Baer Winery Ursa 09

Review:

The 2008 Baer Ursa was #6 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wine of 2011. The 2009 Ursa follows suit with gusto, billowing gorgeous, heady aromas. Like the 08, the palate is super plush and densely packed with black cherries, blue and blackberries, sweet black licorice and cocoa shavings. It's a WOW wine, and I highly recommend it. - Marcus

44% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot.

The 2009 vintage has yielded a complex Ursa, offering aromas of ripe fruit – cherry and plum – tinted with savory herbs, black olive, vanilla, and a slight tingle of rootbeer. The blend plays on a slight shift in concentration on the percentage of Cabernet Franc, but still showcases luxurious Columbia Valley Merlot. Concentrated dense flavors that are full and ripe, with layers that will open with some cellar time. - Erica

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

Number 6 of the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines for 2011

7/2011 - While the 2008 Ursa is long gone, it's sister wine, Arctos, is still available. Arctos is driven by Cabernet Sauvignon. This dark red wine is deep and rich and has notes of plum, black cherry, black currant, and blueberry. Flavors include bay leaf, roasted coffee, sweet oak and black olive. The fine grained tannins persist through the smooth finish. Heck, we liked it better than Ursa, and chose it for our Big Reds wine club! It's the Cab-heavy blend of the two, with a bigger backbone.

2008 Wine Spectator - 95 points - This has great presence, offering a dense cloud of blackberry, cherry and spice flavors that hover, almost weightless, over a sleek frame of fine tannins, with just enough acidity to keep it fresh. The finish sails on beautifully. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Best from 2012 through 2020. - H.S.

Ursa is a red blend that is 53% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. Aromas of ripe black cherry, red berries, vanilla, wood smoke, roasted herbs and sweet oak. Flavors include hints of violet and spicy black pepper. Fruit forward, this wine pairs well with food or is a good stand-alone red.