It's Our 20th Anniversary!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of our first vintage of commercial wines at Medlock Ames! 

It’s easy to reminisce about all the special moments of the past two decades but I seem to be spending most of my time thinking about the future.

HOW WILL BELL MOUNTAIN EVOLVE?

What varietals will thrive in the coming decades as the impacts of climate change alter the growing conditions?

WILL OUR CHILDREN LOVE CABERNET AS MUCH AS WE DO?

Will the wines we produce today still be the flavor of choice of the next generation?

I'VE BEEN PONDERING THE FUTURE FOR MANY YEARS NOW...

And in doing so, thought about what wines are most reflective of the spirit of Bell Mountain and what wines embody our vision of the future. These musings brought me to two very different places and two very different wines that I couldn’t be more excited to release to you this year.

WE ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE THE FLAG.

A new Cabernet Sauvignon made from the select blocks and barrels that represent the pinnacle of wines Bell Mountain Vineyard produces. The Flag is named in honor of my great-great-grandfather, John Gilson Howell, who owned and published the Russian River Flag newspaper in Healdsburg in the 1860-1870s. This wine epitomizes the bedrock of the idealism and commitment for preserving Bell Mountain and the peak of wines this land produces for generations. To honor the wine and our history, each bottle is adorned with the reprint of the original publisher’s editorial on the first edition my great-great-grandfather printed on November 19, 1868. We only produced a small amount of this wine which will be sold in three-packs only and released later this year with first access to our Preservation Society Members beginning in March.

The second wine I’m very excited to release this year is...

OUR MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE SPARKLING WINE.

What better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary than with the first vintage of our estate-grown sparkling wine. After spending over two years aging on the lees, we will disgorge the wine this summer, just in time for our celebrations. We’ve only ever had a single acre of Pinot Noir that sits on the Russian River side of Bell Mountain Vineyard and the yields have been dwindling in the past several years with barely enough to bottle as Pinot Noir alone. So in the grand Champagne tradition, we combined our Pinot Noir with some of our delicious Sees clone Chardonnay to create a sparkling wine that is wonderful to enjoy with any meal or on its own.

I’m exceptionally proud of these wines that help us continue to tell the story of Bell Mountain Vineyard, our history and what we hope will also be our legacy. I look forward to clinking glasses with you later this year to enjoy these newest additions to the Medlock Ames family of wines.

Cheers,

Ames Morison
Co-Founder, Medlock Ames Winery 

THE ORIGINAL EDITORIAL OF THE RUSSIAN RIVER FLAG, PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 19, 1868

"This issue begins the existence of the Russian River Flag, which we propose to make a permanent institution. The growing interests of Healdsburg and vicinity call for it; our families look for it; our professionals need it; our business people require it, and the community at large demands a paper devoted especially to the interests of this region. To supply these wants and make of this a first class country publication will be our earnest endeavor. It shall be our aim to give, in each number of the Flag, a synopsis of the foreign and domestic news, and to keep our readers informed on current events generally and on local matters particularly. We shall give each week choice selections of entertaining and instructive miscellany and also carefully corrected tables of market reports. In short, we will try to make the Flag a necessity to the people of Sonoma county. While we may differ with many of our compatriots, and even with a majority of our friends in this county on questions of public policy, yet we propose to accord to every person the same conscientious impulses, and wish them to enjoy the fullest freedom of thought and speech that we claim for ourself. In business relations we shall know no one's politics, but when political questions arise we will be and abide with that party of progress whose motto is: “Excelsior,’’ and on whose banner appear the inscriptions, “Universal Liberty"—“Equality of all people before the law", “Restoration of political privilege” to all who hereafter will in good faith support the Government and obey the laws”—“Donation of public land to the pioneer"—“Protection to naturalized citizens,” and “Vindication of American honor in the face of all nations”. In the hope that our number may meet with a kind reaction, followed by generous patronage from an intelligent public, we set it forth with a promise to do better as the paper advances in age." JOHN G. HOWELL, EDITOR