2019 Bella Union Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Bella Union is dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, and it comes with a historic pedigree. The 25-acre vineyard on Bella Oaks Lane in Rutherford includes property once associated with the Bella Union Mining Company, a flourishing 19th century operation. In the 20th century the area became one of the most prestigious regions for Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. In 2012 the partners behind Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel founded Bella Union winery, which bills itself as specializing in “the art of blending Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.” Bella Union is owned by the same business partners who own Far Niente, Dolce, EnRoute and Nickel & Nickel.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.