Anderson Valley – Wine Snob

Little pockets of excellence. This is what comes to mind when I reflect back on my trip to Anderson Valley.

Baxter Winery embodies this precisely. This was my first stop upon arriving and disappoint it did not. It set the bar pretty high for all other stops on my 3 day tasting itinerary.

It was a lovely, calm, sunny day at the tasting room. I was greeted with a sampling of their 2022 Rosé. As described, dry and refreshing, it was delicate, crisp, fresh and very nicely executed.

The main tasting flight consisted of an exquisite Chardonnay and three beautifully curated Pinot Noirs, poured in increasing body, depth and complexity.

When I do these tastings, I try to stay focused and select one or two wines to bring back with me and feature on the blog. Wines that I feel really channel the best of the winemaker’s craft while appealing to the broadest spectrum of palate. With Baxter wines, it was very hard to pick a favorite – they were all amazing – however after much deliberation and a couple revisits, I settled on the 2022 Rosé and the Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir. These two edged ever so slightly ahead of the pack. I look forward to reviewing them here in the blog.

My visit to Baxter Winery was the perfect introduction to Anderson Valley. A rewarding experience after the long drive. Pinot Noir well worth the trip. I look forward to exploring more of their wines. Thank you the great wines and hospitality!

Baxter Winery is a small, quality-oriented Pinot Noir producer located on a coastal ridge-top above the Anderson Valley in Northern California. We produce 2000 cases of single vineyard wines (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay as well as some hard-to-find varieties), all using traditional techniques, neutral oak and wild yeast. We produce world-class wines that consistently gain excellent reviews.

Now in his seventeenth year of Baxter wines, Phillip Baxter studied winemaking at UC Davis before spending a six month internship at a winery in Burgundy, France. There he contributed to wines from 33 different vineyards from village to grand cru wines, ranging from Pommard to Gevrey-Chambertin. This experience heavily influenced Phillip’s approach to winemaking – he learnt traditional methods that he continues to use to this day. [Baxter Winery]

Foursight Wines is a family owned and operated winery in the cool, coastal region of Anderson Valley. Founded in 2006 by Bill and Nancy Charles – long-time winegrowers – together with daughter Kristy Charles and husband Joseph Webb, we craft small lots of estate-grown Pinot Noir, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc each year. [Foursight]

Small family owned and operated boutique wineries are my happy place. I love their often times raw, real and unfiltered essence. Their passion for their wines and pursuit of purity and excellence is palpable. My visit to Foursight wines did not disappoint.

Upon arrival I was greeted by Kristi at the tasting room and hosted for a tasting outside, under a couple of old oak trees. The tasting flight was very well curated, the wines subtle, nuanced and very well executed.

Foursight wines presents a solid benchmark, a great reference point for anyone looking to explore the region (Anderson Valley) at large. I especially enjoyed their Pinot Noirs. Every wine was really well made, dry, great fidelity, with subtle but rich fruit and terroir expressions. I highly recommend for the intermediate to advanced palate.

Picking a favorite was the tough part, but I did settle on one of the Pinot Noirs and will be taking a closer look in the future.

Thank you Kristy, Joseph and the entire family for the great wines and hospitality. The lavender field was a lovely touch. I look forward to visiting again someday.