Once in a great while an opportunity presents itself that is so fantastic you have to jump on it. In the spring of 2012, one of the greatest grape growing years in Napa Valley history, we were presented with the chance to secure a 25-acre Napa Valley vineyard on Bella Oaks Lane, a storied Cabernet growing area in the heart of Rutherford. Before we knew it, we had our viticulture team working the ground, and by September that year we crushed our first grapes from the property. We decided to create a new winery based on the vineyard, and we named it Bella Union.
The name, Bella Union, is a nod to the history of Bella Oaks Lane, which was known as the Bella Union Roadway in the 1880s. At that time, the country lane led into the Mayacamas Mountains and eventually to the Bella Union Mining Company.
Our first two vintages of Bella Union sold out in a matter of weeks. Next month, we will introduce our third vintage, the 2014 Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. The wine offers hedonistic dark red fruit, with incredible structure from start to finish.
It's an exciting wine, and we invite you to be among the first to be notified of its release by joining The List here.
But, back to the story.
Why, you might ask, would we introduce another Napa Valley Cabernet when we already have Cabernets from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel? Well, that's exactly the reason why. Far Niente Cabernet long ago became 100-percent Oakville Estate and of course Nickel & Nickel's Cabernets are 100-percent Single-Vineyard Cabernet from premium Napa Valley vineyards grown in the area's most exciting regions. We were (and are) excited to use our 33 years of Cabernet winemaking experience to build a multilayered Cabernet Sauvignon blend that represents the best of Napa Valley. In selecting the name, Bella Union, serendipity played a large part. What better name can you imagine for a blended Cabernet than a phrase that essentially translates to beautiful blend?
Bella Union specializes in the art of blending Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine marries the fruit from our Rutherford vineyard with traditional Bordeaux varietals from carefully selected vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.
Production of our first three vintages have been limited, and we invite you to join The List to be among the first to access the 2014 release.
If you'd like to learn more about our sister winery, we encourage you to explore our Bella Union website, here.
