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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.5 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 28 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by PolarBear22 on 9/3/2022 & rated 91 points: Holding up great. Still a couple years in prime. (302 views) | | | Tasted by PolarBear22 on 3/21/2022 & rated 91 points: Nice dark color. Slight sediment. Nice dark fruit on the palate with smooth tannins and nice balance. Still has some life left. (440 views) | | | Tasted by merryberry on 2/28/2022 & rated 92 points: Medium dark magenta with a clear edge. Spice, blackberry, and cedar nose. Medium bodied, crushed blueberries, tart cherries, well integrated tannins, mint, and a long, blue-fruited finish. Fresh and alive, this is a good value with plenty of time left. (420 views) | | | Tasted by PolarBear22 on 7/24/2021 & rated 90 points: Still showing nice fruit. Decent structure. A very enjoyable Cab. (618 views) | | | Tasted by danscellar on 10/10/2020 & rated 90 points: Nice easy drinking valley fruit wine. Nice nose, color, fruit but falls a bit short on structure and complexity. Enjoy!! (710 views) | | | Tasted by danscellar on 9/7/2020 & rated 91 points: Nice cab from valley fruit. Not much nose, nice color good complexity for valley fruit but a bit short on intensity and structure. Nice finish and drinking very well. Enjoy!! (544 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 12/7/2019: Still big and youthful - some pepper from the Syrah, nice fruit, lots of earth and herbal notes that start to show its development into a fine ageing wine. (1797 views) | | | Tasted by yipen on 7/29/2019: Wow, one of the better wine I had recently. This is fruity with good depth. not much tannin left. Pair well with Steak. (836 views) | | | Tasted by nefarm on 4/29/2019 & rated 91 points: It’s singing. Delicious (964 views) | | | Tasted by monk1019 on 12/3/2018 & rated 91 points: I used Coravin for 2 glasses and thoroughly enjoyed each. Balanced tannins and smooth and mellow fruit/wood combo. Pulled cork last night and enjoyed final glass. Noticed a bit of bricking which showed some wonderful maturity. Wish I had another! (1021 views) | | | Tasted by foobarski on 6/22/2018 & rated 92 points: 3 1/2 years later, and yeah, I think it's much more where it's supposed to be. Nose is somewhat restrained, sweet 'n' spicy. Very solidly structured, firm tannins, and a mellow finish. Very nice. (1351 views) | | | Tasted by srshane on 3/18/2018 & rated 89 points: This bottle was not as nice as the first one I opened two years ago. It still had plenty of fruit and decent balance. A little disappointed with it. (1164 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 12/10/2016: On opening it was a complex nose of leaves, earth, spices, and dark red fruit. Palate was nicely balanced, pleasantly acidic, and perfectly medium bodied. With a little air there's a grenadine note on the nose and some violets or other perfume-like flower. There's also some black pepper on the palate from the Syrah addition that adds complexity. Air is also giving it more roundness and helping the tannins pick up intensity. (3165 views) | | | Tasted by bpoe19 on 5/3/2016 flawed bottle: This had to be a corked bottle -- it was vinegary and metallic tasting. (2436 views) | | | Tasted by Not647f on 4/10/2016: This is still pretty young and it shows. A bit shut down and simple right now. This does have classic Napa Cab character, not the overly sweet and jammy modern style. There's restraint, so it won't be everyone's show stopper. Good classic dark cherry, a little leaf, medium weighted. It played a little softer and sweeter than a 2007 Smith Madron CS we were drinking at the same meal, but when we opened a Turley Zin after, the classicism of this was obvious again. I'm going to try to wait a few more years before I touch the second (and last) bottle of this. Also holding onto the 2013 to see where Bell's winemaking is going, as I understand he is making them more approachable for early drinking. (2193 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 4/21/2015: PnP this is amazing. Cherry, cassis, herbs, tannin, and clove. Lost some of the funk with air, and the fruit came our more. Excellent wine from Anthony. (3938 views) | | | Tasted by smileBD on 1/9/2015 & rated 90 points: brought to a restaurant for dinner with a friend and as always, loved it. This is more of a medium bodied Cab with a silky smooth finish. Great bottle and we both loved it. (2717 views) | | | Tasted by foobarski on 12/27/2014 & rated 89 points: Decanted, but drank the first glass right away with dinner (standing rib roast - paired very nicely.)
Getting better and better the longer it sits - I'm on the second glass now, and it feels like it's rounding into a more full expression of what it should be, It was a little sharp to start, but now it's much softer. Still somewhat loud and fruity, but pleasantly so.
However, I agree that this will probably be much better yet with a couple more years in the bottle - glad I have three more to experiment with! (1637 views) | | | Tasted by smileBD on 2/22/2014 & rated 91 points: Love this Cab! Medium bodied and silky smooth. (2061 views) | | | Tasted by kylerogers on 2/21/2014 & rated 88 points: Decanted for an hour. Medium tannins, very earthy, very Napa. It's a great cab. Will continue to develop. I may have opened it a few years too early. (1881 views) | | | Tasted by smileBD on 12/24/2013 & rated 91 points: This is a fabulous Cabernet. Bell does an amazing job with all their wines that I've had so far. I shared this with a group of people as well as a few other bottles and this was a favorite. The last bottle I opened was equally as good, rich, smooth finish. I bought several more to save in my cellar for proper aging. (1433 views) | | | Tasted by smileBD on 11/15/2013: Amy bought to give as a gift. (1326 views) | | | Tasted by smileBD on 10/19/2013 & rated 91 points: Great 2010 Cab even though it could have been cellared for a few years. It was full bodied with deep berry and tobacco on the nose. Rich full taste, like a true California Cab and nice smooth finish...medium tanins. Definitely worth the price. Really nice artisanal wines from Bell Wine Cellars in Napa. So glad we paid a visit and cant wait to my wine club deliveries! Enjoyed this with my family and all 4 of us really liked it. (1385 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Bell Wine Cellars Producer website
Situated off the beaten path, just south of Yountville, is an exquisite pale stone winery, shrouded by oak, bordered to the south by Hopper Slough, surrounded by vineyard and cloaked in quiet. After looking for twenty years, winemaker Anthony Bell and winegrower John Baritelle found the perfect place to produce the wines they have long dreamed of - limited production, hand crafted wines that showcase the concept of "terroir". Bell Wine Cellars has opened its doors to the public to share the beauty of the place, and the wine.
In June 2002 – Ron Berberian, former California wine wholesaler, and Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers, formed Spanos Berberian Winery, LLC. The venture acquired Baritelle's interest in the brand name and assets of Bell Wine Cellars, and a new partnership was formed with Anthony. As the winery continues to grow future plans are for developing additional vineyards and winery assets at the winery in Yountville. Nestled between the stacks of aromatic barrels and towering stainless steel tanks, guests can taste the signature Bell Cabernet, Baritelle Vineyard, at the intimate, elegant tasting bar. We also serve Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz, encompassing a wide range of flavors, from vineyards both near and far afield. Our tasting room is open daily from 11:00AM to 4:00PM by appointment. Special arrangements may also be made to accommodate special requests. Our shaded patio looks west, out across the vineyard to the Mayacamas range across the valley. One can watch the hills as they subtly change their shades of blue while the sun arcs overhead, culminating in an intense violet blue as the sun slips behind Mount St. John, flooding everything in golden light. It is a relaxing place to enjoy a leisurely picnic, with the Wine Train tooting off in the distance. Come experience the quiet heart of the Napa Valley at Bell Wine Cellars, 6200 Washington Street, Yountville, CA. Telephone 707-944-1673 to taste our extraordinary wines and enjoy the beauty. 2010 Bell Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyVarietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (79%), Merlot (13%), Syrah (5%), Malbec (1%), Cabernet Franc (1%), Petit Verdot (1%)
Appellation: Napa Valley
Total Acid: 0.63 gm/100ml
pH: 3.84
Alcohol: 13.7%
Aging: 20 months in 63% French, 37% American Oak, 60% new
Production: 591 cases
Vintage Notes: The 2010 vintage was characterized by cooler than normal growing conditions resulting in a later than usual start of the harvest. Rainfall returned in 2010 after three dry years, pushed bud break, flowering and fruit-set back by at least two weeks at the front end of the growing season, and due to the cloud cover, there was fortunately no frost damage in 2010. Veraison was two to three weeks later than usual, and the cool weather continued during the summer. A two-day heat spike in late August (the only one of the season!) caused some sunburn damage, especially in vineyards where aggressive leaf removal had recently been undertaken in anticipation of a late, wet harvest. The long, cool growing season resulted in concentrated fruit flavors, great natural acidity and flavors that will materialize into elegant, structured wines, almost European in style. A very promising vintage for our style of wines.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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