WineChats: Conversations Over Wine

Forty-five minutes north of Seattle, on a southern-facing slope in Stanwood, Larry and Kim Harris grow Pinot Noir that just took Best Red in the Pacific Northwest. Kim grew up on this 100-acre family farm. Larry still practices patent law on top of running the vineyard. They spent two years studying their microclimate with Washington State University before planting in 2011, and thirteen years later their 2023 Clone 777 just earned 98 points and beat every other red wine from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Idaho. We recorded this one on site at the estate, sitting at the table with both 2023 estate Pinots and a pre-release 2025 White Pinot Noir open in front of us. The Précoce, an early-ripening German-origin clone that just earned Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The 777, the wine that earned the 98-point Best Red in the Pacific Northwest from Great Northwest Wine's Platinum Awards. Larry and Kim talk about leaving law in San Francisco, planting on Kim's family farm, working with WSU, two years studying soil pits and weather stations, and what it took to prove a hunch about the Puget Sound climate. Links Bayernmoor Cellars: bayernmoor.comWine with Seth: winewithseth.com Wine with Seth App: app.winewithseth.com Mistral WineCards: mistralcards.com This episode is presented by Mistral WineCards (mistralcards.com) and the Wine with Seth app (app.winewithseth.com).

Louis Skinner doesn't romanticize winemaking. He's been at it long enough to know that the idea of waiting for "perfect ripeness" is, in his words, the most bullshit explanation he's ever heard. In this debut episode of WineChats, Seth sits down with the winemaker and partner at Force Majeure Vineyards on Red Mountain to talk about obsession, mentorship, and what it actually takes to make wine at the highest level. Louis traces his path from car geek in Los Angeles to the cellar at Betz Family Winery under legendary winemaker Bob Betz, MW, and eventually to the helm of Force Majeure's estate vineyard — and most recently, WeatherEye Vineyards, making him the winemaker at two of Red Mountain's most acclaimed producers. They open a 2022 Force Majeure right bank blend from Red Mountain and get into what makes that site irreplaceable. In this episode: How a Saturday tasting in LA changed everything for Louis Working retail at Fine Wines in Redmond as a tasting education What he learned from Bob Betz: the feedback loop, double-blind blending, removing financial pressure from quality decisions The "rapid color liberation test" and why perfect ripeness is a myth What makes Red Mountain Washington's version of Hermitage Managing estate farming at Force Majeure vs. the négociant model at Betz The 2019 harvest: an injury, a crew that ran it flawlessly, and maybe the best vintage of his career Washington wine's future: stop planting, look closer at what's already in the ground   Featured wine: 2022 Force Majeure Épinette, Red Mountain (Merlot, Cabernet Franc) Presented by Mistral WineCards and the Wine with Seth App.   Force Majeure Vineyards: https://forcemajeurewine.com Mistral WineCards: https://mistralwinecards.com Wine with Seth App: https://app.winewithseth.com Wine with Seth: https://winewithseth.com