Bell Wine Cellars - 3 Pack

[jplamb]

@anthonyabell

If you have visited our website you will see that several of the wines we make are produced in very limited quantities. Some as little as 25 cases. I guess you can do that when you are both owner and winemaker. It allows us to produce wines that we can offer guests that are both educational and enjoyable. The Petit verdot is one such wine. That is why we have so little CS in it - we want you to enjoy the true varietal typicity.

The Petit Verdot is what is drawing me into the offer because I love Petit Verdot and I love small production wines. I’ve had the Bell Cabernet and Sonnette several times in the past and really enjoyed them so it’s hard to say no here.

[joshsting]

@anthonyabell

If you have visited our website you will see that several of the wines we make are produced in very limited quantities. Some as little as 25 cases. I guess you can do that when you are both owner and winemaker. It allows us to produce wines that we can offer guests that are both educational and enjoyable. The Petit verdot is one such wine. That is why we have so little CS in it - we want you to enjoy the true varietal typicity.

In for three as well. Looking forward to Petit Verdot…

[mclonghorn]

I can’t remember the last time we saw sub 14% alcohol wines on here. I noticed in the podcast you prefer to try not to over extract your wines and create old world style wines. Could you explain to a still learning wine lover the creation process you use. I hear over extracted used all the time and have always thought it meant high alcohol and more fruit but what do you do to hold these things in check and why do you prefer this style?

General Comment - This sounds right up RPM’s alley (The Grand Pooba of wine.woot Blog) Can’t wait to read his comments

[fairnymph]

Petit Verdot!!! My FAVOURITE. <3

I wish there were labratting on Friday wines bc I haven’t ratted in AGES and I would beg with great ardor for PV rattage.

I also wish it were just the PV so I could get 3 bottles of it, or at least two…but I don’t need more Cab or red blends right now. sigh

Just one, me thinks - unless someone wants to relieve me of at least 1 each of the Claret and Merlot - I’d make it a really good deal, pricewise, if anyone is interested in such a split. DC or NY city people, or anyone in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, please feel free to pm me!

[kylemittskus]

@k1avg

From what I recall, Hungarian Oak has a somewhat “rougher” flavor profile than French or American oak (though American can vary widely), so you can only really use it in moderation and with wines that will really stand up to it (i.e., hence you never see it used for whites).

Buzzer sound.

I had a Paso Viogner with Hungarian oak recently. I can picture the bottle… black label, gold lettering, starts with a “d” but I can’t remember the producer. Ah! I think it was Summerwood. Maybe.

[richardhod]

@anthonyabell

Greetings from Bell Wine Cellars. We are very pleased to present our trio of wines – each representing our winemaking philosophy based on appellation, varietal and terroir. I often describe our wines as Classic in style – Old World wines made with New World grapes. Elegance and balance dictate our style.

The 2005 Merlot is grown on the winery estate and is often described as a Cabernet lovers Merlot. Rich and full bodied, the wine shows why so many of the world’s great wines are produced from this varietal. Sadly Merlot lost it’s direction in California – sadly because it does make a beautiful wine. Our Merlot is blended with 2% of our signature Cabernet sauvignon, the Clone 6, a selection imported over 150 years ago. This gives the wine a firm structure, depth and ageability. Not only will this wine cellar beautifully, but I suspect you might stump a few of your friends if you were to brown bag a bottle!

Our 2006 Petit verdot is grown in the Yountville appellation, and is a single vineyard wine from the Massa Ranch. The wine is unusual in that it is 99% varietal so that one is able to taste and appreciate the full varietal attributes of Petit verdot – deep color and firm tannins. Because we grow these grapes in the Yountville region, an area one might consider a little cool for the varietal, we obtain a third neat attribute – great natural acidity. This makes the Massa Ranch Petit verdot perfect for blending into our Bordeaux blends, giving the wines the acidity to allow cellaring.

The 2006 Claret Cabernet sauvignon is a wine that has gained a lot of attention amongst our winery visitors. Nicknamed our “Bordeaux blend with a twist”, it comprises 9 different grapes. Four Cabernet sauvignon clones, highlighting my cabernet clonal work at BV, are blended with Petit verdot, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet franc. Then, instead of fining the wine with egg whites or gelatine to reduce the tannins, we add some of our Sierra Foothills Syrah to add softness. As the French did centuries ago, this adds fruit to the nose and palate, as well as depth of color, without detracting from the lovely supple Cabernet tannins us cabernet drinkers enjoy. For us Cabernet drinkers, this is a wine that does not scream for food; and that is a beautiful thing.

I look forward to sharing these wines with you and participating in the discussion. Never having participated in an online discussion, it may take time to understand all the abbreviations!
Anthony Bell, Founder and Winemaker

Hi! This sounds lovely! I am confused though, so I do have one question though I’m no expert: the pH is quite a bit lower than any elegant European style wines I know of. The TA seems mostly respectable, but the description sounds somewhat more ripe than the European claim. The blackcurranty liquorice, plum and toasty oak flavours sound much fruitier and ripe than the Graves and suchlike that I grew up with! The Petit verdot certainly, picked over 26 Brix too! ??

Some lower pH in Merlot and reasonable alcohol in the Merlot and the PV tbough!

Help…! To me the flavours don’t match the style you claim, and figures just don’t add up. :o

[fairnymph]

@k1avg

Hard to resist a single-varietal Petit Verdot when it comes around. What’s the new/used breakdown on the oak here? With treatments pushing two years, that can make a pretty big difference.

I am also very curious whether BWC uses new or used oak, and in what proportions. Can you give us an idea of the breakdown for the wines offered here?

And now for my own detail-crazed question…

Perusing the PV tasting notes (see relevant quoted & bolded data below), I noticed that 2005’s aging process varies significantly from the later two vintages. In 2005 more French oak was used proportionally and the wine was aged longer in the barrel, as well as three times longer in the bottle!

Can I ask why 2005 was treated so differently, and/or why you decided to decrease the aging time and increase the proportion of American oak? I’d also be really curious to know if the proportion of used oak barrels changed across these vintages. I hope this question doesn’t seem crazy (or stupid), but I’d really love some PV-specific information about aging since it’s my favourite varietal. Thanks in advance.

Quoted from tasting notes for the 2005-2007 vintages on the winery’s web site, with my bolding:

2005 PV -

The wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation and was barrel aged in a combination of French (83%) and American (17%) oak barrels for 22 months.The resulting blend received eighteen months of bottle age prior to release.

2006 PV -

The wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation and was barrel aged in a combination of French (78%) and American (22%) oak barrels for 17 months. The resulting blend received six months of bottle age prior to release.

2007 PV -

The wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation and was barrel aged in a combination of French (78%) and American (22%) oak barrels for 17 months. The resulting blend received six months of bottle age prior to release.

As I caved for the full three sets (CT and website tasting notes of BWC’s wine just pushed me over), I’d still gladly part with bottles of the Merlot and/or Claret if anyone would like any as it’s only the PV that I NEED.

And if anthonyabell would be able to tell me where and how I might be able to acquire some 2005 Petit Verdot, and any and all vintages of Petite Sirah (which I see is sadly sold out on the BWC website), I’d be very grateful. PS is my second favourite varietal and when I saw you produced one, I was so sad it wasn’t included in the woot offering. begs and hopes and prays

[mrprickles79]

seems just too interesting. and as always im a sucker for any winemaker who comes on here. just shows confidence in their product.
plus i have no petit verdot

[ehjohnsto]

@k1avg

From what I recall, Hungarian Oak has a somewhat “rougher” flavor profile than French or American oak (though American can vary widely), so you can only really use it in moderation and with wines that will really stand up to it (i.e., hence you never see it used for whites).

Not true. I just had a Chardonnay from a VA Winery that used Hungarian Oak. They way they explained it, French Oak is the mildest oak, American is the richest oak, and Hungarian is somewhere in the middle.

As for the Chardonnay, it did not have a heavy oaky taste, which I prefer.

[joshsting]

fairnymph, I would gladly take your extra Merlot and Claret off your hands, but alas I live in Seattle.

For anthonyabell, how long will I be able to cellar each of these vintages successfully? From the notes it sounds like you are expecting the Merlot to develop nicely over time and am just curious about the window for all three… Thanks!

[worldofjohnboy]

@fairnymph

I wish there were labratting on Friday wines bc I haven’t ratted in AGES and I would beg with great ardor for PV rattage.

Friday is the only day that there is labratting now. The Ratting rules have changed!

As to your other problem, I too would prefer having only one bottle of PV. As it stands, I can’t afford this package (Too many black tie buys), so I am going to have to pass unless I win the lotto scratch-off.

[worldofjohnboy]

@fairnymph

I also wish it were just the PV so I could get 3 bottles of it, or at least two…but I don’t need more Cab or red blends right now. sigh

Uhh… wait a second, you have over 350 bottles of wine in your cellar and you are going to complain about having two more reds in it? If you want to unload any of your reds off, I will take them! (Especially the Vino Noceto…)

[cheron98]

[How good is this deal?](http://bit.ly/cbtgCd" title="How good is this deal?)

Couldn’t get shipping prices from the website, plus only the newer vintage of Merlot and Claret is available on the site so this valuation is based on pre-shipping costs and the current vintages.

Click the link above for full discount details, links, etc.

[rjswineblog]

pretty solid reviews of both the wines and the winery on YELP

[rchandramouli]

I completely agree that Don is awesome!

I was there in May and found Bell on a recommendation from another vineyard. The Yountville merlot is fabulous as are the Cabs (don’t remember trying the PV though).

Anthony, I saw you did a wine dinner in FL. Any chance you are coming back to do any more?

[jhkey]

@fairnymph

Petit Verdot!!! My FAVOURITE. <3

Hi Anthony! I’m definitely interested in the PV as well - I’m fairly new to it as a single varietal. How long can/should one age a nice PV like this? Does it compare to a Petit Sirah which can lay down for 20-25 years? Is it approachable now?
thanks!

[tytiger58]

@rjswineblog

pretty solid reviews of both the wines and the winery on YELP

Yea I don’t think I have ever seen such uniformly awesome reviews on Yelp before!

[Duke331313]

I am definitely leaning towards this offer but I was hoping someone could provide some insight on the qualities of the Petite Verdot? In my limited wine experience I have run across only a handful and was hoping someone with more experience could help me out. Is it a larger, bolder red? Or something more on the lighter side? Thanks for help!

[fairnymph]

@joshsting

fairnymph, I would gladly take your extra Merlot and Claret off your hands, but alas I live in Seattle.

For anthonyabell, how long will I be able to cellar each of these vintages successfully? From the notes it sounds like you are expecting the Merlot to develop nicely over time and am just curious about the window for all three… Thanks!

I am planning to visit Seattle next Spring, or otherwise I’ll be having friends from there visit me then or this Winter - I’ll hit you up if I have bottles to spare still.

I’m obviously not the winemaker or any type of expert, but I have a fair bit of PV in my cellar and I have tried PVs that vary from 15 to 0 years old. Overall, I find young PVs usually very drinkable - I like bold, intense reds - and I find drinking young PV is not as ‘infanticidal’ as drinking young Petite Sirah or some young Cabs, for example. I’ve had several of the latter two that were quite harsh and unpalatable even a few years after release, but I’ve never tasted a PV that didn’t drink well immediately. So relative to other age-worthy wines, I find it less wasteful and certainly more enjoyable to drink PVs young - but I try to wait with the wines I can’t replace easily.

I think PV nearly always improves with age, with my favourite wines (which are great from the beginning and with age) usually peaking around 8 years. But at 15 years the oldest PV I’ve tried was still delicious and not spoiled at all; I know many PVs can age well for 20+years. I just personally prefer a balance between the fresher and more mature aspects & enjoy the more melded nature of an older wine. Generally after 5-10 years I find I miss some of the brighter fruit notes, in particular, and the floral (violety) notes degrade, too. In exchange, the tannins smooth out into silk, and the woody, graphite, etc notes definitely soften for the better over time. As long as the wine has substantial, vivid acidity to start with, it should improve with cellaring. If it’s duller, or downright flabby, then it won’t last as long or should be drunk soon, depending on how bright/lacking in acid it is. I find specs like brix, pH and TA (medium/low/high, respectively, for longevity) useful but not infallible predictors, and tasting the wine provides the best estimate in my experience.

Based on specs, I plan to age THIS particular PV for 3-5 years, bc the brix and pH are pretty high, while the TA is a bit low. But bc I’m getting 3 bottles I will crack one within the next few months, adjust my range as needed, then open bottle two at the low end of my range, then adjust the range again as necessary and open the last bottle at the end of the range. I think it’ll be fascinating.

/my amateur two cents

[fairnymph]

@worldofjohnboy

Friday is the only day that there is labratting now. The Ratting rules have changed!

As to your other problem, I too would prefer having only one bottle of PV. As it stands, I can’t afford this package (Too many black tie buys), so I am going to have to pass unless I win the lotto scratch-off.

Oooh! Thank you for enlightening me!

Oh Woot Gods, please grant me the precious gift of the Petit Verdot lab rattage. I promise to taste & review promptly and thoroughly, and will be at home and ready to receive packages for the next several days.

I’ll even crack open a bottle of my Pirramimma PV. Or I could do a comparison to another '06 vintage, of which I have several - I have 4 from CA, 2 from Australia, and 1 from Argentina to which I could compare the WBC PV.

(P.S. I’ll be dry starting Jan for 9+ months, so I won’t be able to rat properly for much longer!)