our
winemaker

Winemaker Phillip Baxter Jr. studied Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis from 1997-2002 and continued his education in Burgundy, France. He worked as an intern at two domains in Burgundy owned by Boisset. During the thick of harvest, he was part of a team at Domaine de la Vougeraie in Permeaux where wine was produced from thirty-three different vineyards from Musigny and Bonne Mares to premier cru and village wines.

Thanks to his French language skills, Phil was chosen to oversee the cellar activities at Domaine Raymond Launay in Pommard along with one other full-time cellar master. There he helped to produce many Pommard wines, as well as several grand crus.

Phil returned to Northern California having learned ‘French Cellar’ methods and techniques to best showcase ‘terroir’. He joined his father, Phil Sr., making Phillipe-Lorraine wines. Phil and his father partnered in the establishment of BAXTER WINERY, a label focused on single vineyard wines, old-world techniques and the true expression of terroir.

It was his light hand in wine-making and his dedication to the expression of terroir in pinots that led Fathers + Daughters Cellars to approach Phil Baxter to craft their inaugural vintage of Ella’s Reserve in 2012. The result was so extraordinary that they asked Phil if he would consider overseeing the winemaking for all of our subsequent vintages.