Anatoli Levine, who writes and reviews wines via his Talk-A-Vino site, checked in with us earlier this year for an update to his “Passion and Pinot” series. He’s profiled us twice before, first in 2019 and again in 2021.
This time around, he wanted to learn more about the 2024 harvest and the latest developments in the vineyard. Here’s an excerpt from his interview with Dave.
[TaV]: How was the 2024 vintage? What should we expect from the 2024 wines when they will be released?
[DS]: Well, we’re still in the very early stages of evaluating the 2024 vintage so it’s hard to tell at this stage but we have every reason to be optimistic. We had one of our better growing seasons in some time – warmer than usual early in the season but then settling into a more temperate pattern the rest of the way. We harvested in late September and early October which is right on schedule and the sugars and acids were pretty much on the money. The 2024 vintage whites will be released in the spring of 2025 and the reds will be released (most likely) in 2026 and 2027.
[TaV]: What was Bells Up’s best moment of 2024?
[DS]: Our best moment was getting to see the results from the “proof of concept” 2023 harvest of our young Schioppettino planting. For only third leaf vines, we’re seeing wonderful flavor development with the distinctive Italian grape licorice elements present. We are now confident that our first commercial vintage in 2024 will be a great addition to our portfolio.
[TaV]: What are you looking forward to in 2025?
[DS]: We will have our first estate Pinot Blanc release in 2025! We will also see the return of our sparkling Seyval Blanc (Joy) which was so popular in its first release back in 2023.
Anatoli Levine Reviews Bells Up Wines
Levine also asked us to send him sample bottles of three new Pinots for him to review and feature on his site. His rating system scores wines on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, and a + or – to indicate a score “in between.” Here are his brief notes on the three wines:
2021 Bells Up Jupiter Pinot Noir Estate Chehalem Mountains AVA
- Cherries, lots of cherries, raspberries.
- Tart cherries on the palate, good balance, nice.
- Drinkability: 8
2021 Bells Up Maestro Reserve Pinot Noir Estate Chehalem Mountains AVA
- Dark garnet.
- Smoke, earthy notes, dark fruit, hint of cherries.
- Sweet and tart cherries both, iodine, crisp acidity, medium body, a bit of medicinal finish.
- Drinkability: 8-
2021 Bells Up Titan Pinot Noir Willamette Valley AVA
- Garnet.
- A hint of bell pepper, eucalyptus, raspberries.
- Black plums, cherries, medium palate weight, medium body, good acidity on the finish. Needs food.
- Drinkability: 7+/8-
