Vineyard & Winemaking
Tara Bella Winery & Vineyards, located in the beautiful rolling hills in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, is diminutive in scale, especially compared to most other Sonoma County vineyards and wineries.
The vineyard is six acres, planted to two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon—Clone 4, also know as the Mendoza Clone, and Clone 7, called the Wente Clone. The neighboring Napa Valley is planted with hundreds of acres of both these clones, so this is the right stuff!
Being a small family owned and operated winery means owners Kevin and Wendy Morrow wear a lot of hats. Kevin is vineyard manager, and he, Wendy and some good friends are the vineyard crew. This gives Kevin intimate knowledge of the vineyard, and allows him to carefully nurture the vines throughout the growing season. Long before the Sonoma County Winegrowers pledged that all Sonoma County vineyards would be 100% sustainable by 2019, Kevin was committed to sustainable farming practices. Their vineyard is a treasure, and Kevin treats it with the respect and care it deserves.
From these Cabernet vines, Tara Bella annually produces around 500 cases of estate grown and produced wines. This includes the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon and Portal, a dessert wine made from 100% Clone 7 Cabernet grapes.
As with all great wines, they are made in the vineyard. The winemaker’s job is to preserve the beauty of the flavors from the time the grapes are picked until the delicious elixir is bottled. Fortunately for Tara Bella Cab fans, Kevin is a seasoned winemaker with a wall of medals and awards to prove it.
The grapes don’t travel far from the vines to the crush pad, yet even that short journey is taken into consideration when harvest begins. From the handling of the grapes to the selection of the barrels, every decision and detail is thoughtfully considered—allowing the end product to always be the best it can be. It is this attention to detail in both the vineyard and winery that ensures Tara Bella produces premium quality Cabernet Sauvignon year after year.