Most vineyards in Napa Valley’s relatively small growing area are owned by individuals and families, sometimes for generations, whose pride of ownership and meticulous year-round attention to managing their crops is the realization of a dream.
Unlike most other food production globally, Napa Valley wine grape growing is not performed on large corporate farms using massive machinery but in relatively small plot vineyards that are maintained and harvested manually.
Faniani Vineyards, an essential supplier of Cabernet Sauvignon wine grapes to Bell Wine Cellars, is an example of a successful vineyard that began as a dream for Kelly Hendrickson in 2012. A Los Angeles area native with four generations of California roots and a background in financial management, Kelly purchased a small property in the Coombsville AVA. She secured a permit to plant just over 4 acres of vines, enough to get started and execute her vision.
Initial rootstock planting began in 2014, and additional plantings followedFaniani Vineyards draws many advantages from the ideal growing conditions in Napa’s newest AVA, Coombsville. The soil is primarily loam and gravel, having benefitted from eons of erosion that left the perfect combination of volcanic ash and rock for a vineyard to thrive. Furthermore, the microclimate here is cooler than in other parts of Napa Valley, allowing the vineyards to avoid many heat-related issues that challenge other grape growers. However, some of the clones have struggled in the Faniani Vineyard, so Kelly began closely with her vineyard manager and our team to identify and plant the clones that will thrive in her vineyard.
In 2016, after considerable hard work and diligence, Hendrickson entered into her very first contract with Bell Wine Cellars, a close relationship that has continued to the present. Our 2019 bottling of our Faniani Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is the first single-vineyard wine to be produced from Faniani Vineyard grapes. To bottle a single-vineyard wine is an indicator that the vineyard is producing fruit that is superior enough to present balance and complexity on its own without requiring fruit from other vineyards to support it structurally or fill any gaps in its aromatic or flavor profiles. The Bell Wine Cellars 2019 ‘Faniani Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is both a culmination of the work Kelly has put into identifying the best vines for her land as well as a celebration of hers and the team’s commitment to excellence. We can’t wait to release this wine and share it with our Wine Club members, who enjoy exclusive access to our portfolio of single-vineyard wines.
Visit Bell Wine Cellars
You can enjoy first-hand the excellent Napa Valley wines made from the grapes produced at Faniani and other high-quality vineyards by visiting Bell Wine Cellars, located near Yountville in the heart of Napa Valley.
Currently open for indoor and outdoor wine tastings, Bell Wine Cellars offers an assortment of Private and Group wine tastings for novice and more advanced wine lovers. Bell Wine Cellars also provides an opportunity to conduct a remote virtual wine tasting of some of their finest Napa Valley wines from the comfort of your home.
Enjoy the magnificent views and the beautiful weather as a Bell Wine educator guides you through a carefully selected list of offerings to enhance your knowledge and enjoy the unique flavors of each varietal.
For more information regarding your Napa Valley wine excursion to Bell Wine Cellars, check out their website, or phone one of the reservationists at 1-707-944-1673 to arrange your visit.