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Nella Terra Cellars
LIVERMORE VALLEY
The Beemiller family has owned the Nella Terra Cellars land since 1979, and has
always appreciated the beauty of the property. They felt it was so beautiful
in fact, that Gerry and Paulette were compelled to share it with the public
and decided to plant a vineyard and open their doors. The first vineyard was
planted in 2013. They had lived on the property long enough to know that
the cool nights, evening winds, and morning fog would be a climate that
would lend itself nicely to Pinot Noir. After the vineyard went in the ground,
Nella Terra began hosting large private events in 2014, and it's now a multi-
generational family owned and operated business.
The vineyard sits in the Sunol Highlands at 1,100 feet and gets a maritime
breeze off of the San Francisco Bay, creating a generally cooler climate than
the rest of the Livermore Valley AVA. Gerry knew that Pinot Noir would be a
difficult crop to grow and understood all of the unknowns, yet he took the
risk and never looked back. The first few vintages from the vineyard proved
to be a success, aging well in bottle, and subsequent vintages got better
each year. The unique micro-climate has proven itself as an ideal setting for
outstanding Pinot Noir.
Today, husband-and-wife team, Griffin and Kendall Beemiller run daily
planning and operations of the winery and vineyard. They also do a bit
of the winemaking and vineyard management, however most of those
responsibilities are outsourced to companies within the Livermore Valley,
with all resources grown on site. In addition to Pinot Noir, they grow Viognier,
FACING PAGE: The view from the top of Nella Terra Cellars'
Pinot Noir Vineyard overlooking the event space tucked
away in a valley of the Sunol Highlands.
ABOVE: The patio at Nella Terra Cellars is surrounded by
beautiful vineyard and garden views.
Photographs by Junshien International
LIVERMORE VALLEY
