Michael G.
Yelp
I'm in the wine business and am a fan of Phil Baxter and his wines, so I was intent on visiting the tasting room during our trip - my first one - up to Anderson Valley. This is a spot to visit if you are serious about wine - it's not about the view or the wine-related souvenirs they sell in the tasting room. The tasting room is in a little building right on the highway in Philo, and they are using a covered patio with a couple picnic tables as the tasting area due to COVID restrictions. So there is no view or fancy frills - but we didn't go there for that stuff. We went to taste good wine - and we were not disappointed! Mark, our host, was extremely knowledgeable - not just about the Baxter wines, but Anderson Valley and wine in general. He was great. As far as the wines go, the thoughtful winemaking shines through - the excellent fruit sourcing, the use of native yeasts, hand punchdowns, use of only neutral oak...these are honest and delicious wines. Just the kind of wines I love to drink! Glad we were able to visit. I look forward to drinking more Baxter wines in the future!
As a side note, we hired a driver to take us out to the Harbor House Inn for dinner - and he's well connected and well versed in the local scene. He said that he has friends in the restaurant and wine business and Baxter is one of the wineries that they all think is one of the best in the region. I agree!