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The Weinnotes newsletter is written by A.J. Weinzettel, a wine journalist and podcaster who has written about Oregon wine country since 2019. Each issue tells the story of a winery and the people behind it, mostly in the Willamette Valley.

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Dispatch · Saturday, September 17, 2022

Bells Up on the Podcast

Patagonia gives itself away, 2022 looks like 2011, Bledsoe McDaniels buys in Walla Walla, and Dave and Sara of Bells Up close out the podcast season.

There is only one way to start the newsletter this week, and it has to be all about The NY Times headline, “Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company.” Taking a quote from The NY Times article:

Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife, and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe.

Nothing but kudos to the family for taking this stand and “turning capitalism on its head by making the Earth our only shareholder.”

This week, Jay McDonald from EIEIO sent his newsletter with an opening describing the 2011 vintage. I sucked it up like a dry biscuit to Southern Sausage gravy on a Saturday morning. It sounds so similar to the 2022 vintage so far.

A very cold spring resulted in delayed bud break and the latest bloom in Oregon’s history, occurring in early July. The summer was warmer than normal producing a good canopy and lower than normal disease pressure. Veraison occurred in September and at some sites, the grapes were not fully colored until early October. Cloudy and wet weather in early October increased the disease pressure, but then the weather cleared and was sunny into early November. For most Willamette Valley sites, this was the latest Harvest on record. Low sugar, solid acidity and ample flavor development produced surprisingly generous wines from the better sites, especially if picked late in October and some sites even into early November!

Wine Enthusiast announced their 23rd Annual Wine Star Award Nominees this week, and of course, Oregon is represented on many levels. Some of the nominations include David Adelsheim for Person of the Year, Jim Bernau for Wine Executive of the Year, Stephen Hagen for Innovator of the Year, Mimi Casteel for Innovator of the Year, Tiquette Bramlett for Social Visionary of the Year, Southern Oregon/Rogue Valley, Oregon for Wine Region of the Year, and Troon Vineyard and Eyrie Vineyards for American Winery of the Year.

Have you heard of Appassionata Estate yet? I hadn’t either until this week. It sounds like an exciting project under the roof of J. Christopher Wines in Newberg.

Micheal Alberty has his list of Top 23 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris wines published on Decanter.

Do you remember last month my visit to the new Bledsoe McDaniels Coulee Estate in Eola-Amity? This week Bledsoe McDaniels announced the purchase of the àMaurice Estate Vineyard owned by the Schafer family in Walla Walla. The new estate site will be named Schafer to keep the Schafer legacy alive. The Washington Wine Report also has a write-up on the acquisition.

There are a ton of Harvest dinners happening! However, this seasonal mushroom dinner from Hyland Estates sounds unique and out of this world to me.

I have good news. It’s a podcast week! I also have bed news. It is the last podcast week of the year. There are two facts why it is the last one of the year. First, I didn’t plan very well. Second, I will not disturb and try to set up interviews before and during Harvest. The podcast will come back for a second season in January. It’s a blast, and I have some time to bank up some episodes between now and the end of the year!

The podcast for this week is all about Dave and Sara at Bells Up Winery! I visited early last year, tasted through their wines, had a killer lunch, and had an out-of-this-world time! Unfortunately, that visit didn’t allow much time to get more of their backstory.

I wanted to know so much more, like why did Dave go from being a lawyer to a winemaker? Why make a Seyval Blanc or a Cab? My question about Better Call Saul during the interview might have brought back some unpleasant memories, but we got back on track.

I reached out in March or April to schedule the interview, but schedules wouldn’t cooperate, along with the weather. Circling back in June, all of the stars aligned, and we had a stellar time overlooking the vineyard with out-of-this-world weather. We were all happy about the sun that day because all three of us were cutting up and laughing right off the bat.

When asked the question, “Why did I want to interview Dave and Sara for the podcast” it is twofold. First, I was curious how a lawyer turned winemaker. Second, I also wanted to know more about Seyval Blanc and so many other topics, but most importantly, I want you to see or hear (depending if you watch via YouTube or listen to the audio) how down-to-earth this duo from Bells Up are. What they are doing is unique in terms of making Pinot, Rose, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Pinot Blanc, and a Cab, and they also host one group at a time for their tastings with Dave giving you a tasting experience you will not forget!

If you haven’t been to Bells Up, visit the website to make a reservation, and don’t forget to tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

Below are all of the links for this week’s episode. I appreciate all the likes and subscriptions on YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. Also, I don’t know if you know, but subscribing to these platforms doesn’t mean you have to pay money. Instead, when you subscribe, you get a notification when a new episode drops, which helps me get noticed more! It sounds like a win-win for both of us!

Topics

00:00 Intro
00:52 Pouring blind wine
05:08 A.J. gets stumped on a blind wine
08:45 Schioppettino getting planted in Oregon
15:24 Story behind Seyval Blanc in the vineyard
19:33 Flashbacks to being an attorney and not watching Better Call Saul
20:30 Going back to 2006 and what made you want to get into wine
29:10 How Dave and Sara got the property on Bell Road
36:30 The importance of making a connection with guests
40:00 Celebrating ten years of being in business
44:00 What was the motivation for creating a Cabernet Sauvignon
50:26 Oregon Wine Story of Community
58:26 Legacy Plans
1:04:22 Rapid Fire Questions
1:12:01 Blind Wine Reveal

With Gratitude,

A.J.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process, is its own reward.”

— Amelia Earhart

A.J. Weinzettel

Wine journalist & podcaster covering Oregon wine country

Links

Topics