The Juice
For our last club release before summer, we are excited to share a pair of longtime Bella favorites: the 2011 Belle Canyon and Two Patch zinfandels. These highly anticipated wines showcase two deliciously different sides of the zinfandel spectrum. As unique as each of these
zins are, both would be very much at home at an al fresco summer get-together, paired with meats fresh off of the grill. Please see the included tasting notes for more information about these great wines.
As the days grow warmer, and spring unfurls toward summer, it’s a great time to visit Bella, especially as a Wine Club Member! Both the cave and the barn are open, and the lawn is ripe for picnicking. We are proud to announce that “Bluegrass at Bella” will be happening again this year. On Saturdays, from June to September, there will be live acoustic music performed by a variety of Sonoma County’s best down-home musicians. As a member, we also invite you
to taste in our wine club room, deep inside our cave. We always have “a little something special” open for members to savor as you soak up the elegant subterranean coolness.
We hope to see you up here soon!
The Bella Crew
In the last “Juice” Devin Moore told you about how he came to Bella after 20 years in the Air Force. A while before that, David Majerus wrote about how he left a successful career as an economist to learn about winemaking. There’s something about Lily Hill that draws folks like us – people looking to start a fulfilling new chapter in our lives. I earned a degree in chemistry from Miami of Ohio, followed that up with a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Virginia, and then went on to do postdoctoral cancer researchat the Scripps Research Institute. As much as I loved research, parts of it left me unfulfilled. After a year of talking about a life change with my wonderful wife, Sarah, I decided to pursue my passion for wine, and joined Bella as a cellar intern in 2012.
Today, I love my career. Every day, when I come up the hill and look at the vine rows, I say, “Goodness, this is my job. I get to work in this beautiful place.” My science background has been very useful, but winemaking is also an art, and there’s lots of hard physical labor (unlike research). I’ve supplemented my hands-on work alongside our winemakers, Joe and Mike, with lots of outside study, and I’ve even been making my own small-lot wines on the side.
In January, I became cellarmaster. The Bella team has put a lot of trust in me, and welcomed me as part of their amazing winery family. Because of them, I can look back at my choice with zero regret. There is nowhere I’d rather be, and nothing I’d rather be doing, than making wine at Bella.
-Ryan