BAER Winery | Washington state Bordeaux Style Blends | NEWBIE Offer Library Wines 30% off

[PaigeW]

Hello Berserkers!

We are Baer Winery, founded in 2000 in Washington state and this is our first Berserker Day!! Our grapes are grown at a single certified salmon safe vineyard called Stillwater Creek in the Royal Slope appellation within Columbia Valley. Over the years, we have been shortlisted by many local and national critics including the Seattle Times top 100, Seattle Magazine Wine Awards, Seattle Met best wine to buy, the Wine Enthusiast 100, and the Wine Spectator Top 100.

Today’s library offerings from the 2014 and 2015 vintages are ready to go. Drink now, Berserkers!

**We are overjoyed by the response to our Newbie offers during our first Berserker Day. We want to extend the deal on both our offers through Sunday, January 29th. Take advantage of $20 flat rate ground shipping when purchasing one or more offers and you can add any other wines from our site to your cart before checkout.

OFFER 1 – Astronomical Library Deal (3-pack @ $99)

3 bottles of 2014 Ursa, our flagship red blend.

2014 URSA - black cherry, stony mineral and spice notes framed by firm tannins.

• 38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec
• 100% Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope of Columbia Valley, Washington
• Aged 22 months in 100% French oak, 38% new
• 14.5% ABV
• Wine Spectator – 90 points

Other 364 days = $142.50, BD14 = $99 with $20 flat rate ground shipping

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

OFFER 2 - 2015 Vintage Sampler (3-pack @ $99)

1 bottle of each of the following

2015 STAR MERLOT - red cherry, plum, vanilla, hints of herbs. Juicy and succulent with soft ripe tannins.

• 87% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc
• Aged 22 months in 100% French oak, 59% new
• 14.6% ABV
• Wine Spectator – 93 points

2015 URSA RED BLEND – red currant, black plum, loamy soil, cedar, plush and velvety tannins.

• 38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec
• Aged 22 months in 100% French oak, 79% new
• 14.5% ABV
• Wine Spectator – 93 points

2015 ARCTOS CABERNET SAUVIGNON – black raspberry, black currant, cedar, savory herbs, baking spices, silky chocolate finish.

• 94% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Petit Verdot
• Aged 22 months in 100% French oak, 79% new
• 14.8% ABV
• Wine Spectator – 92 points

Other 364 days = $135.50, BD14 = $99 with $20 flat rate ground shipping

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

CANNOT ship to: AL, DE, MS, NH, ND, SD, RI, and UT
Shipping OK with special rates = HI and AK

THE RAFFLE - Winner notified: @Scott_Bauer

6 bottle sampler of our 2018 reds.

Each offer purchased will be one entry into a raffle for 6 bottles of our current release red wines (shipping included). Winner will be notified at 8pm PST on January 27, 2023.

2018 BAER Current Release Wines

Origin Story

Our story starts with our beloved, late Lance Baer. A man with an impeccable palate that understood wine, Lance started his career as a “cellar rat” and soon found himself as the assistant winemaker at a premium local winery, DeLille Cellars. Lance had a dream of going out on his own and the type of wine he would create, so he founded Baer Winery in 2000. He worked first out of an apartment with shared space in Woodinville and then eventually out of a converted garage for the first seven years of production. His initial creation was our signature wine, Ursa, first released in 2003. Once Baer Winery outgrew Lance’s garage, we moved to the Woodinville Warehouse District and have been here ever since 2007.

Lance passed at age 39, shortly before we moved to our current location. Baer Winery is his legacy and is now run by his father, Les Baer, his sister, Lisa Baer, along with our small but mighty production and tasting room team. Our winemaker, Erica Orr, evolved the wines that Lance first created while adding her own expertise and finesse.
We source all of the fruit for our wines from Stillwater Creek Vineyard in Washington’s Royal Slope AVA. The seven varietals we harvest from Stillwater Creek are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Chardonnay.

[MICHAEL_C_R_O_M_W_E_L_L]

A lovely treat for being a WB Monopole Cru member is the opportunity to be a newbie preview taster. Baer Winery was kind enough to provide the four wines below free of charge. All wines were decanted in a wide body decanter and consumed from conventional Riedel Cabernet glasses. My thanks to Baer for providing the wines and participating in BD14.

2015 Arctos

94% Cabernet Sauvignon / 6% Petit Verdot. Decanted 30 minutes. Unlike the other Baer wines I tasted, this one did not have any significant amount of sediment. Medium bodied, dark crimson, no bricking. From the start the tannins seems to have been well managed and did not come into play during the drinking window.

30 min
Nose of perfume, black currant, blueberry and anise. The palate was overpowering blueberry, blueberry jam, blueberry liquer, medium length finish, moderately balanced at this point. Blind I would have put this as Napa.

60 min
Nose of coffee, black currant, anise, touch of olives, and black tea. The palate calmed down significantly, but a dominant bittersweet note appeared on the finish. The blueberry seemingly transitioned to faint blackberry but tea note remained constant.

90 min
At this point, the wine began to really open up! Nose of chocolate covered cherries and maraschino cherry. The fruit transition completed into primarily red cherry and black tea with a complimentary cherry cream mousse showing up. More spiciness appearing on a medium length finish, bittersweet notes disappeared.

2+ hr
Same as before but notes of dried flowers and herbs appeared along with faint clove and white pepper notes on the finish.

2014 Ursa

38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec
Decanted for 30 min. Oak and tannins seemingly integrated at this stage. Translucent cherry red in color. Lighter than the 2015.

30 min
Nose of fruit/floral perfume, roasted coffee bean, mushroom, mint. Palate showed restrained fruit, very Bordeaux like, medicinal cherry, enough acid to age many more years, fairly long finish.
60 min

Nose of coffee, fresh cut green herbs, and currants. Palate showed less medicinal cherry and more dried fruit characteristics (cherry/apricots). Bordeaux characteristics in full force.

90 min
The herbal notes disappeared but coffee and currants remained. Tobacco and mushroom appeared. On the palate, not much change in the specific notes, but everything became a little more seamless and integrated.

2+ hr
The nose remained the same and the fruit stepped behind the earthy notes on the palate, with only currants showing through.

This was a great comparison of ’14 and ’15. Those wishing for a more Bordeaux experience should seek out the ’14, while those looking for more fruit should seek out the ’15.

2015 Ursa

38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec. Decanted for 30 min. Oak and tannins seemingly integrated at this stage. Translucent dark cherry red in color. Darker than the 2014.

30 min
Nose was far more expressive than the ’14. Fruit/floral perfume, fresh red cherry, candied fruit. On the palate, boisterous red cherry (far less medicinal notes than the ’14) and black olive on a finish that was easily a minute long.

60 min
Not much change but a hint of fig appeared, much longer finish than the ’14.

90 min
The lovely and expressive nose remained with fresh but wildflowers complimenting an already beautiful wine. Earthy notes begin to show on the palate, tilled soil, mushroom and tobacco, but a very nice balance between fruit and earth.

2+ hr
The expressive nose remained with red cherry and fig dominating, far more aromatic than the ’14 at this point. The fruit has reasserted its position over the earthy notes.

This was a great comparison of ’14 and ’15. Those wishing for a more Bordeaux experience should seek out the ’14, while those looking for more fruit should seek out the ’15. We paired the ‘15 with a variety of Indian food and it held up well.

2015 Star

87% Merlot / 13% Cabernet Franc. On open, the cork was full of sediment and a decant was required (I was warned to decant in advance). Medium body, translucent scarlet crimson.

PnP
Initial nose of roses, chocolate covered cherries, dried flowers, faint blueberry, mocha, candied cherry and a metallic note I always seem to get from Merlot. The palate screamed Merlot with red cherry and bittersweet chocolate on the finish, and a bit of crushed green herbs at the early stage.

30 min
The nose was dominated by mocha, candied fruit with the metallic note still present. The palate began to show a more earthy / herbal note as the Cabernet Franc emerged. A ‘sweet’ note began to show across the whole palate front to back. Nice balance at this point between fruit and earth.

60 min
A bubble gum note appeared,but the palate muted ever so slightly with bittersweet chocolate prominent on the finish.

90 min
This became a Star, pun intended. No longer muted, the wine blossomed with lovely notes of fig and black currant complimenting the rose, dried flower and chocolate covered cherry notes across the nose and palate. I had a hard time keeping my nose out of the glass. A bit of structure began to appear without being tannic, there is clearly good oak management also. With more time the black currant began to take a more prominent position as mocha and smoke notes came and went. The ‘sweet’ note remained though faded somewhat and a medium length finish.

The ‘15 Star held its own over a three hour drinking window and went well with a Flannery filet tail for dinner. QPR is up there. I am a fan of the Star.

[rwstorer]

Happy Berserker Day!! I’m a Monopole Cru Member Newbie Taster and I received these wines ahead of time at no cost from the winery, and was able to taste through them. Here are my notes:

First picture is of the unopened lineup of:

2014 Ursa (Blend of 38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec)

2015 Star Merlot (Bled of 87% Merlot & 13% Cabernet Franc)

2105 Arctos (Blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon & 6% Petit Verdot)

2015 Ursa (Blend of 38% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec)

Second picture is of opened bottles and corks.

Notes:

2014 URSA- 14.5% ABV: Popped and poured over 60 minutes. Red, dark and clear color with an initial BDX nose, blowing off into intense earth, dark fruits, oak, olive and coffee. This is medium sweet, light bodied, with smooth tannins and low acidity. This is an easy drinker and would go great with food.

2015 STAR MERLOT- 14.5% ABV: Popped and poured over 60 minutes. Another deep red, almost opaque wine with a touch of alcohol on the nose, followed by aromas of black fruits, a hint of plum, coffee, chocolate and maybe some strawberry. There’s a lot going on here and the wine is very aromatic. Medium sweet with low acid and medium tannins, there is plenty of sweet oak and cassis flavor and a relatively short 3 second finish. This wine is medium bodied and a bit too sweet for me, but a pleasant easy to drink wine.

2015 ARCTOS- 14.6% ABV: Popped and poured over 60 minutes. Dark red almost inky black opaque color with almost no initial nose. It took about 20 minutes in the glass to come around with aromas of red fruits and oak. This wine is medium sweet, with a slight burning touch of alcohol on the tongue. The wine has medium body, medium tannin and low acidity - needs some time, but still a very pleasant easy drinker that would go great with Thai food or anything with a bit of spice to it.

2015 URSA- 14.6% ABV: Popped and poured over 60 minutes. Very dark red, opaque wine with a powerful, young nose of olives, coffee and wet earth and the hint of a young BDX. Medium sweet flavors of fresh red fruit with low (smooth) acid and low tannin and a streak of menthol (spearmint) running through it. This is a medium body easy drinker and would go really well with grilled meats or anything with some spice to it.

[PaigeW]

Michael- Thank you for tasting through our wines and providing detailed notes.

[PaigeW]

Thanks Roger for the tasting notes

[ToddFrench]

No time to shop for me but save me an order #1! Ping me after the madness!

[PaigeW]

Got you in for Offer #1 @ToddFrench. See you on the other side.

[Evan_Tunis]

Order in. Eager to try this new and exciting winery

[PaigeW]

Thanks for your support @Evan_Tunis. We will get it shipped out Monday, weather permitting.

[Jonathan_Jaggers]

Oh heck yeah! Enjoyed many an Ursa back in the day, and got turned on to Erica Orr’s phenomenal wines on last year’s BD, so this is a match made in heaven. In for a couple of the 2015 sampler packs.

[Brad_S_w_a_l_l_o_w]

You had me at “raffle.” Offer No. 1 for me, and looking forward to trying!

Thanks!

[DIANAD]

Order in for one of each offer!

[JackH]

1 of each for me. Thanks!

[PaigeW]

Thank your for your support today and over the years @Jonathan_Jaggers.
We love @Erica_O_r_r and she has some amazing offers going live at 9:30AM PST.

[PaigeW]

Thanks for your support @Brad_S_w_a_l_l_o_w !

[PaigeW]

We appreciate your support @DIANAD

[PaigeW]

Thank you @JackH

[d.morris]

I’m in! Realized I didn’t have enough WA in my BD lineup. It’s where my love of wine began!

[J_a_y_C_a_i_n]

In for Offer 1 - God have mercy on my soul!