From all of us at Washington Wine Blog we want to wish you joy and happiness for 2019. I absolutely love the emergence of boutique wineries in Oregon. One of the great projects that was recently started in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, Bells Up was founded by Sara and Dave Specter in 2013. Dave spent his career as a lawyer and eventually caught the wine bug and focused on crafting wines at Henke Winery while they both lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. After Dave turned this hobby into an obsession, winning two separate national amateur winemaking competitions with two different varietals. At that point they both knew they should pursue their dreams and relocate to Newberg, Oregon to start Bells Up.
The winemaking style is intriguing and is not meant for those who prefer bolder Oregon Pinot Noirs. There is a move towards elegance and delicate red fruits in Dave’s Pinot Noirs. Even in warm vintages such as 2014 and 2015 Dave has crafted extremely translucent and lighter style Pinots. They are beautiful wines that maintain good acidity and a soft texture. Their new release Pinot Noir, the 2016 Bells Up ‘Titan’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 91) is a really striking example of the AVA, showing a really nice mouthfeel and texture that connects with the red fruit and citrus flavors. Learn more about this great boutique winery at https://bellsupwinery.com Here are the great new wines by Bells Up.
2017 Bells Up ‘Prelude’ Rose- This Pinot Noir Rose begins with aromas of white peach, wild mushroom and red cherry preserves. The palate is lithe, showing a wonderful astringency as red cherry, red raspberry and cran-pomegranate flavors mingle nicely. Mineral driven and showing nice tension, this is a great effort by Bells Up. Drink 2018-2022-90
2016 Bells Up ‘Titan’ Pinot Noir- This excellent Pinot Noir is sourced from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA as Pommard, Dijon Clone 115 and Dijon Clone 777 are almost equally utilized. The nose is beautifully feminine with rose petal, guava and cran-pomegrante currently shining brightly. The palate shows delicate rose water, red raspberry, pomegranate seed and orange zest flavors. Lithe, with a wonderful mouthfeel, this is another great effort by Bells Up. Drink 2018-2028- 91
2015 Bells Up 'Titan' Pinot Noir- Coming from a hot vintage you are immediately drawn to the translucence of this wine. Needing around an hour in the decanter to settle, once aroused this Pinot Noir begins with a bright bouquet of Mandarin Orange rind, red currant and candied red cherry. You have to admire the silky texture to this distinctly feminine style Pinot Noir wine. Elegant and precise, there are ripe strawberry, guava puree and red cherry compote flavors that sit alongside a lively tension. This is an awesome effort by the talented hands of Dave Specter. Drink 2017-2027- 91