Winemaking is not only an art but also an exacting science. Wineries can only survive by producing excellent vintages, innovating, and doing what is necessary to please their customers. While delivering the best-quality luxury wines must be every winemaker’s goal,...
Work never ends in the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley. While vineyard managers have been actively preparing their hibernating vines for the coming year following extensive pruning and checking soil health, the wineries of Napa Valley are in full gear,...
As I watch faded leaves fall from the oak above the office window, and think about this year about to end, I have to conclude that it has been one of the most challenging we have faced in the 20 years here at BELL. The weather alone kept us continually alert with the...
Harvest has begun in Napa, the culmination of a vintage year of unusual weather. Our drenching rains of winter refilled aquifers and then some. Flooding in Napa downtown has been a news staple for many generations. But the recently completed work on utilizing acres...
Welcome to 2017! This is being sent while we have a sun break, before the rain returns in earnest for the weekend. Napa has had almost 20 inches of rain by New Year. As you can see in this picture, the little slough behind our winery is over half full. While this...
It’s the last week before holidays command everyone’s complete attention. We are busy closing annual files, making last additions to wines in barrel, and tracking errant shipping orders. Temperatures have dropped. My thermometer was under 30 for the first time this...
