Margins Millefiori 2023

A French grape and an Italian grape walk into a bar... Mille (French for "thousand"), Fiori (Italian for "flowers"). So says Megan Bell about her Millefiori wine, a gorgeous blend of 39% Négrette Rosé, 34% Sagrantino, 21% Cabernet Franc Rosé, 3% Merlot and 3% Chenin Blanc.

Bell is known for sourcing grapes on the “margins” – from “underrepresented regions, vineyards and varietals,” and for this red blend Calleri Vineyard in San Benito County was the supplier. The end result is a sumptuous mouthful of flavor – cranberry, unripe blackberry, black pepper and violets greeting the fortunate imbiber. 

Rich aromas of blueberry compote, blackberry jam, leather, mint and grape Big League Chew (oh yeah). Brighter on the palate, with cherry/strawberry up front and the darker fruits coming through in the long finish. Only 196 cases produced!

Margins Wine produces low-intervention wines using grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals, and is part of the growing movement in California to make wines from organically farmed vineyards using little to no additives during the winemaking process, thereby showcasing the vineyards the grapes came from.

Much like people living on the ‘margins of society,’ vineyards can be outcasts too. Most consumers of wine are only familiar with a handful of grapegrowing regions and types of wine. Margins draws attention to vineyards and varietals throughout northern and central California that find themselves on the margins without the recognition they deserve.

Margins Wine is a small winemaking project of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France).

Margins Wine is a small winemaking project of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France).