Bell Wine Cellars was founded in 1991 by John Baritelle and Anthony Bell. John, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grower and Anthony, viticulturist and assistant winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard, developed a friendship that began in 1980. Through their frequent discussions about grape growing practices and wine quality, the two friends reinforced their firm belief that great wines are not only a product of the vineyard - the terroir - but that balance and fruit are hallmarks of a fine wine.

In the decade that followed, utilizing information gained from Anthony's clonal research on Cabernet Sauvignon and John's first hand experiences with the new outbreak of phylloxera, the pair began to fine tune their vision, focusing on the vineyard aspect of their mission.

In 1991, on a trip to Italy, their vision evolved into reality. On a hot summer evening in the little Tuscan town of Gubbio, after a glass or two of Pinot Grigio followed by a glass or two of grappa, the two decided that the time had come to produce their first wine, thereby moving their vision from the vineyard to the winery.

In 1991 they crushed their first 10 tons of Jackson Clone Cabernet Sauvignon at a small winery in Carneros. As their production grew, they moved, first to a winery in St. Helena and later to Napa Wine Company in Oakville where they continued to look for the ideal winery. The search ended in March 1998 when they acquired the former Plam Vineyards winery and vineyard in Yountville. The winery holds 36,000 gallons of wine in 16 stainless steel tanks. A future barrel room addition will hold 1,200 barrels for aging. The acreage surrounding the winery is planted with Chardonnay and Merlot, in clay soil. Production has grown from the original 500 cases to 10,000 cases, with an ultimate goal of 16,000 cases. A seventeen year search was over and Bell Wine Cellars finally had its own winery.

In June 2002 – Ron Berberian, former California wine wholesaler, and Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers, formed Spanos Berberian Winery, LLC. The venture acquired Baritelle's interest in the brand name and assets of Bell Wine Cellars, and a new partnership was formed with Anthony. As the winery continues to grow future plans are for developing additional vineyards and winery assets at the winery in Yountville.


Today Ron, Alex and Anthony pursue their dream, continuing the area's tradition of producing wonderful wines as well as limited edition, hand crafted products.

Location
Yountville is in the center of the Napa valley, the area George C. Yount first settled after receiving the entire valley as a grant from Mariano Vallejo, who owned thousands of acres under the Mexican government. Yount built a blockhouse and mill three miles north of here. He also planted the valley's first grapes in 1838. Thirty-two years later, Groezinger's enormous brick winery (now Vintage 1870, a honeycomb of small specialty shops), stood beside the train station in the center of town. Further up the valley, construction of the Christian Brothers and Charles Krug wineries indicates that the region was already recognized nationally as a prime location for growing spectacular grapes, producing glorious wines.