Ryan Schmaltz | Director of Production Ever since Ryan came to Bella as a harvest intern in 2012, his passion for zinfandel and Rhone varietals has been unwavering. With a PhD in organic chemistry, Ryan thoroughly understood the art of fermentation and was certainly overqualified as an intern. He soon took over Bella's laboratory as Enologist.
As enologist then Assistant Winemaker, Ryan meticulously carried out many experiments, from adjusting fermentation temperatures to varying grape skin contact time, learning more with each harvest and perfecting Bella's winemaking techniques. Ryan left Bella for a time and became winemaker at Trattore.
As enologist then Assistant Winemaker, Ryan meticulously carried out many experiments, from adjusting fermentation temperatures to varying grape skin contact time, learning more with each harvest and perfecting Bella's winemaking techniques. Ryan left Bella for a time and became winemaker at Trattore.
Services
Lily Hill Estate | Lily Hill Estate is our amazing old vine zinfandel vineyard in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley and is also home to our winery. Lily Hill is where our winery is located and where Italian immigrant Adamo Micheli and his young son, Angelo, planted the first vines over 100 years ago in 1915.
This giant wine offers serious meaty, peppery aromas and absolutely mouthfilling blackberry and grilled beef flavors that are wrapped in firm tannins. Mineral and metallic accents compete for attention with wood smoke and black pepper. Best through 2027. This bold and ripe-tasting wine feels layered and creamy, and packs plenty of blackberry and raspberry flavors on a full body.
We look forward to sharing behind-the scenes stories that are near and dear to our hearts. With the release of our brand-new wine The Sailor + the Cow zinfandel, we want to share the incredible history behind the making of this tribute to Dry Creek Valley. Combining fruit from the land once owned by Captain Mervin and Maja Staehr with grapes farmed by the Rafanelli family, we celebrate the lives that came before us.
Wine Club Inquiries: Please email us at wineclub@bellawinery.com or call (707) 473-9171 if you have questions about your membership or wine club order. We are working very hard to get back to you as soon as we can. We thank you so much for your support!
Our Friends of Bella automatically receive four bottles each in August, October and November and three bottles each in February, March and May of soon to be released Bella wines, library release selections or specially crafted member only wines.Each shipment includes updates on our stories and happenings, as well as the winemaker notes for each wine.
Our Friends of Bella automatically receive four bottles each in August, October and November and three bottles each in February, March and May of soon to be released Bella wines, library release selections or specially crafted member only wines.Each shipment includes updates on our stories and happenings, as well as the winemaker notes for each wine.
Join us for a seated wine tasting at Bella! Enjoy a flight of delightful wines underground in the magical wine caves or take advantage of the many sunny days granted us and taste at your private table in the Bella Backyard overlooking Lily Hill. Take a trip through the magical depths of the wine caves while tasting the BEST of Bella.
Reviews (20)
Matt Favreau
Oct 22, 2021
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Gregor H.
Sep 27, 2021
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Really nice winery at the end of dry Creek road with super friendly staff. Tasting inside the cave is fun and adds a special atmosphere.
Fantastic Zinfandels but also Pinot and a few others. Try the late harvest Zinfandel with Chocolate Peanut Butter Sea Salt cups...
Update: They've become quite busy. Tasting reservation highly recommended
Fantastic Zinfandels but also Pinot and a few others. Try the late harvest Zinfandel with Chocolate Peanut Butter Sea Salt cups...
Update: They've become quite busy. Tasting reservation highly recommended
Julie R.
Aug 29, 2021
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My sister and I had so much fun at the Bella wine tasting. Garrett was hosting the tasting and was incredibly kind and personable. We had challenges finding an uber/lyft to get to our next tasting and Garrett even offered to give us a ride after his shift if we couldn't find one by then. We will absolutely return to Bella again. The Zinfandels were exquisite!
Ehsan O.
Aug 29, 2021
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Russ R.
Aug 17, 2021
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Jill Purse
Jul 29, 2021
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Amazing service. We brought our rescue dog, and it turns out he was very frightened of the live music. The staff was wonderful and so accommodating. They tried to find us a table further back, but when he still couldn't handle it they turned out order into a takeout order and were incredibly kind and helpful. Great establishment, and we loved our wine and pizza back at our Airbnb.
Adam Clevenger
Jul 03, 2021
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Jeff G.
Jan 31, 2021
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Lisa W.
Jan 13, 2021
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If you come in the winter you can wine taste in the caves, they don’t open the barn. And there’s no crowd! We got the whole caves to ourselves and the server. We really liked their red wines and bought a couple bottles. The wine tasting is pretty expensive at $25 though. The grounds are big and good for the summer with a lawn and some chairs.
Laurie R.
Jan 03, 2021
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We went during Covid and had a wonderful time! Wines were amazing as was the service there and they had a guitarist for entertainment. We order 4 bottles we loved it so much. However, one bottle was corked and I have emailed and called with no response. Still waiting on a response hope to hear from somebody soon.
Caroline L.
Sep 06, 2020
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My family was so happy this vineyard reopened amidst the Walbridge fire and COVID! We so enjoyed our very first visit and picnic during Labor Day weekend. Lele of Ru's Farm recognized us from our booking as did my fellow Georgetown alum Andrew. That warm welcome kickstarted a beautiful repertoire of Bella wines to go with our picnic lunch of daggum good fried chicken, homemade biscuits with honey butter, and fresh greens with pickled onions and nuts. Service was meticulous with masked, gloved, and expert staff. We only hate we couldn't hug the wonderful Bella team, but look forward to
Alexandra B.
Aug 11, 2020
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Absolutely deserves 5+ stars....
I wanted to take my sister somewhere special for her birthday and I'm so glad I found Bella winery on yelp.
It was really easy to book over the phone the lady was really sweet and helpful.
We pulled up into the parking lot and to our surprise we could hear live music. The musician Sebastian was part of a band called highway poets (check them out)..... he was so good I shedded a few tears of happiness. Such a good mix Americana, Rock, Blues, Soul. He even threw in a little R&B (no diggity) with his own twist.
There were table and chair set up safe
I wanted to take my sister somewhere special for her birthday and I'm so glad I found Bella winery on yelp.
It was really easy to book over the phone the lady was really sweet and helpful.
We pulled up into the parking lot and to our surprise we could hear live music. The musician Sebastian was part of a band called highway poets (check them out)..... he was so good I shedded a few tears of happiness. Such a good mix Americana, Rock, Blues, Soul. He even threw in a little R&B (no diggity) with his own twist.
There were table and chair set up safe
Ann F.
Aug 01, 2020
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It's our 40th anniversary and we wanted to do a little COVID safe getaway. We reserved the "Hike the Hill" at 1045am. Spent about 40 minutes walking up the vineyards to a redwood grove with beautiful views of the valley. When we returned we enjoyed a wonderful box of goodies and 5 delicious wines to taste( plus a surprise Ice Cream sandwich paired with a late zin dessert wine) It was $40 per person and we felt it was worth it. Alex and Garret and all of the hosts were very nice. The setting is gorgeous and the tables were well spaced apart. It was fun to buy their delicious Sauvignon
Jason Covert
Jun 09, 2020
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Jim Cheney
Jan 12, 2020
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I've lived in Sonoma County for 30 years but have never been to Bella. This weekend we went to Bella because it was participating in the Dry Creek Valley Passport weekend. It was one of the best wineries we went to all weekend. Great wines, the staff were all super friendly, and the wines were delicious. Beautiful location with great local views. Will definitly be coming back.
Amy Moore Brown
Jun 25, 2019
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Great wine, great atmosphere and friendly staff! The wine tasting is done in the cave and the ambiance is really nice. The wines were excellent, and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The grounds are so pretty with lots of seating to enjoy a glass of wine and some yummy chocolate. Definitely in our top 3 of all the wineries we visited!
Nidhi M.
Aug 14, 2018
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I'm almost sour as to why we didn't come here sooner. Healdsburg have some really pretty vineyards most of which are family run and owned but this is particularly special cause one could feel being right at home. They produce small batches mostly and feature some if the award winning wines. Their specialty are zins and produce 16 zins throughout the year.
The grounds and lawns are beautiful and one could easily spend an entire day here with friends and family. I would recommend bringing a picnic, grabbing a bottle and enjoy the sunshine!
The grounds and lawns are beautiful and one could easily spend an entire day here with friends and family. I would recommend bringing a picnic, grabbing a bottle and enjoy the sunshine!
Richard Garcia
Aug 05, 2018
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The place is great, road there can be scary depending on which way you go, but have to rate it a 3 star. The zins we're good but the rose was horrible. It's basically a glass of zin with ice cubes that have melted and should not be served. Do they taste the wines before serving? They should. The artwork is very beautiful! I just feel like going to a winery, I should want to go back for the wine....not the artwork and chocolate.
Shayla B.
Jan 08, 2018
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Oh Bella, Bella! You started off as an unplanned visit on our wine tasting journey, and ended up being one of the favorites!
While wine tasting in Dry Creek, we decided to stop by Bella Vineyards since we thought it was a winery that was listed as a participant on our wine walk. Unfortunately, we found out that it wasn't, but we decided to stay and do a tasting anyways. And boy, I'm SO glad we did because we ended up having an amazing time here!
When you first enter the estate, you'll drive up a small hill that will take you to their main tasting room. The views from the hill alone
While wine tasting in Dry Creek, we decided to stop by Bella Vineyards since we thought it was a winery that was listed as a participant on our wine walk. Unfortunately, we found out that it wasn't, but we decided to stay and do a tasting anyways. And boy, I'm SO glad we did because we ended up having an amazing time here!
When you first enter the estate, you'll drive up a small hill that will take you to their main tasting room. The views from the hill alone
Mechelle S.
Aug 27, 2017
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Best experience and amazing wine...
The views are amazing and the yard area is filled with 150 year old olive trees that were moved there. Just breathtaking!
$15 a person for wine tasting and you can put that towards a purchase of 2 bottle of wine at the end.
You start in the barn for your 1st tasting then you go into the cave for the rest.
The cave has these massive old doors and the 1st part of the room is filled with a large dining table and greenery with lights on the ceiling. They have a nice small retail area with a bar for serving your other tastings. They have a wine club so folks were
The views are amazing and the yard area is filled with 150 year old olive trees that were moved there. Just breathtaking!
$15 a person for wine tasting and you can put that towards a purchase of 2 bottle of wine at the end.
You start in the barn for your 1st tasting then you go into the cave for the rest.
The cave has these massive old doors and the 1st part of the room is filled with a large dining table and greenery with lights on the ceiling. They have a nice small retail area with a bar for serving your other tastings. They have a wine club so folks were
