Following the Grapevine
From the corporate world to a rolling piece of land , a husband-wife team runs Bella Grace Vineyards in Amador County
BY Jennifer Fergesen | PHOTOS BY Hector Amezcua
Charlie and Michael Havill , the husband-and-wife founders of Bella Grace Vineyards in Amador County , wanted to be what they call “ gentlemen farmers .” By the early 2000s , the couple had reached the zeniths of their corporate careers : He was the president of a tech company in Seattle , she headed the East Bay office of New York Life . They dreamed of buying a piece of land and farming it for pleasure rather than profit , like some of the more romantic Rockefellers and Roosevelts .
But the 54 acres of land the Havills purchased in Plymouth in 2004 demanded more attention than expected . Though they hadn ’ t planned to retire immediately , the couple left their corporate jobs ( he in 2005 , she in 2016 ) and transitioned from hobby farming to full-time winemaking . Charlie devoted himself to viticulture and nurtured the 20-acre vineyard on the property back to life through sustainable farming . Michael , who developed a taste for fine wine while running New York Life team-building events in Napa and Sonoma , became the head winemaker .
Bella Grace Vineyards produced its first vintage in 2006 — 300 cases of syrah and 350 of zinfandel . They gradually replaced some of the old vines that came with the property with grape varieties that are less common in the region , including vermentino , roussanne , grenache and mourvedre . Some of these grapes join blends such as “ 3 Graces Noir ,” a take on the classic grenache-syrah-mourvedre blends of the southern Rhone Valley in France : a dark , velvety pour with the complexity of a jazz chord . The winery now produces more than 10,000 cases annually .
Jess Havill , one of Charlie and Michael ’ s three sons and the current general manager of operations , says Bella Grace “ really started to become a full business ” in 2011 after years of experimentation . That year , the Havills built a wine cave on the Plymouth property and opened a tasting room in a stately Victorian home on Sutter Creek ’ s Main Street . The tasting room , filled with
“ For us , it ’ s really awesome that we have that female approach from Michael being a female winemaker all the way to the name of the company .”
JESS HAVILL General manager of operations , Bella Grace Vineyards
local art and invitingly worn-in armchairs , still feels more like a home than a business , especially when the Havills and their friendly dogs are there to welcome guests . For special events , their son and winemaking assistant Robert Havill may be around to pair food with the pours , such as baby back ribs with barbera or ratatouille with vermentino .
Though the Capital Region has no shortage of family-owned wineries — Sutter Creek ’ s Main Street alone is lined with them — it is still rare to see a female winemaker who co-owns her land and business . Fifteen years after she became Bella Grace ’ s sole winemaker , all decisions still come down to Michael ’ s palate . “ For us , it ’ s really awesome that we have that female approach from Michael being a female winemaker all the way to the name of the company ,” says Jess . The name Bella Grace is an homage to two of the Havills ’ female ancestors . Michael ’ s grandmother Bella was born in Colorado , married a man from Mexico and had 14 children in California , and Charlie ’ s grandmother Grace was a Scottish immigrant who raised her family in
Michigan .
Today , Michael and Charlie are grandparents themselves : Their son Steve Havill , who manages the wine club and sales at Bella Grace , has a 5-year-old daughter named Peyton Grace . Steve says Peyton Grace already loves spending time at the winery , riding on the tractor with her grandfather and helping her father sell wine . “ She told me she doesn ’ t want to be a winemaker , but she ’ s happy to cook at the winery ,” he says . “ We ’ ll see what she decides on over the next few years .”
Until Peyton Grace makes her decision , the three brothers are transitioning into running the business . Their goal , Jess says , is to “ take what the family has already established and continue to build upon that into greater successes as we move forward . … We ’ re trying to take that to the next generation and beyond .”
Jennifer Fergesen is digital managing editor of Comstock ’ s . Online at globalcarinderia . com and on Twitter @ jenniferferges1 .
October 2021 | comstocksmag . com 49