Version OOI

Dear Wine Lover,

Everyone has memories of the first time they begin something new. Whether it is their first day of school, first day at a new job, or learning to ride a bike, there is always a sense of the unknown. Before these moments you may have a preconceived notion of an experience, but rarely does this notion capture the reality. More often than not, the unexpected arises. That fleeting moment of the unknown gives way to  the necessity of figuring things out. I relate to these moments. From the moment I started down this path, I could never have imagined where it would take me. All I knew was a North Star, and I was going to follow it wherever it led. Never could I have guessed what amazing PLACES, PEOPLE, and most of all, EXPERIENCES I would encounter along the way. These experiences have brought joy and sadness, triumphs and shortingcommings, but best of all, they were a derivative of beginning down that path. Not only beginning, but also continuing to figure it out after that start. They have formed me into the person I am today. 

Now I find myself here, sharing this unknown with you. Writing some parts of this email seems scary, while other parts bring excitement. It’s filled with emotion because I know what we’ve put into making this moment happen. From long nights, to early mornings and endless parades of soggy socks. From tears, to laughs, and all the emotions between. It is all bundled into this wine. I couldn’t be prouder to share this “drop” with you. Yet it is only, Un Petit Début. I hope to share every step of this journey with you by keeping you informed of the things we are doing to improve on this start, as well as the things we may have overlooked on our path here. I applaud you for reading this and taking part in this journey from the very beginning. It means the world to me and the family. 

Over the years I’ve had the incredible opportunity to share and learn from various winemakers. Of the many trips doing destages, only one was American, while the rest were foreign. Because these individuals have been so formative to the decisions I’ve made during my career, it is only fitting that I pay my respects to them. A majority of my mentors have been French, with the stray Australian and Austrian caught up in the mix. Due to this, I found it only proper to name my wines in French in order to pay homage to those who have defined my winemaking ideology. 

As for the wine; I’ve always been a firm believer that luck is found at the crossroad of opportunity and preparation. In 2018, I found my way to that intersection. The year prior, I was living in Napa with little opportunity to escape on the “weekends” to produce a thought provoking wine. Moving to Ventura provided the perfect opportunity to make a wine while being present regularly. More so, Mother Nature blessed us with an incredible growing season. One that saw neither weeks of outrageous heat, nor sculpting frost. This made for an easy job as “winemaker”, monitoring the fermentation from a distance and delegating the necessary protocols those times I was not around. Our family’s property allowed for the wine to reach a phenolic maturation rarely seen while holding onto its acidity. What this results in is a wine with a refined texture and balance across the palate, while avoiding being weighed down by grand viscosity. 

We hope you enjoy this first small “drop” as much as we enjoyed making it. Without your support, none of this would be possible.  

Sincerely, 

    ALL the BAERs