Wine writer and reviewer Kathleen Willcox has written about our half-acre of estate Seyval Blanc in what wound up being Wine Industry Network Advisor’s second-most read article of 2021: “The Future of Winemaking is Hybrid.”
So we were delighted when she agreed to sample a bottle earlier this spring. Willcox, who writes about wine, food and culture, is often featured in Wine Searcher, Wine Enthusiast, and Liquor.com, as well as other publications, recently published her review on 2021 Helios (as well as 2019 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir — read her reviews here).
Here’s what she wrote:
There are boutique wineries and then there are MICRO boutique wineries, Bells Up is the latter, but it is still—and this is key—so much more than a hobby.
Bells Up produces about 600 cases of precise, thoughtful, handcrafted Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc Rosé and Seyval Blanc made in Newberg, Oregon from sites in the Willamette Valley and Eastern Oregon by Dave and Sara Specter.
I was lucky enough to try Bells Up Helios Seyval Blanc 2021: Made from the first planting of SB in the Willamette Valley, this hybrid has so much potential across the country, both in terms of hardiness and pure delight. This version is a sharp, shimmering knife, green apples and lemons, hay, flint, pineapple.
