Bell Wine Cellars

About Winery and Wines

Long before it became fashionable to talk about wine growing, about winemakers crafting wines from the vineyards rather than from the cellar, Anthony Bell was pursuing a philosophy of terroir. The French term encapsulates the factors which play a role in differentiating one vineyard site from another, including climate, soil, clonal selection, etc. "Wine is grown in the vineyard.", explains Bell. "We are merely stewards of nature while the wine is in our cellar." In California we are blessed with a great variety of microclimates, each capable of producing grapes of extraordinary quality and style. I seek out these extraordinary vineyards with their unique microclimates, and working closely with the winegrower, strive to optimize the fullest potential of each property. From Rutherford in the heart of the Napa Valley, to Aromas in Santa Cruz County and Murphy's in the Sierra Foothills, each vineyard I purchase grapes from is blessed with a unique terroir.

Our Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the Rutherford Region of Napa. Located on the world renowned Rutherford Bench the vineyard benefits from warm summer days moderated by cool evening breezes from San Pablo Bay and yield grapes rich in character, with good acidity and soft tannins. Merlot is grown on our estate vineyard surrounding the winery and our Chardonnay is grown on our estate vineyard as well as the Dillon Vineyard adjacent to the winery. The growing season is characterized by long, cool summer days influenced by the breeze and early morning fog intrusions from San Pablo Bay. Inland, at the 2,000 foot elevation in the Sierra Foothills, Canterbury Vineyard yields Syrah grapes benefiting from the shallow soils, low yields, long daytime photoperiod, hot daytime temperatures and cool mountain evening temperatures - all influenced by the nearby New Mellones Dam.