Open:Â Year Round
History:
Bell Wine Cellars was co-founded in 1991 by Anthony Bell and a local Napa Valley grower. Frequent discussions about grape growing practices and wine quality reinforced their belief that great wines are not only a product of the vineyard - the terroir - but that elegance, fruit and balance are hallmarks of a fine wine.
In the decade that followed, utilizing information gained from Anthony's clonal research on Cabernet Sauvignon and his first hand experience with the new outbreak of phylloxera, the winery began to fine tune its vision, focusing on the vineyard aspects of their mission.
In 1991 Bell crushed its first 10 tons of Jackson Clone (aka Clone 6) Cabernet Sauvignon at a small winery in Carneros. As their production grew, winemaking moved to a winery in St. Helena and subsequently to Napa Wine Company in Oakville. In March 1998, Bell moved into the former Plam Vineyards winery in Yountville. The winery holds 40,000 gallons of wine in 24 stainless steel tanks. A new barrel room holds 1,200 barrels for aging and a large, outdoor, covered crush pad houses pressing and crushing equipment. Guests are received in the tasting room located within the tank room, a Reserve Room for special tastings, or a large outdoor patio, complete with outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, and bocce courts. The acreage surrounding the winery is planted to Merlot and three clones of Chardonnay.
In 2002, Ron Berberian, former California wine wholesaler, along with Alex Spanos and his family, real estate developers and owners of the San Diego Chargers, acquired the assets of the former wine company and formed a new partnership with Anthony. With their support and vision, Bell has grown from the original 500 cases to 15,000 cases, with an ultimate goal of 16,500 cases. Today the partners pursue their dream, continuing the area's tradition of producing wonderful wines as well as limited edition, hand crafted wines - all displaying their hallmark elegance and balance.
