Winemaking at Baily is a family affair. Phil and Carol Baily relocated from Los Angeles with their two boys, Chris and Patrick, in 1981, back when Temecula was a tiny town and had no stop lights. Phil had grown interested in wine— Riesling in particular—during his army days when he was stationed in southwest Germany. He quickly became friends with Temecula’s small group of local winemakers, who encouraged him to start his own vineyard. When he tried Callaway’s 1975 Riesling, he knew that he had to try his hand at it. So, just one year after moving to Temecula, on Mother’s Day, the Bailys planted two acres of Riesling in what’s now known as Mother’s Vineyard.
Note: The photo at the top is from their tasting room on Rancho California Road that is not closed. All tastings have moved to their Pauba Road location where they have beautiful vineyard views. Please call them for their current hours. (951) 676-9243
Over the years, the Bailys scaled up to 25 acres with the purchase of one of the oldest vineyards in Temecula, first planted in the 1960s. Their family grew as well as the boys started their own families. Today, there are three generations of Bailys making wine at the production facility with grandson Alex Baily and his uncle Patrick assisting Phil. I met Alex and Phil at one of their vertical tastings and was fortunate to sit down with Alex later to hear about life as a member of this pioneering Temecula wine country family.
Alex grew up at the winery. He remembers the production facility being built, bulldozers grading the area, even his handprint can be spotted in a corner. The house he shares with his wife and son was home to the first winery. Alex started his journey dishwashing at the winery restaurant at age 12 and at 18 got involved with the grape harvest. He is visibly proud when he speaks of his grandfather, “The passion he has for the bottle is amazing to be around. He is an incredible stickler. The facility is just perfect. He makes incredible wine, but he’s very humble about his awards and doesn’t like to tout them.”
When I asked Alex about a bottle that he’s particularly proud of, he immediately grabbed a plaque off a shelf that reads “2023 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, Best of California Varietal Rosé Blend, Baily Vineyard & Winery,” and there is, of course, a story behind it.
As the Bailys were growing their winery, they had been focused on Bordeaux varietals—look at the red wine list on the website and you’ll see years of Cabernet Sauvignon. But a Mourvèdre vineyard went up for sale that was right next to their house. Some French friends told the Bailys that Mourvèdre made “the best rosé in the world,” so they ordered a few bottles from Bandol, a subregion of Provence, to see what it was like.
The family fell in love with the wine and aspired to create something similar. The Bandol bottle was a Mourvèdre-Grenache blend, so Phil grafted a vineyard over to Grenache just to be able to make it. (This 2023 Grandol Rosé was the bottle that I had chosen to purchase at the tasting where we first met, so it clearly moved me as well. Baily also makes a very nice 2022 TV Red that is a blend of the same Mourvèdre and Grenache.)
Alex also works for his father, Chris, at Baily’s Restaurant and Nightclub in Old Town, and his wife, July, runs their social media. He manages the nightclub on the weekends and is the contractor on all new builds, having earned his contracting license. All of the iron work around the large outdoor patio is his handiwork, and he’s busy building out new spaces upstairs.
Wine Tasting Experiences at Baily
Baily recently closed their tasting room that was on Rancho California Road and moved all tastings to their production facility on Pauba Road. No reservations are required for a standard tasting. They are one of the few wineries in the region that will wave your tasting fee of $15 if you purchase two bottles of wine.
For a more exclusive experience and a bit of storytelling, book an estate tasting. At your seated tasting, you’ll be guided through a vertical of six vintages of either a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Meritage, accompanied by bread and cheese. Having tasted some of Phil Baily’s outstanding 2008 and 2017 Cabernet Franc at a reserve tasting, I would absolutely recommend this more elevated wine adventure.
