Wine And Music Create A Bells Up Moment In Willamette Valley

Dave Specter, owner and winemaker at Bells Up Winery  Willamette Valley, Oregon, loves a challenge. A French horn player throughout middle school and high school, little did he know that learning to play one of the most difficult instruments in the world was a prelude to becoming a winemaker.

In case you’re not familiar, the French horn is a brass instrument and is considered an unpredictable instrument…hence difficult. You never know if the sound that comes out is what you intended.  Growing and harvesting wine grapes is unpredictable, too: drought, floods, storms, and insects are just a few factors that can upset a harvest. You could say that making wine is the physical manifestation of playing the French horn. Or to put it another way, Dave loves a challenge—and transferred the challenge of playing a musical instrument to making wine. 

From Tax Attorney To Winemaker

But the path to winemaker and owner of Bells Up Winery was not a direct one. In 2006, Dave and his wife Sara began to make wine as a hobby in the basement of their Cincinnati home. Soon, Dave was hooked, and the couple began to travel to wine destinations—calling it research.

In 2008, Dave took a job working at a small winery in Cincinnati after his full-time job as a corporate tax attorney left him mentally and emotionally spent. Simultaneously, he earned his enology certificate from Washington State University.  After Dave won two national amateur winemaking competitions, Sara put the house in Cincinnati for sale. They moved the family to Newburg, Oregon in 2012. That same year, they purchased the nine-acre estate in the Chehalem Mountains AVA that was to become Bells Up.

Bells Up, a micro boutique winery, was founded in 2013 and released the first vintage on Memorial Day 2015. After walking away from a successful career as a tax attorney, Dave had created his own “bells up” moment.

What Does Bells Up Mean?

 The name Bells Up refers to a dramatic moment in a classical music score, instructing French Horn players to raise the instrument’s bell, projecting sound with maximum intensity. Bells Up is a nod to the location of the winery on Bell Road and that French horn moment. Music continues to be a part of Dave’s professional life: he names his wines after various pieces of classical music, and the label includes an image of a French horn.

 

Today, Dave leads visitors through one-on-one private tastings at the estate winery. Bells Up produces pinot noir, rosé, pinot blanc, seyval blanc, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon from estate vineyards in Willamette Valley and micro-sites in Eastern Oregon. Note that Bells Up produces only 600 cases per year. If you want it, don’t wait to order it.

While I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Dave and Sara in person, I did a virtual tasting with them in 2021 as a member of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association. More recently I met with Dave online to taste and talk about the 2022 and 2024 vintages. I tasted five wines: 2024 Rhapsody Estate Pinot Blanc; 2022 Titan Estate Pinot Noir; 2022 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir; 2022 Maestro Estate Reserve Pinot Noir; and the 2024 Via Appia Estate Schioppettino. 

The big difference between the 2021 and 2022 vintages was the weather. 2021 harvest was challenged by an intense three day heat dome in June. 2022 had the opposite issue, frost, just after bud break. Weather is always a challenge because it’s mostly unpredictable. And while Dave states that he’s not worried about extreme heat driving an immediate change in which varieties can be successfully grown in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, he also acknowledges that the weather patterns vary within a growing season much more than in the past. Finally, in 2024, a good growing season without issues.

Here are some notes from the new vintage.

2024 Rhapsody Estate Pinot Blanc 

2024 was the first vintage of Pinot Blanc for Bells Up. Planted in 2021 the 2023 harvest was delayed due to frost. Dave ferments the gapes in a Flextank, then transfers it to stainless steel. I found it has good acidity, a brisk texture, and a longish finish that’s slightly tart. Dave recommends drinking it close to room temperature. This is an easy drinking wine that would pair well with most finger foods, and pub food like burgers, chicken wings, pizza. 

2022 Titan Estate Pinot Noir

This was the first year for 100% estate grown fruit for Bells Up Pinot Noir. Titan is named for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major. Following the pattern of the music, Dave describes Titan as having a wave shape on the palate. I found it to be a very light bodied wine, with good acidity and red-fruit flavors. This wine would be good any time of year. 

2022 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir 

Again, all of Bells Up Pinot Noir is 100% estate grown fruit. The big difference between the Titan and Jupiter to me was the way if hit my palate. Dave describes it as a ski ramp effect and in a way that was true. It seemed to have a medium finish, good acidity, more fruit forward than the Titan. Jupiter is named for two symphonies: Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, Jupiter. 

I feel about the 2022 Jupiter as I did about the 2021: This wine can be drunk now, but would benefit from some time in the bottle in order best show the elegance, red-fruit flavors, and acidity. Decanting is an option if you prefer to drink it young. The 2022 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir can be aged up to nine years. 

2022 Maestro Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 

Maestro is again 100% Pinot Noir and composed to highlight the characteristics of Dijon clone 943, a rare clone in Willamette Valley. It is aged 12 months in French oak (25% new). Bottled in 2023 it was released in September 2025. I felt this wine on the top of my palate. It has great depth, and a long finish. Red and blue fruit flavors and aromas make this a more lush wine than Jupiter or Titan. It made me want a nice steak. 

2024 Joy  Helios Estate Seyval Blanc Brut

This delightful sparkling wine is 100% seyval blanc. Aged in stainless steel and extended Sur lie to build body and character. The grapes for this come from some of the older estate vines. 

Bells Up was the first to plant seyval blanc in Willamette Valley. Dave had a lot of success with it when learning the ropes in Cincinnati, and it continues to be a winner.  It’s so successful that he is increasing the number of plantings. 

Contact the winery for tastings and to order wine. 

www.Bellsupwinery.com or 503-537-1328