Harvest is Happening!

Harvest is Happening!

It’s happening!  Harvest report from BELL Our Sauvignon blanc is in the cellar and is almost completely dry.  10% of the wine is in barrels, including a new one designed expressly for Sauvignon blanc, with a very narrow shape that is about 8 inches longer than our...
Harvest on the Horizon

Harvest on the Horizon

Harvest is indeed around the corner, as veraison in the Merlot can attest to.  Chris Stewart, our newest member added to the cellar staff, and Aikaterini, our harvest intern from Greece, sampled the fruit in our Sauvignon blanc vineyard this week and found sugar...
July 2015 Summer has arrived with the Best of Napa RED!

July 2015 Summer has arrived with the Best of Napa RED!

The 2015 California State Fair handed out their awards last week, and we couldn’t be more pleased.  Many BELL fans know we don’t send our wines out for review except the few retrospectives we participate in through Napa Valley Vintners.  In general, we’ve always felt...
Early Summer in Napa Valley

Early Summer in Napa Valley

The early summer growing season is in full swing now – Chardonnay berries are the size of   peas and the Merlot, always a bit behind, is about the size of BB shot.  This week, we’ve had some typical summer weather.  Heavy fog in the early morning, gradually clearing...
Spring, Bottling and Budbreak in Napa Valley

Spring, Bottling and Budbreak in Napa Valley

We bottle tomorrow and the crush pad is stacked with cases of empty bottles, huge plastic sacks of corks and the capsules that cover them, as well as the bottle labels.  The long semi that houses the mobile bottling line arrives today.  We’ll sanitize hoses, get the...