“Shut the door shut the door SHUT THE DOOR!”
SLAM CRASH “AH HAHAHAHA!” BANG THUMP
“Oh god. He’s completely destroyed the bookshelf, Richard. The Poe, the Oates, even the King… All of it’s gone! He’s ripped it all to shreds.”
“What about the video games?”
“I don’t know. He was using two discs of something as a mask when I ran past. Maybe they were DVDs, maybe they were games. I was afraid to stop for fear he’d know what I was up to.”
“This can’t continue! Timmy’s got to be stopped! We can’t hide in our bedroom for their entire visit! Why won’t your parents do anything?”
“They can’t. They’re paralyzed by our newborn child’s cuteness. The only thing my mother’s done since she got here was snarl at me when I suggested I hold MY OWN CHILD. I… I had to leave him behind, Richard! I had to leave our son to with the wolves!”
“Shhh. It’s going to be okay. You grabbed the wine, right?”
“Yes, and it wasn’t easy. With all of Timmy’s toys scattered everywhere, it’s a wonder I even made it here alive instead of tripping and bashing my head into one of these bottles from Bell Wine Cellars. ”
“Okay, so at least we have provisions. Let’s just focus on the positive for a bit. Sure, we’re trapped, but this 2013 Bell Wine Cellars Estate Chardonnay has restrained use of oak and flourishing tropical and citrus fruit flavors. Maybe its refreshing crispness will provide a nice upswing to a day when we’ve been forced to watch peanut butter be smeared on our nice television screen by a tiny person who can’t control his own bowels.”
“Let’s pop one of these open and start pouring. You didn’t happen to grab glasses, did you?”
”...”
“Right. Okay. We didn’t glasses anyway.”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Bah DAHBAH!” KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “DAP! YA YA YA YA SQEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Oh jeez, he’s at the bedroom door, Rick. HE’S GOING TO GET IN! DO SOMETHING!”
“Okay, don’t panic. I’m relatively certain he hasn’t figured out how door knobs work yet. I think. Maybe you should help me barricade the door with the dresser just in case.”
2013 Bell Estate Chardonnay, Yountville, Napa Valley 750ml 4-Pack
More European in style than Californian, restrained use of oak and the absence of lees during barrel aging allow the tropical and citrus fruit flavors to flourish. This wine is an excellent bridge between the crisp, unwooded Southern Hemisphere style and the rich, oaky, buttery style of California. Aromas of green apple, pear and a hint of oak, with a rich, creamy round texture from the malo-lactic fermentation, give the wine a delicious mouthfeel and lengthy finish while the tank-fermented portion keeps the wine bright, crisp and lively. Crisp and refreshing on the palate, this delicious food wine is a delightful accompaniment to a broad spectrum of dishes, or, served slightly chilled, as an aperitif.
Vineyard: Our Chardonnay grapes are grown on the estate Spanos Berberian Vineyard, surrounding the winery. Yountville enjoys the early morning fog and cool growing conditions of the maritime influenced southern Napa Valley, whilst the early receding fog gives us more sunlight and warmer daytime temperatures than the more southerly Oak Knoll and Carneros regions. This vineyard blend from vineyards with warm summer daytime temperatures and cool evenings result in grapes with rich fruit flavors and an excellent acid balance.
Vintage Notes: Our 2013 promises to be glorious vintage for Napa. With a warm, dry spring, bud break occurred early, a couple weeks ahead of the norm. Spring was frost-free through flowering and the crop set with ideal conditions. Throughout the entire growing season, the valley saw moderate to warm temperatures with only one minor heat spike the end of June and beginning of July. An early harvest started in late July and accelerated in August. September saw the arrival of two light, mid-month rains, but the following breezy, sunny weather quickly dried fruit allowing the late ripening Cabernet to hang without damage. Crop size was above-average. The dry spring delivered small berries, which combined with the long, even summer temperatures has produced wines of exceptionally deep color, intense flavor and energetic acidity and freshness.
Vinification: Grapes were gently crushed directly to press, settled, racked, inoculated with VL2 yeast and cold fermented to retain the full varietal character of grapes. Twenty-five percent of the wine was chilled and racked to barrel (36% of which were new) at 16 degrees Brix, where it completed the primary and subsequent malo-lactic fermentation in the barrel. The wine was then barrel aged for 6 months, absent any yeast or malo-lactic lees. The remaining balance of the wine (67%) was cold fermented and aged in stainless steel and has not undergone malo-lactic. The wine was cold stabilized, bentonite fined and filtered prior to bottling.
Vinification: Grapes were gently crushed directly to press, settled, racked, inoculated with VL2 yeast and cold fermented to retain the full varietal character of grapes. Twenty-five percent of the wine was chilled and racked to barrel (36% of which were new) at 16 degrees Brix, where it completed the primary and subsequent malo-lactic fermentation in the barrel. The wine was then barrel aged for 6 months, absent any yeast or malo-lactic lees. The remaining balance of the wine (67%) was cold fermented and aged in stainless steel and has not undergone malo-lactic. The wine was cold stabilized, bentonite fined and filtered prior to bottling.
Situated off the beaten path, just south of Yountville, is an exquisite pale stone winery, shrouded by oak, bordered to the south by Hopper Slough, surrounded by vineyard and cloaked in quiet. After looking for twenty years, winemaker Anthony Bell found the perfect place to produce the wines he had long dreamed of - limited production, hand crafted wines that showcase the concept of "terroir". In 1998, Bell Wine Cellars opened its doors to the public to share the beauty of the place, and the wine.
In June 2002 - Ron Berberian, former California wine wholesaler, and Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers, formed Spanos Berberian Winery, LLC. The venture acquired interest in the brand name and assets of Bell Wine Cellars, and a new partnership was formed with Anthony.
Nestled between the stacks of aromatic barrels and towering stainless steel tanks, guests can taste the signature Bell Cabernet, at the intimate, elegant tasting room. We also serve Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah, encompassing a wide range of flavors, from vineyards both near and far afield.
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