2016 Baer Winery Stillwater Creek Vineyard Star Merlot

Baer Winery is in Woodinville, in Western Washington. It was founded in 2000 by Lance Baer, who had worked at several Washington wineries before making his own wine. His debut wine was the Ursa red blend, released in 2003. He intended Ursa, with its mix of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, to be “a feminine expression of red wine.” In later vintages Baer also produced Arctos, a red blend with a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Baer died in 2007 at age 39, but his family continues to make Baer wines at the six-acre winery. The winery makes about 3,500 cases a year. Along with red blends, the estate also makes Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

Columbia Valley AVA is larger than some states. At 18,000 square miles, or 11 million acres, the appellation covers almost half of Washington State and a small part of Oregon on the south side of the Columbia River. Established in 1984, Columbia Valley contains numerous sub appellations within its boundaries, including Yakima Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, both large and important wine districts. Columbia Valley AVA, generally called the Columbia Basin by Pacific Northwesterners, is in the Columbia River Plateau, and the AVA also includes a section of northeastern Oregon. There are dozens of microclimates within this appellation of about 7,000 vineyard acres. Many kinds of grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley, though the principal grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Eastern Washington experiences very hot summers and cold winters, and the northern latitude means that Washington vineyards receive several more hours of sun in the summer than California vineyards. Grapes in Washington therefore have time to develop significant tannins and overall ripeness.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.