Bella Union Winery

Bella Union Winery. Bella Union’s first vintage was in 2012, a Cabernet Sauvignon; the wine was produced for several years at the old Del Bondio Winery on Bella Oaks Lane in Rutherford and also at Nickel and Nickel. Bella Union only produced Cabernet Sauvignon for 10 years. In late 2021 Far Niente Wine Estates (FNWE) purchased Provenance Winery and the surrounding property and the Provenance brand. FNWE quickly sold the Provenance brand to Lodi based Thomas Allen Vineyards and Winery. Prior to Provenance, this site was the original home of Beaucanon Winery.

The name Bella Union is a tribute to the nearby Bella Union Mining Company located in the Mayacamas mountains and related nomenclatural places in Rutherford including Bella Union Roadway, and Bella Oaks Lane which led to the Bella Union Mine. This mine was a cinnabar mine producing the ore from which quicksilver (liquid mercury) is extracted from. While there were some cinnabar mines in the Mayacamas mountains, the majority of these mines were located to the north east in the Vaca mountains. The once thriving community of Aetna Springs, in Pope Valley was formed because of the cinnabar ore mines. In fact, the first cinnabar mine established in Napa County in 1861, the Phoenix Mine near Aetna Springs. Ultimately 21 miles of tunnels were drilled into the hillsides. For some 40 years between the 1860s and early 20th century, Napa County was once one of the most prominent quicksilver regions in the state.

Quicksilver from Napa County was an integral part of California’s gold mining heritage – as quicksilver transported from Napa County to the Sierra Nevada gold fields was used for extracting gold and silver from the ore bearing rock.

Bella Union mine was first discovered in the late 1860s which at one point was owned by Henry and Dorothea Rohlwing. It was closed for about 30 years until reopening around 1909 and operated until 1931 (although we have seen newspaper records indicating plans to reopen in 1941). A St. Helena Star article dated June 30, 1876, indicated the mine shipped 27 flasks of quicksilver that week. And the Rohlings later sold their property to Gustave Niebaum, the founder of Inglenook Winery.

Bella Union Winery is located on 120 acres of which 60 are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sauvignon Blanc that used to be planted on site was removed in favor of Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard is known as Bella Union Vineyard.

Hospitality
The winery reopened as Bella Union for visitors on September 15, 2024 after two-years of renovation and investing $20 million. Visitors to Provenance will no longer recognize this space. The hospitality spaces have been transformed into something visual that is best described as, magical. After parking guests walk down a short path and enter the main space, The Atrium which leads to the more secluded and intimate The Salon. Other spaces include The Petit Salon, The Nook and upstairs, the Belle Epoque Society Lounge for club members and The Gallery overlooking their barrel room. But perhaps the most visually intriguing space and the most talked about is the Jewel Box located on the second floor surrounded by windows offering panoramic vistas of the surrounding vineyards.

Bella Union also offers an Artist in Residence program with artists displaying their works throughout the hospitality spaces. And each chosen artist lives on the property during their artistic tenure. The first Artist in Residence at Bella Union is Harold Mendez; his piece titled, “Let the shadows in to play their part” made from Eucalyptus bark was created over a span of 10 years and is installed in The Atrium.

Social Hours at The Wren is offered daily from 4-6pm at Bella Union, a social type gathering where visitors can enjoy wines by the glass or bottle outdoors next to the tasting bar or seated in the courtyard. And reservations are not needed for this experience. A diversity of unique snacks can be purchased separately including at the time of our visit, the delicious house marinated Castelvetrano olives and the vegetable chip mélange. Bella Union also maintains a commercial kitchen on site.

Other experiences include Taste of Bella, lasting about 60 minutes and an introduction to the Bella Union wines, Curated Selection which allows you to choose the four wines to taste, lasting about 75 minutes and two elevated communal experiences including Cabernet Curiosity, a 90 minute sensory experience hosted in a private room focused on 4 of Bella Union’s Cabernet Sauvignons and the Jewel Box Tasting, a curated tasting of 4 wines accompanied by food pairings. Note: these were the tastings available at the time of our latest visit and may evolve and or change over time.

Bella Union offers a variety of wines at various price points. The experiences and wines will cater to both the novice just starting out on their wine journey as well as collectors. Combining visual elegance that never crosses the line into opulence, a balanced and fresh take on the style of wines produced here, art and food – Bella Union should certainly be on the radar of visitors to Napa Valley.

Select Wines
Whites/Rosé
The 2023 Bella Union Napa Valley Chardonnay is deep straw in color; fresh, fruity, and playful the highly pungent bouquet offers scents of white florals including star jasmine, orange blossom and honeysuckle, accompanied by ripe orchard fruits (apricot, peach and nectarine) and a note of lemon meringue. And there are some tropical influences here including pineapple, lychee, mottled banana and passion fruit. Refreshing, this Chardonnay will awaken your palate, unlike many California Chardonnays that do not. Mouth watering from entry through to the finish, this wine reveals flavors of mandarin orange, red delicious apple, passion fruit, pineapple, pineapple guava, lime and lemon juice. The lightly rounded mouth feel is dominated by its bracing acidity. This wine quickly invites another sip. Juicy, zesty, and full of energy, if this wine was an opera singer, it would clearly be soprano. The alcohol is a refreshing 13.5%. We would love to pair this with grilled lobster, a Saturday afternoon in late spring, a pool and good friends.

Pinot Blanc is as the name in French references, is a white variety that resulted of a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir. The 2022 Bella Union Pinot Blanc, Carneros Napa Valley is deep gold in color; the dynamic bouquet offers aromas of citrus blossom, freshly mowed lawn, not fully ripe pineapple, honeydew melon, white nectarine, grapefruit, and a lemon zest. The palate is perhaps a bit more citrus driven than the bouquet, sporting flavors of lemon juice and grapefruit accompanied by green apple and not fully ripe white nectarine. This bottling captures a supple and rounded texture, inherent to this variety. Feisty with an energetic acidity, the tart finish lingers mouth watering. A perfect pairing would be with raw oysters or grilled halibut drizzled in olive oil, light herbs and a dash of lemon juice. The grapes for this wine come from a Far Niente owned 133-acre property in Carneros the company purchased in 2021 from Clos du Val. During Clos du Val’s ownership the vineyard was named Gran Val, after the transition in ownership the name was changed to Grand Sky.

The 2022 Bella Union Mélange Napa Valley (Grand Sky Vineyard) is a blend of 53% Roussanne and 47% Marsanne. This inaugural bottling is medium gold in color; the bouquet is immediately open knitted, revealing aromas of star jasmine and citrus blossom, apricot, nectarine, white peaches, pineapple, and honeycomb. Brightly lit with a shimmering acidity, the palate is centered in the middle of the citrus spectrum in terms of flavors including lemon juice, lime, tangy kumquat skins but not the inner pulp which showcases a varying degree of sweetness depending on ripeness, grapefruit, not fully ripe pomelo, green apple and kaffir lime leaf. The acidity dances across the palate, twirling with a youthful and seemingly never ending supply of energy. The texture is lightly rounded. We would love to pair this with a spicy Thai dish, perhaps pla neung manao, steamed sea bass, a dish we thoroughly enjoy every winter during our stay in Thailand. This wine was fermented in a combination of French oak barrels and concrete ‘eggs’ and spent 7 months aging on its lees before being bottled.

The 2022 Bella Union Bianco White Blend Napa Valley is a unique blend of 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon, 7% Viognier, 7% Marsanne, 2% Muscat Canelli and 2% Roussanne. The grapes for this wine were from their estate owned Grand Sky Vineyard in Carneros and also the Bella Union Vineyard. This wine was aged for 9 months in a variety of vessels including French oak barrels, stainless steel and a concrete egg. This wine is medium gold in color; the bouquet is shy and needs time to evolve and open in the glass. The wait is worth it as eventually it opens and blooms like a shy person coming to a party who eventually warms to conversation by being around people. The initial light hit is of citrus including orange blossom, key lime and a lemon zest along with assorted summer melons and a hint of pineapple, honeysuckle and nectarines. This is an ideal breakfast wine or summertime sipper next to the pool; itis balanced, easy to drink, and soft across the palate but supported with a lively acidity. On the palate there are flavors of mandarin, kiwi, honeydew melon, green apple, apricot, dried peaches and not fully ripe pear. The texture is lightly rounded. Minerally, refreshing and mouthwatering.

The 2023 Bella Union Rosé is a blend of 60% Malbec & 40% Merlot, with the Malbec coming from from St. Helena and Atlas Peak and the Merlot from Carneros. This wine was fermented in a combination of concrete eggs, stainless steel and neutral oak barrels. It is light copper in color; the bouquet is immediately fruit but in an elegant and delicate sort of way. Minerally, it offers scents of watermelon, raspberry, rose petals, hibiscus, water infused with lemon slices and cotton candy. On the palate there are flavors of raspberry, strawberry, currant, red cherry, pomegranate and cranberry. Perfectly balanced, the lightly fleshy and creamy texture is supported by a bright and a balanced acidity. Lingers refreshing, mouth watering with a persistent attribute of long lasting fruit but immediately asks for another sip.

Reds
The 2022 Bella Union Cabernet Sauvignon is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Malbec and 0.5% Petit Verdot with the grape sources coming primarily from Rutherford (DeCarle Vineyard) and from Coombsville. It was fermented in a combination of 97% stainless steel tanks and 3% in concrete tanks. The wine was aged for 17 months in a combination of 50% new and used French oak barrels. This wine is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is a pleasing union of elegance and fruit with aromas of red plum, dark raspberry, cherry, cassis, currant, violets and a hint of red licorice. On the palate there are flavors of currant, cranberry, red cherry, red licorice and red plums. The palate offers some noticeable weight but without ever being heavy. Finishes bright with a balanced acidity. The tannins are creamy, fine grained and densely packed together, lingering with persistent broadly coating chalky character which eventually outpaces the fruit on the finish.

The 2022 Bella Union Liason is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon 47% Malbec and 6% Merlot. This wine is deep ruby with purplish tinges on the rim; the bouquet is open-knitted and a combination of both floral and fruit with its supporting oak a complementary character. It scents include lilacs and violets accompanied by red plum, dark raspberry, cherry cola and some sweeter baking spices deeper in the bouquet including clove and cinnamon stick. Juicy and more red fruited than dark, the palate reveals flavors of plum, blueberries, cherry, currant and Persian mulberry. Both tannins and fruit persist in tandem on the long, dusty, drying and chalky filled finish. Versatile on the kitchen table, especially in terms of lighter meats, we could see pairing this with BBQ Lamb, duck or veal.

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The wines are sold direct but are also distributed; for example, we have seen some of their wines in Total Wines & More. For more information, to schedule a visit to the winery, to purchase wines or to join their wine club, the Belle Epoque Society with quarterly options of either 4 or 12 bottles per shipment, visit: https://farniente.com/wineries/bella-union

Hospitality Exterior