ur winemaking team:

 

Michael Dashe | Mike, our consulting winemaker, has more than twenty-five years experience in the wine industry and heads our winemaking team. He received his Masters of Enology from the University of California at Davis in 1987 and further refined his winemaking skills by working at a number of the top wineries in the world. These include Far Niente and Schramsberg wineries in Napa, Cloudy Bay winery in New Zealand, and Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux.

From 1990 to 1998, Michael was a winemaker for Ridge Vineyards at their Lytton Springs facility, making world class zinfandel, syrah,and petite sirah. After more than eight years he left to concentrate on his own artisan label, Dashe Cellars, and on Bella Vineyards. His primary goal at our winery is to find outstanding, distinctive areas in our vineyards to produce world-class, memorable wines.

Joe Healy | Joe joined the Bella team for the 2001 vintage after being awarded degrees in both Viticulture and Enology from Fresno State University. Joe's hands-on approach in the winery and vineyards, along with his perceptive palate in blending trials, complements the talents and experience of Michael Dashe.

Since 2001, Joe has dedicated himself to making the best wines possible from Bella's many unique, old-vine blocks of zinfandel, syrah and petite-sirah. Under his hand, Bella wines have received 4 Double Gold/Best of Class awards, 7 Gold medals and 19 ratings of 90 points and above.

John Clendenen | John, long time Dry Creek resident and grape grower, manages all three of our vineyards. With over twenty-five years of farming and wine growing experience and his term served as president of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, John ranks at the top of his field.

 

Scott and Lynn Adams | Although our technical education began with viticulture and enology classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College and University of California at Davis, our real experience comes from being surrounded by talent like Mike, Joe and John. And whether we're leaf pulling in the vineyards, doing punch downs or running blending trials, we enjoy taking part in every step of the winemaking process throughout the year.