Bello Family Vineyards

Bello Family Vineyards was founded by proprietor Michael Bello in 2004. Michael comes from Orange County in southern California where he founded Newport Beach based Walldesign, Inc., in 1983 and ran the company for nearly 30 years before it declared bankruptcy in 2012. This was a residential home sub-contracting business that focused on dry wall installation with clients primarily in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Two of Michael’s dreams were to make world class wine and become involved in horse racing. He began to take steps towards the former of these two interests in 2000 when he purchased a piece of premium vineyard real estate in Rutherford (near St. Supery winery). Soon after, he built a picturesque French styled farmhouse and began to plan on making wine. He hired some of the most sought out individuals in the valley to help him pursue his goals. David Abreu managed their original estate vineyard and Aaron Pott was hired to make the wine, although neither Pott nor Abreu are involved any longer.

Michael has been involved in horse racing for many years; in 2001 he located and purchased a small thoroughbred racehorse in the United Kingdom called Megahertz. He brought her back to the USA; this filly became a winner from her first race in 2002 at Santa Anita Park and would ultimately win 14 races before retiring (along with a number of second and third place finishes). And every year they produce a wine in this horse’s honor. Today, Michael remains heavily involved in horse racing and owns a number of racehorses.

The focus of their winemaking has always been on Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily from the Rutherford Appellation in Napa Valley, however they also produce Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a California blend called Megahertz every year. In years past they produced a delicious Marsanne. Regardless of vintage or variety, these wines are all distinctive with their own personalities; no cookie cutter winemaking here.

Select Wines
Rosé
The 2020 Bello Family Vineyards Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Napa Valley is medium to deep copper in color. For reference we needled and nosed this bottling 5 years post vintage. At this age, the bouquet opens with a tangy aromatic profile including dried orange peel, loquat, kumquat, dried apricot, orange tea, currant, sour cherry, cranberry, raspberry, watermelon hard candy and rhubarb pie. And there are some savory undertones including a light note of mint, dried thyme and toasted almonds. Time in bottle has sculpted the aromatics and palate into a different profiles then when it was first released. On the palate there are flavors of red delicious apple, pomegranate, blood orange, dried apricot, raspberry, Rainier cherry, pink blueberries and Alpine strawberry, a variety we particular enjoy. The fruit has been softened by its age. And this wine finishes with a light perception of sweetness, a union of both fruit and dill. Its texture is pure silk, flowing gently across the palate while being lifted by a bright and balanced acidity. This wine is a listed 13.45% ABV. Aged rosés are not what most people reach for, but this wine has developed some interesting characteristics over time. Versatile in terms of pairing, this wine might go well with a roasted beet salad, pumpkin seeds and goat cheese.

Whites
The 2023 Bello Family Vineyards Chardonnay, Napa Valley is medium to deep gold in color; in terms of its aromatic profile, its arms are wide open and singing as a choir rather than a solo act. In a blind tasting, we might have identified this wine as a Viognier from its aromatics alone. And after tasting this, we still think there is some Viognier blended in here. The bouquet is dominated by both ripe fruit, sweet dessert spices and spring florals. Its scents include glazed pineapple, apricot, yellow peaches, yellow nectarines, Alphonso mango, ripe papaya, passion fruit, star jasmine and baked apples. And additional layers of pina colada, vanilla, butterscotch, creme Brulé and honeycomb. As richly flavored and fruity as the bouquet, this wine tastes like golden delicious apples, baked pear, pineapple upside down cake, apricot, ginger, warm honey and lasting flavors of vanilla. Its fleshy and supple texture is balanced nicely by its bright acidity. The finish is rich, long-lasting, flavorful and thoroughly refreshing. Its ABV is listed as 13.45%. This wine over delivers for the price point. Best enjoyed with girlfriends outdoors on a warm late spring day, poolside.

The 2017 Bello Family Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay is pale golden in color. Extremely pretty aromatics include honeysuckle, pineapple, almond, fresh honeycomb, ripe golden delicious apple, vanilla and creme Brulé. This wine offers a rounded and creamy texture across the palate, but it never feels heavy. Offers flavors of tangerine, white toast and a lemon zest. Fairly intensively flavored. The supple tug of texture lingers with a lift of acidity and brightness along with light notes of butter.

The 2009 Bello Family Vineyards hillside grown Marsanne is blended with 25% Viognier. Aromatically this is a highly appealing wine, revealing loads of stone fruits including white peaches and nectarines accompanied by additional layers of honeysuckle and vanilla. Its presence from the oak is subtle, like a gentle kiss on the cheek from your favorite auntie. Richly endowed from the entry through to the finish, this wine is not shy, yet it retains an overall balance. We did not pick up on any oak on the finish. The palate features bright acidity, not overly crisp but not soft either. It balances out its lightly fleshy palate nicely.

Pinot Noir
The 2022 Bello Family Vineyards Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast is medium ruby in color; the bouquet is a harmonious and ripe union of both red fruits and savory spices. These scents include cherry cola, raspberry tea, ripe red strawberries, root beer, white pepper, dried rose petals, damp potting soil, Tonka bean (look that one up if you are not familiar with it, and who really is?), sweet pipe tobacco, dried sage and darker baking spices including of cloves. As the wine evolves, the fruit becomes more expressive displacing some of the other spice driven aromatics. The palate somewhat mimics the bouquet but perhaps with less influence of spices. Its fruit flavors are of cherry cola, raspberry, red strawberry, Rainer cherry, currant and pomegranate, a flavor that is most noticeable on the finish. And a subtle kiss of vanilla. Other savory complements include white pepper, dried sage and a light note of smoked cedar. This wine offers a balanced textural profile, with soft and seamlessly integrated tannins on the finish. Pair this beauty with grilled shrimp skewers covered in a pinch of salt, rosemary, sage and garlic marinade.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Bello Family Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and opaque; this wine is not lacking in terms of color. Ripe, bright and dark fruited, the bouquet is highly compelling three years post vintage. Its scents are a union of both fruit and barrel influences. These include ripe blackberry, dark plum, dark cherry, black olive, old cedar box, lavender, dark licorice, sweet tobacco spice, dried tobacco leaf and toast. And a note of dark chocolate as the wine evolves. Generous and fully loaded. Like the bouquet, the palate is also a combination of fruit and barrel influences. This wine shows savory with flavors of dark plum, black cherry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry, dried herbs including sage and bay leaf, smoked cedar, crushed dark peppercorn and a dark note of bittersweet chocolate. It lingers bright with gravelly and grainy tannins fully extending themselves beyond the fruit on the finish. Their presence is moderately drying on the palate. A well marbled ribeye and a BBQ please.

The 2009 Bello Family Cabernet Sauvignon is blended slightly with Petit Verdot and Malbec. This wine is dark in the glass with a sweetly fruited nose featuring ripe dark fruits including blackberry and black cherry. And this core of sweet fruit on the bouquet is also expressed across the palate with a finish decidedly more robust than the Megahertz bottling. Tobacco pipe, leather and dark fruits show on the palate. This wine is well layered; give it time to breathe in the glass or decant prior to serving. It needs time for both the bouquet and the palate to evolve and open.

Megahertz
The 2023 Bello Family Vineyards Megahertz Cabernet Sauvignon, California is deep ruby and opaque; dark and sweetly fruited, the bouquet sings a crowd friendly tune, three years post vintage. Its scents include dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry, cherry, Persian mulberry, with several savory layers reminding you that this variety can smell fresh when its is harvested for ripeness, not over ripeness. These additional aromatics include Shishito pepper (a scent that often fills our car after trips to the farm stand at Regusci winery in late summer), dried tobacco leaf, dried herbs including sage, crushed pink peppercorn and red chili spice. Give this wine time in the glass; its fruit will become more expressive. Balanced and bright across the palate, this wine delivers plenty of flavor; the oak is present and noticeable but remains in the back seat, giving directions rather than driving the vehicle. This wine tastes like dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, dark chocolate and coffee grinds. The tannins are well tumbled, gravelly and linger with a light dusty texture felt more so on the front of the palate than the back. Its ABV is a refreshing 13.8%.

The 2009 Bello Family Vineyards Megahertz Cabernet Sauvignon is reasonably priced by Napa Valley standards with grapes sourced from several premium Napa Valley vineyards including from what was Michael’s own estate in Rutherford at the time. The nose is very aromatic including a pretty floral character accompanied by a hint of pipe tobacco. The palate is lighter in style, purposefully, with flavors of cranberry and raspberry. Delicate and rounded tannins anchor the smooth finish. All new releases of this wine now utilize grape sources from outside of Napa Valley and it is California appellation designated. Regardless this wine clearly over delivers for the price. We would feel comfortable popping the cork any day of the week and serve it with lighter steaks or meat covered pizzas.

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During the first few years of their production most of their wine was sold through their mailing list and select restaurants without a retail outlet. That changed however, in August 2012 when Bello Family opened an opulent tasting room and retail outlet in the south part of the town of St. Helena. However Bello Family closed and moved out of this tasting room in early 2016 and it soon transitioned into the home for Yao Ming wines.

In 2020 this tasting room closed permanently, and Yao Family wines vacated the building. Following a period of vacancy the building was home to Vine Star, a wine and espresso bar. The owner of Vine Star, Jay was involved with the Yao Ming brand and as a result, for a short while, visitors were able to still taste select Yao Ming wines here. As of late 2023, the Vine Star sign was removed from the exterior of the building and that business vacated the premises. As of 2025, the space has been converted into a wine cooperative tasting room called Royal We Wines featuring select brands made by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.

Michael’s wife, Nancy had her own food line under the label “Nonna Nunzi” and these items were available at one point for purchase via their website including olives, tomato basil spread, artichoke spreads and more.

Today, Michael’s son Christopher manages all day-to-day operations (who we first met with after multiple trips to their old tasting room). His wife Chloe runs Alexandrie Cellars – and in Spring 2017 they released their first wine, a sparkling brut. And currently a brut rosé is also produced, both with very colorful and catchy labels. The brut was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Women’s Wine & Spirits Awards competition. Chloe’s background is in both fashion and wine. For more information, to purchase this wine or to join either their Affiliate or Ambassador programs, visit: www.alexandriecellars.com

Tastings at Bello Family are now by appointment only; after the sale of their tasting room, we heard very limited tastings were being held at their estate in Rutherford. However as of our most recent update, their property sold; the sign on the gate at the entrance to the properties’ olive lined driveway changed to J.D. Estate. During the subsequent ownership of this 5-acre property with its 2-acre vineyard and garagiste bonded winery, the wines were exported to China, primarily Beijing. In 2025 this property again was listed for sale.

The total production each year of Bello Family Vineyards is around several thousand cases. For more information, to purchase current release wines and or to join the appropriately named Megahertz Wine Club, visit: www.bellofamilyvineyards.com