Like most wineries, we started offering virtual tasting appointments during Covid. But we’ve continued to do them for media whenever we can because it gives us an opportunity to connect with wine writers in a more personal way.
So when we shipped our annual box of wines to Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections — who have been so kind to us over the years with amazing reviews — we asked if they’d like to hang with Dave via Zoom to at least taste through the lineup of 2021 Pinot Noirs: Titan, Jupiter, Candide, and Maestro. They hung out at the end of May (Sara had back surgery the day before so was not up for participating in the tasting) online, and then Nathan and Courtney posted a great reel and recap on their Instagram feed.
What They Wrote…
Why is Bells Up Winery one of our favorite producers in the world?
Because it’s run by great people who make absolutely spectacular wine!
We had the immense pleasure of sitting down for a call with owner and winemaker Dave Specter, who was kind enough to talk and taste us through his outstanding lineup of 2021 Pinot Noirs.
Despite all being made from the same grape grown almost entirely in the Bells Up estate vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, all four of these wines had such distinct personalities! We found ourselves in awe of the unique character of these wines and loved being educated by Dave on how he crafted each bottling.
One of our favorite takeaways was Dave’s explanation of the importance of clonal selection in making Pinot Noir, and how a “complete” wine doesn’t simply happen by accident. Rather, just like in an orchestra, it requires the right combination of notes to make something truly magical.
The Bells Up team continues to put out such an impressive range of wine while keeping their pricing affordable, and we highly recommend them for anyone looking to delve deeper into world class Oregon wine!
