while at the same time keep my lab and consulting clients happy. I’m lucky to be working together with a lot of great people in the vineyard and the cellar too! The bottle’s got my name on it but I’ve called in a whole lot of favors to make this dream a reality…

BD12: My wines have mainly been sold to restaurants and wine shops around Seattle – I launched this direct-to-consumer business just a couple months ago in November 2020. It’s been a lot of learning by doing but it’s fun to connect with my customers in a way I never have before. I’m looking forward to participating in Berserker Day #12!
I have some reviews posted on my website here.Press — Orr Wines
Please reach out if you’re curious about my wines! contact@ericaorrwines.com [cheers.gif]
Instagram @ericaorrwines

Drank 2019 Orr Chenin Blanc last night! Delightful. Complex yet light on its feet. Both charming and precise. Great to see you here. champagne.gif

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Hi and welcome,

What type of lab stuff do you do? A particular focus or just anything and everything?


FYI - there’s a thread here in WineTalk with other women owned wineries, you should introduce yourself.

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Welcome Erica!

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Hi Erica!

Absolutely love your Chenin Blanc! I could not recommend her CB more enough and look forward to her offer :slight_smile:

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Yes! recently tried the Chenin and it was great. The Merlot was quite good too. Welcome to the blitz!

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Definitely on my short list…welcome!

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Long time fan!

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Erica, I picked up a case from you in early December, very much have enjoyed. Question, how/what schedule do your releases happen? Again, really enjoyed the wines, Thanks

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Just drank a bottle of 2019 Chenin Blanc over two nights - very nice the first and downright excellent the second. Looking forward to trying the reds too, and hoping there’s a library offer here.

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Thanks for these kind words, everybody! Super encouraging [cheers.gif]
With regard to John’s question about my release schedule - typically the Chenin is bottled around March and released in May of the year after the grapes was harvested. So far, I’ve been lucky that my wines have sold out before the next vintage comes along. I’m preparing to order the labels, glass bottles and TCA-free corks for my 2020 Chenin now.
I overvintage the Chardonnay - it spends about a year in barrel and then 4-6 months in stainless steel before bottling. My 2018 Chard harvest was super dramatic (I wrote a blog post about it My First Chardonnay — Orr Wines). Thankfully this 2019 Chard seems to be smoother sailing … although it is even smaller production … we will bottle that in March with the chenin.
The Grenache and Merlot are bottled in the summertime for a fall release.

Let me know if you guys have any other questions!
E