Bella Vineyards Wine Hosts’ Bios

Scott and Lynn Adams came to California to pursue their love for the land—a romance that blossomed as they got to know northern Sonoma County’s amazing heritage vineyards. The stories behind these incredible vines and the generations of families dedicated to caring for them brought Scott and Lynn to Big River Ranch in Alexander Valley, whose ancient zinfandel vines were planted over 100 years ago, and to Lily Hill Estate in Dry Creek Valley. Here, the first vines were planted in 1915 by Italian immigrant Adamo Micheli and his young son, Angelo. Angelo grew up, as did the vines, and he watched over the land for the next few decades to come. Today, Scott and Lynn have four children of their own, who assist with tending to these old vines, and help carry on the rich tradition of being stewards to this wonderful land.

Bella has humble beginnings as a simple love story, but the adventure really began when Scott and Lynn bought their vineyards – they had amazing grapes, but a humble appreciation and a bit of passion is not enough to make good grapes into great wine. And so they began immersing themselves in classes at U.C. Davis and working in the vineyards, dedicated to learning the finer points of winemaking and viticulture. They also surrounded themselves with a talented winemaking team, beginning with consulting winemaker Michael Dasche, followed by winemaker Joe Healy and, more recently, assistant winemaker Ryan Schmaltz. Today, Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves continues to cherish Sonoma County’s rich history by focusing on using the best fruit from some of the most sought-after vineyards. The resulting wines reflect the uniqueness of each site and the depth and concentration of high quality fruit.