Bell Wine

Small wineries making interesting things.  Besides Spanish and South American wines these are the type of wines I love to drink and Bell Wines is a great example.  Anthony Bell started Bell Wines in 1991 and has really done interesting things with different Cabernet clones.  What has all ways fascinated me is the scientific approach he has taken in understanding clonal variation and other important topics in regard to his craft.  He is a scientist as well as a master craftsman to my view of things.  As someone who has studied genetic variation in other biological systems it is fascinating to see it done in the pursuit of creating such wonderful wines.

I first tried Bell Wines about 5 or 6 years ago at the sun cost wine festival.  Anthony had a little table with some interesting things that stood out from a festival that was dominated by way too many Merlots that year.  Tasting his great Cabs and his lovely claret was a real treat.  For some reason he loves coming to this part of the country and hold wine tasting and dinners that allow you to sample some amazing things.  The other interesting thing I find is how he has worked out relationships with other vineyards to grow the clones he is interested in so you get a melding of terre and the clonal variations.  The "yummy" Syrah they produce from the Canterbury vineyard in the Sierra foothills is a great example.

If you chose to give their wine a try, you can't go wrong with the Syrah, Claret and the lovely Sauvignon Blanc.   These three wines have a special place in my memory and on my table.  While I've enjoyed just about everything Bell wine creates and the Cabernets are amazing by the way, these three are a great place to start in exploring their wines.

Thanks Anthony and your staff for making such great things!

Bell Wines at the 9th Sun Coast Wine Festival