Bell Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

Anthony Bell is one of Napa’s true great viticulturalists and a student of wine in every sense. In 1975, one year after André Tchelistcheff delivered what some consider the greatest bottling ever of BV Georges de Latour Cabernet, he joined his hero-turned-mentor to learn everything he possibly could.

According to the famous wine writer Jancis Robinson, André Tchelistcheff is the “founding father of the modern California wine industry.” The biggest lesson he taught Bell was the ins and outs of Cabernet ‘Clones’ (a population of vines derived from a single vine, called a mother vine). Clonal selection is crucial to viral resistance and yield. The clone also can impart different characteristics to the grapes and wine, whether it’s fruit size, acidity, or tolerance to different temperatures. While most people think of Pinot Noir when they think of clones, Tchelistcheff was miles ahead of everyone else.

After 15 years learning under his mentor, Anthony Bell left BV and immediately hit the ground running. He had forged some amazing relationships, which gave him access to the best vineyard sites in Napa. He earned an education that was second to none.

He started Bell Cellars in 1990 and built it into one of the biggest Cabernet programs in the country, with a lineup full of incredible Napa Valley Cabs. In addition to pricier vineyard-specific selections and his creme de la creme ‘Clonal specific’ selections that only great wineries like BV and Quilceda Creek have, his Cabernets are some of the most beautiful and age-worthy anywhere in the world.