Larry Harris shows range of talent at Bayernmoor Cellars

STANWOOD, Wash. — In a relatively short period of time, Bayernmoor Cellars has amassed awards and acclaim for its wines.

Some of those are easily explained considering the academic backgrounds of Larry and Kim Harris, the historic vineyards they purchase grapes from and their highly respected mentor.

However, what’s most remarkable is the astounding Pinot Noir that flourishes in the 6-acre vineyard that frames their home near the Snohomish County town of Stanwood, Wash.

“The biggest surprise for us is the frequency we get asked, ‘You made this from where?’ ” Larry says. “‘Yes, this is Western Washington Pinot Noir.’ ”

Last fall, Bayernmoor Cellars dominated the 24th annual Platinum Awards, pulling down nine Platinums during the judging staged by Great Northwest Wine. No winery matched their total in 2023.

It was a remarkable showing by any standards, particularly from a young project with an annual production of about 3,500 cases. And it capped a year with gold medals earned at competitions across the country, making Bayernmoor Cellars an easy choice as Great Northwest Wine’s 2024 Washington Winery of the Year.

Larry, who handles the day-to-day winemaking, emerged with one of the top-scoring Pinot Noirs when his 2019 Bayernmoor Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir scored 95 points after being awarded a Double Platinum.

His versatility showed with another Double Platinum for his suave 2018 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain, a region known around the world for bold Cabs. Bayernmoor’s collection of 2023 Platinums included the 2020 Celilo Vineyard Chardonnay and 2022 Estate Précoce Clone White Pinot Noir.

Platinum-winning Pinot Noir poured in Woodinville

In all, Bayernmoor won a Platinum — or better — six times with Pinot Noir grown in Washington state. Beyond the Platinum and other Northwest judgings, that 2022 Estate White Pinot Noir and their 2022 Rosé grabbed gold at the Sunset International and the Klipsun Cab program shined at the Great American International in Florida.

As the one managing the guest services experiences, Kim appreciates the reception for their wines, which are paired with a seasonal menu at their tasting room/bistro in Woodinville.

“It’s validation for all the hard work, art and science, your stamp on those grapes and that wine,” she says.

When looking back to the beginning of Bayernmoor Cellars, it’s no surprise that Woodinville winemaker Brian Carter — the 2023 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — played a role in the Harris family project.

Larry says, “I love to learn and I’m a big believer in leveraging knowledge, so as we were getting this started, I asked people in the industry, ‘Who is the best traditional winemaker in Washington state?’ and Brian’s name kept coming up.

“So I just called him and said, ‘I’d love for you to come up and see the property,’ ” Larry continued. “I told him that I already had contracted with Klipsun Vineyard for two tons of Cab, and then he saw the estate and realized this was not a mom-and-pop shop.”

As a vineyard, Bayernmoor was established in 2011 with two clones of Pinot Noir — early-ripening Précoce and Dijon 777 — planted on 3309 rootstock. The Harrises were optimistic, crediting research by Washington State University throughout the Puget Sound American Viticultural Area.

“I enjoy the details, the deep minutiae — putting some plants in our ground was not done on a whim,” he says. “Before we planted the vineyard, I studied the research done on our microclimate by Gary Moulton, the WSU extension agent for Snohomish County, and Brent Charnley on Lopez Island, who had the first organic vineyard in Washington.”

Larry, a Texas native who grew up an hour’s drive north of Dallas, earned degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics at Southern Methodist University. However, his decision to become an attorney and attend Santa Clara, a Jesuit school in the Bay Area, proved to be the turning point in his life. He met Kim at Santa Clara and together they developed an appreciation for wine.

“We really loved law school and had fun living in San Francisco,” Kim says.

Enjoyment and inspiration came with exploration of Napa and Sonoma. Larry later earned an MBA from the acclaimed Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Those layers of education were key to his legal work for Amazon, helping build its patent program from the ground up and managing the patent portfolios for many of Amazon’s high-profile projects.

“That period of my life was a blur, but I loved it and had the opportunity to learn from and work with some of the greatest minds in the business world,” he says.

Kim grew up in the Seattle area and is Class of ‘94 from the esteemed Lakeside School. She rowed crew in high school and at Smith College in Massachusetts, then transferred to Cornell and studied economics.

“I wanted to do something practical with my education,” she says.

She has, including practicing law in San Francisco for several years before she and Larry decided to start their family.

“Two attorneys both working 80 to 90 hours a week was NOT going to work,” she says. “I was fortunate enough to be able to make a choice to stay home and raise our girls. And I’ve loved being ‘the classroom mom’ and taking them places.”

Bayernmoor pays tribute to family farm, woodlands

Success and Kim’s roots led them to Snohomish County. Bayernmoor is a blend of her family’s German and Dutch heritage. Much of the 100-acre farm, which her parents purchased 40 years ago, remains forested, a bit reminiscent of Bavaria. Moor honors the moor lands of Holland.

“It was so unique that it was easy to trademark,” Larry points out.

As a brand, Bayernmoor began with the 2016 vintage, a 40-case production of Cabernet Sauvignon off Destiny Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. That first effort attracted the attention of the Seattle-area wine trade that judges for Sip Magazine.

Crush of the 2017 and 2018 vintages took place at Carter’s facility in Woodinville. In 2019, the Harrises began moving production to their Stanwood estate, starting with the Pinot Noir lots while keeping the Cab and whites at Carter’s. Each year, they moved more production north.

Starting in 2023, everything is processed and cellared at Bayernmoor, allowing them to state “Produced and bottled in Stanwood” on the back label. Carter remains listed on Bayernmoor.com as a contributor.

“I consider Brian a good friend and fantastic mentor,” Larry says. “I cleaned tanks and floors and learned everything from the ground up from him. It’s been a fantastic relationship. He’s still the first person I call if I have a question, and he’s going to be tasting barrels with us next week.”

Kim added, “He’s been so good to us, starting by talking with us about the style and profile we wanted to reflect — not his personal style, but ours. We’ve always been grateful to him for sharing the depth of his knowledge with us.”

The connection between Carter and the Harrises helps explain their continued synergy, operating tasting rooms next door to each other in Woodinville’s upscale Woodin Creek development. And while much of her focus is on the tasting room and organizing their business, Kim is in the cellar before the wine is bottled.

“She’s there with me for the final blending and adjustments to the wine,” Larry says. “We really enjoy doing that together.”

Her influence and background help her to manage the tasting room and kitchen in Woodinville, but growing up in a fun-loving and close-knit family may be the most important to the culture she’s created for Bayernmoor’s guests.

“You have to be genuine and excited and want everyone there to have a fantastic time,” Kim says. “We’re in the wine and hospitality business, and 99% of the people who show up at your door want to have a great time. My goal is for people to leave happy.”

Along the way, Kim’s electives in college included photography, painting and art. Her creativity comes together and sets the mood at Bayernmoor’s tasting room, which is upscale yet comfortable with traditional and modern touches.

“We want to show people that wine and food can be fun and exciting, and with my foundation in economics and hospitality and Larry overseeing the winery business and his background, we are making it successful,” she says.

The Harrises are quick to praise their sustainable practices and tireless efforts of their vineyard manager of the past nine years, Laramie Sykora. Their investments include their people, providing them healthcare and benefits. They recently added an assistant winemaker, Grace Fenner, and they’ve only had one chef since they’ve opened, giving California-trained Tori Barr the advantage of pulling some ingredients from the Harris family garden and orchards.

This spring, club members get an early peek at Bayernmoor’s new Merlot program, a 2022 bottling from Coyote Canyon Vineyard, and Malbec from Red Mountain. They also are seeking long-term contracts in the storied Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley and other areas throughout the state to broaden their Pinot Noir program. Along the way, they’ve added sparkling wine, Albariño, Pinot Gris and a Rhône-focused rosé that blends Grenache and Mourvèdre.

At this point, though, the most satisfaction comes from their estate Pinot Noir program.

“At times, it’s a huge relief getting confirmation that what we’ve put a lot of money and energy into the last 12 years is worth it,” Larry says. “This has always been something that we’ve wanted to do. We don’t need to do this.”

Kim adds with a knowing smile, “And fortunately we’re not the only two who like our wines.”

• Bayernmoor Cellars, 17140 135th Ave. NE, Woodinville, WA, 98027, bayernmoor.com, (425) 216-3300