Background

Bell Wine Cellars is committed to hand-crafting limited edition bottlings of extraordinary wines that best reflect the terroir of their vineyards and the care and passion of their growers.  In “Sonnette”, French for small bell, we have created our second proprietary wine, a wine that captures the purest fruit expression from the many varietals grown in Napa Valley. Sonnette is a selection of particularly expressive barrel lots, offering us a chance to introduce you to something that might be otherwise lost in a blend. The very limited quantity of Sonnette produced is intended to spotlight an aspect of the vintage that we are enchanted by.  Selected from among our best barrel lots, each chosen for their concentration, depth of flavor, varietal expression and supple tannin structure.

Vintage Notes

Vintage 2019 brought a very even ripening season for most of Napa Valley.  Spring was gentle and warm, with an average timing for bud-break, and a steady growth pattern of spring.  June and July turned up the heat - temperatures hovered in the 90s or higher, with a few sustained heat spells, and we moved into a moderately warm August with balanced vine growth producing healthy, leafy canopies.  Fortunately, even temperatures followed the hotter pre-veraison months, allowing fruit to hang and continue ripening through September’s end and into October.  We carefully scheduled picking, often in the coolest hours approaching sunrise.  Sauvignon Blanc grapes came in about a week behind average, while most of the other grapes fell in around their normal harvest dates, responding well to the consistent temperatures of August, September and October.  Our winemaker appreciates the vintage for allowing time to harvest the grapes when desired, rather than at the whim of heat spikes or fermenter space.

Tasting Notes

Heady notes of cassis from the cabernet sauvignon component of this wine along with huckleberry pie and hints of tea set the tone for the experience with this beautiful wine.  Tasting it yields generous notes of blackberry pie, plums and toasted biscuit. The palate on this wine is very linear, offering an array of dark fruits set to a well-structured framework.  The bright acidity and length will make it a fine partner to a variety of foods.  It will benefit from another year in the bottle, please decant if you plan on enjoying this sooner.  Enjoy 8-10 years from vintage. 

Technical Analysis

Varietal               Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Syrah (10%), Malbec (9%)
Appellation         Napa Valley 

Harvest Date       September 9- October 28, 2019
Harvest Sugar     26.0 Brix
Acid                     0.60 gm/100ml
pH                       3.69
Alcohol               14.9%
Aging                  20 Months, 100% French Oak, 50% new
Bottling Date      July 8, 2021
Production          475 cases