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Dear Wine Lover,

Growing up in the small town of Paso Robles, the thought of living on the other side of the world never crossed my mind. My parents evacuated Los Angeles seeking a better life for their children when I was just a young lad. Paso was all I knew through my adolescence. Late 2014, an opportunity presented itself to work a harvest in the Barossa Valley . This would lead to a succession of years which frequently found me chasing harvests.

Since graduating college, I was on a relentless pursuit of opportunities to work for the best, in order to see how things are accomplished at the highest level. Five years on still found me pursuing this “quest.” Working in and out of the Paso AVA, or even out of the country, I would go, RETURN for only a short time, then set out again with a new set of goals and values. Each time this occurred, two things would happen. First, I would reflect on what an unpredictable yet incredible experience I had. During that reflection, my second thought would form;, if I could do this, then what else could I accomplish. Since entering this industry, I've had this fire to gather experiences, and with that a greater understanding of wine making apart from my collegiate knowledge.

In 2019, that fire changed. I went from learning through someone else's mistakes over the course of their winery’s history, to making my own. I had to quickly decide my own protocols and decisions, rather than carrying out someone else’s conception of those tasks. This time was scary, humbling, yet invigorating. Whether things went to plan or fell off a cliff, this was it. No longer would the next experience be found in a foreign land. This was, le retour final, or Le Retour.

2019 Grenache- Caelesta Vineyard lies 1320 feet above sea level, nestled in the Templeton Gap AVA This echalas head trained block was our first step into working with Rhône varieties for ALLBAER. The first crop off the vineyard was marginally minuscule, with each plant producing an average of just .99 pounds. This allowed the vines to thrive, burrowing their roots deep into the thin top soil, while also producing fresh and yet nuanced fruit. This Grenache spent 19 days on skins, then filled directly to one neutral puncheon and one neutral barrique, only to be racked once more in preparation for bottling. Just 960 bottles were produced

2019 Sangiovese- 1980 feet above sea level, for years I had been the only caretaker of these vines. Whenever I’d come back from an adventure, I would manicure them and prepare them for the following year. 2019 was the first full year after half a decade that I had the opportunity to be there from pruning the previous vintage, to bringing the completed wine to bottle. Each vine yielded 5.4 pounds. This wine spent 20 months elevage and spent that time in 50% new French oak. Just 600 bottles were produced.

I would like to conclude by thanking you for your support. We invest a great deal of care and  an unquantifiable amount of time into each individual bottle. To be able to share these wines with you is an incredible honor; we couldn’t have done this without you. 

Sincerely, 

    ALL the BAERs