Bella Oaks: An Incredible Blend of Fine Art and Fine Wines
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This next part of our Napa journey is surely one that neither Dio nor I will ever forget. That’s because it encompassed so much more than just a tasting. It afforded us a truly rare opportunity to be surrounded by phenomenally impressive art installations, and to gain a new and more informed perspective on the land itself where this exemplary fruit is grown to be made into breathtaking wines.
After lunch, we headed straight for the 14-acre Bella Oaks property. This is a truly legendary site among wine aficionados, for it’s basically the very first vineyard in this area which was designated publicly as such on the wine label of various wineries. Back in the day (meaning a half-century ago), if you saw the name “Bella Oaks” on a bottle of Napa wine, it was a strong indication you were going to enjoy that bottle very much.
Check out these pictures I took of some of the various vintage bottles in their collection which had featured Bella Oaks grapes:
It seems that after that initial period of great success (which began with its design in 1968), the property itself had fallen into some measure of disrepair and wasn’t turning out the same caliber of fruit as was the case in its original heyday. Enter the current owner, Texas-born philanthropist Suzanne Deal Booth and her talented team of veteran professionals.
Back in 2010, she bought the land with an eye towards rehabilitating it and restoring it to its former glory as a fabled source of spectacular grapes and single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. This expensive and time-consuming undertaking was made even more dramatic and ambitious by her insistence that the Bella Oaks property also now be known as a showcase for the work of internationally acclaimed large-format sculpture and installation artists.
That’s because the property also serves as one of her homes, and she is an avid patron of the fine arts (Booth studied art history at Rice University and got her master’s in that field — and a certificate in conservation — at NYU’s esteemed Institute of Fine Arts) with a very impressive collection of such works on display around the grounds. (I knew that would thrill Dio to no end, as she loves fine art and we have begun collecting small pieces by established artists ourselves. We both aspire to one day be able to collect larger works and even commission original pieces by respected artists we admire.)
But above all else, Booth views her resurrection of the Bella Oaks property and vineyards as an act of careful preservation. Every step of this lengthy process seems based around the notion of ecological sustainability.
Of all five of the wineries that Michael from Arrow&Branch had lined up for us to visit, this was the only one I had heard of before — and that was only because of my familiarity with Booth’s winemaker, Nigel Kinsman. Nigel makes my favorite merlot of any from the Napa Valley - Impensata. We visited there a few trips back, bought a good amount of their wine and shared it with friends. Nigel and his wife also have their own specialty project called Kinsman Eades. Both of those projects are boutique offerings. Their products are very limited, can be very expensive and very hard to acquire.
This past year I was finally able to grab a few bottles of Kinsman Eades, because the moment you receive an email from them announcing a new release you must leap at the opportunity or be disappointed. They make such small batches, and their wines are so highly regarded that it’s almost like trying to snatch Taylor Swift tickets before they’re sold out (or Bruce Springsteen or Tool, or whoever else makes the most sense for your own personal musical tastes).
I have some of Nigel’s wine in my cellar, but since the consensus is that it’s best to hold these particular bottles for a few more years before drinking, I don’t dare taste it too early. So, even though I own it, I’ve never actually tried any for myself!
But I knew he was also the man responsible for the relaunch of Bella Oaks, and this was my opportunity to taste some of his most recent work.
Back to the visit — even though Dio and I have traveled the world and been part of some amazing wine experiences, I just had a feeling this was going to be the best “couples tasting” we’d ever shared. That’s because it featured a winemaker I was already a fan of, and because even though Dio is not obsessed with wine as I am (yes, I admit, it is an obsession) I knew one of her favorite contemporary artists, Yayoi Kusama, was represented on the vineyard grounds. This had the potential to blow her mind. So, I intentionally did not mention that detail, and simply mentioned there would also be some art available there for us to view as well.
After we drove through the gate, we could actually see some of the art collection on left side of the gravel road. At the end of that short drive, we were met by our host, Martin Repicky, Bella Oaks’ Director of Private Clients. I captured that drive, and you can check it out below, if you’d like.
It was a real scorcher that day, so Martin kindly offered us a glass of chilled rosé. Little-known fact: When traveling in Napa to visit vineyards and wineries, one will undoubtedly be tasting deep, rich red wines. However, let’s be honest, shall we? Very few people enjoy drinking such wines as they tromp around outdoors in incredibly hot summer weather. As a result, it’s quite common for wineries which only make Cabernet Sauvignons or red blends to offer their guests a cold glass of a white wine or a rosé that they themselves had no hand in making, but which they find to be a lovely example of such a varietal.
So, with a cold glass of Waris-Larmandier Champagne Grand Cru L'Instant de Passions for each of us, and a stylish and thoughtfully provided Japanese paper umbrella held aloft by both Keiko and Dio, Martin gave us a tour of the grounds.
Bella Oaks is located on a gentle slope in the shadow of the Mayacamas mountains known as the Rutherford Bench. While it’s primarily known for being the “first, distinct” terroir in the entire Napa Valley, Booth and Kinsman and David Abreu (who’s earned a serious reputation as one of the region’s most respected, veteran grape growers) are aiming to not only revitalize the land, but to transform it into a bastion of organic farming, with a fierce dedication to biodiversity. In other words, to reboot Bella Oaks as a visionary undertaking that aspires to represent the future of Napa Valley winemaking.
They are in the process of converting an old, outdated neighboring winery into their new, modern winery and hospitality center, but at present, that work is not yet complete. So, for now they send their grapes to nearby Wheeler Farms, a high-end, “Custom Crush” facility that several boutique labels use as a location to craft their wines. (Fun fact: That’s the same type of facility our investment with Arrow&Branch helped build and open!)
So, we have a leisurely stroll around the grounds, and get to investigate eight pieces of art up close as we do. If you’re interested in just what we saw, you can click on the following videos we shot, and follow along in the paragraphs below, where I explain exactly what we got to experience.
We began with an untitled red bronze piece by Joel Shapiro from the late 2000s, followed by an untitled group of clay cubes by the Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, which were finished about a decade later. The curvy ceramic piece you’ll see next was made by the late John Mason in 1997, and is titled “Vertical Torque, Red.” We then came to this fairly minimalist sculpture by the famed German Dadaist Max Ernst. Entitled “The Spirit of the Bastille,” it’s said to be a fine example of the rigorous approach he took to the act of sculpture. From there we headed to Robert Irwin’s untitled “site-specific” acrylic installation at the end of the pool. And then, finally, from the roof of the home, we were able to get a slight glimpse (from far away) of a work of art that wound up being the most intriguing piece we saw during our visit. It was by Yayoi Kusama, and it was at this point that Dio began to get really excited.
Martin then led us into the owner’s house where we sampled some of their absolutely delicious, custom-made olive oil, and learned more about the legacy of the property.
We were also allowed to view additional pieces in the owner’s art collection (but those were off-limits as far as photography goes, so I can’t show you any of that). And then, it was back outside. That’s when we got to experience that stunning work by Kusama we’d noticed from the roof. But before we headed that way, Martin made the point to us that Suzanne had specifically chosen that spot for the piece so it could easily be viewed from the glass doors which lead from her bar area to the grounds. We exited through those doors and made our way to the installation.
It wound up being the most interesting and impressive piece we experienced that day. From afar, it appeared little more than a big cube. However, once we were very close, we could see the piece was covered with tiny circular cutouts. That made sense because Kusama is well-known for using a lot of polka dots in her work.
Dio got quite excited, and I suppose I did as well, because I have become a Kusama fan, too.
Martin encouraged us all to look inside the piece, and once we did, we saw that from that vantage point, it resembled a star-filled night sky. Dio shot a bit of video where I believe you can see what I’m describing.
Once we entered the structure, it was breathtaking to realize we were actually inside of a work by Yayoi Kusama! Now, Dio has stood inside of Kusamas before, but in the moment, she remarked that this was the first time she did not have to stand in line at a museum to do so. This was a personal, private tour, just for us and our two friends. It was truly a magical, special experience, and we were both touched by it.
After we exited the Kusama, we came across an installation piece featuring English words on pavers, by Ann Hamilton. And then it was on to the final outdoor piece, which is called the Meditation Labyrinth, by Andrea Cochran. Made using stones from such far-flung locales as the mountains of Montana and the streets of Dublin, Ireland and Boston, USA, it’s based somewhat on the design of a medieval labyrinth in Chartres, France. Cochran’s labyrinth is meant to promote introspection from all who view and walk through it, and Booth sees the piece as an allegory for the methodical, intentional efforts she and her crew are putting into recalibrating this famed patch of land into something once more useful and resonant.
A replication of the Meditation Labyrinth can be found on labels for all of Bella Oaks Wineries’ offerings and collateral, beginning with their 2018 cabernet, which immediately sold out.
Here’s a little video in which you can see not only Hamilton’s sequence of pavers, but Cochran’s Meditation Labyrinth.
After walking the labyrinth, it was a quick five or ten-minute drive down to Wheeler Farms, where we had a chance to taste Bella Oaks’ latest. Dio and I had been there before, and that was where we’d briefly met Nigel Kinsman. Oddly enough, we wound up sitting at the exact same table we had when we were last there. We got some good shots of that beautiful facility:
First up, they produced a lovely charcuterie board, and then we were able to taste three different wines. The first was a white - 2022 Aisana, which was an unexpected treat, as it was made under the Kinsman Eades label — and again, quite hard to acquire on one’s own. This wound up being the first Kinsman Eades wine I’ve ever tried, despite currently having a few bottles of their wine in my cellar, aging till they’re at their peak. It was very, very good, with plenty of acidity and minerality. In a perfect world, I would have loved it to have been served at a slightly cooler temperature and would likely have enjoyed it even more under those circumstances. But it was still extremely pleasing.
Next up were two reds from Bella Oaks.
The first of those had just been released to the public earlier this year. It’s called Le Génie, and it’s the inaugural vintage of this new wine, which has been received rapturously for its “exuberant immediacy and approachability,” a hallmark of young vines. A blend of 80% cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Franc, there were just over 550 cases produced. It had been decanted about an hour before we drank, and I could not taste the alcohol at all. I made sure to grab some of this for my cellar.
The second wine was their 2017 Proprietary Red. We had a Coravin pour, and I only swirled it a bit before tasting (so very little air had touched it). Despite it being kind of “tightly wound” and highly tannic at this point in its life, it paired quite nicely with the charcuterie meats. I did enjoy it quite a bit, though, and I feel that with a little more time to breathe, it would have been amazing.
Check out my tasting notes for all four wines we had during our visit:
By then, it was high time for Dio and I to head back to our first big Arrow&Branch event. Rami and Keiko, however, had never been to a Custom Crush facility before, so they opted to stay and enjoy the full tour, which they told us later they found very memorable (as had we, the first time we’d been to Wheeler Farms). All in all, it was a rather momentous day of being alongside captivating art we’d never get to experience otherwise and tasting some truly exceptional and hard-to-find wines. There was still plenty more to come from this Napa trip, and you’ll read all about that in my next post!
