Winemaker Phillip Baxter in Manhattan Beach!

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 learned traditional methods that he continues to use to this day.

Another shaping influence in Phillip’s career is his veteran winemaker father, who he worked alongside for many years and who originally inspired him to enter the winemaking field.

Baxter wines are truly made by Phillip’s own hand, with traditional French cellar techniques such as a five-day cold soak; slow wild yeast fermentation; punch-downs done by hand; a gentle basket press, and an extra-long aging regime with minimal intervention. We age our wines in 100% neutral French oak barrels to ensure the vineyard and fruit is the focus, not the oak. Our fruit is always hand-harvested and often fermented partial whole-cluster. The craftsmanship and quality show through in the finished wines. Read more here. Wines we'll be pouring: 

Baxter Chardonnay, Oppenlander Vineyard, Mendicino, 2020
Baxter Pinot Noir, Black Label, Anderson Valley, 2018
Baxter Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard, 2019
Baxter Pinot Noir, Valenti Vineyard, 2019