Yum. This single varietal bottling came from Yountville and a relatively cool year. The label claimed 13.1% alcohol, so I expected some tartness/jalapeno/green pepper...but not at all. Instead, this wine was a rich dark purple color with delicious earthy/funky/savory plum and currant and licorice on the palate. Very smooth, too...no obtrusive tannins.
This actually reminds me quite a bit of another Napa Valley varietal Petit Verdot bottling. Heitz Cellars bottled PV in 2005 and 2006 and their wine had a similar Bordeaux-esque earthy/funky character I quite enjoyed. Sadly, Heitz sells/uses for blending their PV and don't expect to make any more varietal bottlings. So...the Bell was a nice discovery. Not too expensive, either, on sale at the winery.