Featured Winery: Bella Vineyards
Welcome to Bella Vineyards...
The drive to Bella provides views of Sonoma County’s beautiful wine country...
Unfortunately, the Bella’s wines remain somewhat difficult to find due the relatively small production. At the winery, you may purchase Zinfandel and Syrah wines that sell for between $25.00-38.00 per bottle. For more information on Bella Vineyards, including how to purchase their wines online, refer to their website at www.bellawinery.com .
The mighty oak tree at Bella winery...
Visiting Bella guarantees an entertaining wine country touring experience. Getting there is half the fun, as the winery sits at the end of West Dry Creek Road, and the approximate 11 mile drive north from the village of Healdsburg provides some lovely wine country scenery. Don’t confuse West Dry Creek with Dry Creek road. The two roads parallel each other north of Healdsburg, which sometimes leads to confusion. Upon arrival, the visitor will see a massive oak tree which dwarfs the small cottage that serves as Bella’s reception room. The owners estimate the age of the tree at over 100 years.
As visitors look on, Bella’s staff crate recently harvested grapes in preparation for fermentation...
Scott and Lynn Adams operate the small family owned Bella Vineyards, located in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley at 9711 West Dry Creek Road in Sonoma County, California. Bella represents a dream come true for the Adams family, and they work tirelessly towards improving the winery with each passing vintage.
Winemakers Joe Healy and Michael Dashe collaborate to produce high quality Zinfandel, Syrah Petite Syrah wines. Joe’s vineyard management and refined palette complement the talents of Michael, who has worked in some of the most notable vineyards in the world, including the legendary Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux. Through their efforts, Bella produces excellent wines that have received some impressive reviews from wine critics. Robert Parker regularly awards scores of 90+ to Bella’s Zinfandel wines, and often describes those wines with words of praise such as “multidimensional. impeccably balanced, brilliant texture and possessing a harmonious finish.”
Most of the actual tasting takes place in Bella’s wine caves; a 5,200 square foot subterranean labyrinth dug out of the rock under the hillside Lily Hill vineyard. The caves feature a tasting area, barrel storage, a dining room and a music room. Even on a sweltering day up above, the caves stay quite cool and make for an excellent place for wine storage. Temperature in the caves hovers around 61 degrees. They remain open to the public for wine tasting daily between the hours of 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
