Bella Luna Winery

Carrying on the Italian tradition of hospitality. Jimmy Zanoli — Winemaker is a joy to speak with. Shelly Zanoli — Sales and Marketing Director is a passionate energetic host and dog lover with two Golden Doodles. Kevin Healey — Owner was there to speak with us. Kevin’s dog Captain, the ranch, blue merle, Australian Sheepdog was quite proud of the rat he caught in the vineyard and brought it to show off. So with this as a backdrop, our group’s adventure with Bella Luna began.
2015 «Piccolo Rosso» (Summer Dry Rosé)
2012 «Lot One» Barbera
2012 «Estate Riserva»
2013 100% Zinfandel
2014 Fighter Pilot Red
2012 Sangiovese Grosso
2011 Tempranillo (the last of the Tempranillo)
Lots of good flavors here. Even better conversation. Hated to leave, but we had many places to go as this was our first of seven wineries on a Saturday.
We left with the Zin and the Barbera which we will jealously drink. We will return for both. Others in our group loaded up. Reservations for tastings are recommended. We started at 10 am. Very memorable visit.

I understand they will soon stop production of the Tempranillo which will make them 100% Italian varietals and style. The Tempranillo is great here like all their wines, but I appreciate a winery getting focused. Winery is dry farmed and I think uses native yeast and is unfiltered. This attention to quality really brings around some of the most flavorful and distinctive wines in the area. Except for the Tuscan blend Riserva (Cab+Sang) the other wines made are single varietal.
I’m not sure their total production, but it’s small and will probably stay small keeping the quality high.
If you’re a Zinfandel fan this is a must stop. The Fighter Pilot Red is one the best in my opinion (of course). Great balance of fruit and spice on the nose and front palate that slides into the characteristic pepper on the finish. Look elsewhere for big jammy, high alcohol Zins that many are making and buying these days. The price point at $ 36 is also a great value compared to other Zins in the area. Please make more Bailey Ranch Zin. It was sold out this time, but thankfully I still have one bottle from a prior visit.
The $ 10 tasting fee is waived upon purchase of one bottle. Thank you!

I love this place, Sherman and Kevin are two very nice guys! I’ve been going there since they opened, all of their wines are exceptional just like the people that run the winery. One of my favorites is their exceptional «Lot One» Barbera, it is a knock out, full bodied and lush, nectar from the gods, I could drink it every day, and sometimes do. ;)
If you’re in the area, this place is a «must stop» winery, you will be very pleased.

With such an unassuming presence, Bella Luna was a total surprise to me. I was expecting some good wines and knowing they focused on Italian varietals (which I love) I was hoping for maybe a little more than just good. Well, they were awesome. In over a week of tasting along the Central Coast, Bella Luna had one of the best tasting flights of anyplace I’ve been. Start to finish, there wasn’t a single wine I thought was just ok. I’m partial to Sangiovese and their 100% Estate Sangiovese was an amazing start. Wow. On to their Estate Super Tuscan which mixes some Cabernet and things got really interesting! The richness of flavors here is of particular note and no doubt attributable to their practice of dry farming so the harvests are ripe with natural flavors. Kudos to the winemaker!
The balance of the tasting included a 2010 Tempranillo, a bold 100% Barbera (which might have been my favorite of the bunch), and their Fighter Pilot Red Zinfandel which was a great finish to a spectacular tasting experience.
Do yourself a favor. Stop by. Taste. Ponder the gift that truly great wine offers you. You’ll find it here. Highly recommended.

Great spot to check out. Excellent wines, boutique vineyard that will not disappoint. We enjoyed the Sangiovese and the Estate Riserva.
Super friendly staff and overall a great tasting experience.
Who new dry farming grapes could make such delicious wine!
We will be back next time we are in the area.

I stopped here a dozen years ago and purchased some wine out of their garage. It was some of the best wine I’ve tasted from the Central Coast. Back then there were only about 60 wineries in the area and now there are over 350.
Recently I stopped in again to taste their wine and was impressed to see they have remodeled that garage into a small tasting room where the owner poured me several of their offerings. I sampled some of their limited production red wines and still find them to be superb. I bought a bottle of 2010 Barbera and 2013 Sangiovese. This casual tasting room is definitely worth a stop on your wine tasting itinerary.

Small family owned winery that is FANTASTIC. Carly gave us an amazing tasting, was super informative about the wines and her family’s wine making history. Great prices wine and their wine club deals are AMAZING. My favorite winery thus far in 1.5 days of tasting. A must visit!

So excited to have come across this gem today! Our driver suggested it. $ 5 tasting and the group of 6 of loved each and every wine. Carly was great and explained everything to us and told us all kinds of fun things about the family. I like that it’s all family. This is the first time I have decided to join their wine club and WHAT A DEAL! Had a great time and can’t wait to come back:-)

Loved the laid-​back ambiance of this winery. Tasting room is next to the family residence. We had the space to ourselves. The owner’s son conducted the tasting, and the owner came out to socialize and joke near the end of our time there. Great Zins. We went home with a bottle of the a Fighter Pilot Red (which was fitting for Memorial Day weekend, as the owner, for whom the fighter pilot was named, still flies for fun & for special events). Lovely experience!

This was the last winery we visited during our long weekend, and we’re glad we did! The tasting room is far from fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. Our tasting was poured by the owners daughter. Unfortunately I don’t recall her name, but she was charming. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, energetic-​she made it a great experience. We ended up taking home three bottles, and we can’t wait to drink them!
Btw, she’s going to be a high school teacher, and those kids are lucky. Best of luck to her on her career!

Stopped by Bella Luna on our way down to LA and was greeted by their friendly dog as we approached the garage like tasting room. A very casual, non snobby feel.
For $ 5, we had 4 tastings of Italian style wine. Not really a wine connoisseur, so all I can say is I mostly enjoyed the wines except their barbera, which was a bit too peppery and acidic.
Only about 5 minutes off the freeway and right next to another winery so if you are looking for a rest stop winery and a chill environment, I’d recommend it. Not much food in the area though so not an ideal lunch stop.

The Nice Bella: They have a small selection of uniquely flavored Italian reds. Their production is small (about 100 cases per varietal) so it’s unlikely I’d find their wine in the stores. Their site is an old fashioned, rural looking place — not faux rustic like other wineries. This is family farm-​like production. So, enjoy its realistic surroundings even though it’s not setup for picnicking.
The Dark Luna: The wine is a bit strong and unbalanced and the $ 40 to $ 50 prices lessened my desire to buy much. I appreciate the uniqueness of the wine, but combined with the price, I typically buy only one bottle when I visit. The one bottle purchase also avoids the $ 5 tasting fee for four wines.

I liked their wines the fighter pilot red and their Barbara were very good. Good tasting experience but I was bummed that I didn’t get to meet the owner Sherman.

This was not one of the better tasting experiences we’ve had in the Paso area. Wines were fair but overpriced. The tasting room was a little shabby and over lit. With all the choices in the region, I’d say pass.

This is an amazing array of unique wines… from the peppery zin to the incredible rose, you will be so glad you came. The owners are really cool and we joined the wine club — 6 bottles — which means we can stay in the loft above the winery when we visit (as available). Definitely in our top 10 in paso!

We were staying at a place so close by in Templeton. We Definitely recommend the fighter pilot zin. Loved the service and old fashion feel.

Friendly, small and quaint atmosphere. Sherman and the dogs greet you. Great wines you’ve probably never heard of, but will take some with you no doubt. Cozy tasting room and great wines. Highly recommended when in the area.

This place is a little off the beaten path but totally worth it. The wine is fantastic and the people are great. Worth stopping in for sure.

Couldn’t wait to try their wines — a friend gave me a bottle of Fighter Pilot Red the other day and I wanted to find the winery.
They grow specific Italian Grape Varietals and do a fabulous job with them.
Walked away with a mixed case of their fabulous reds to enjoy at home!
Hidden Gem — Worth finding!

Maybe 3.5, 3.75
We finally got to taste! It was a beautiful day out and the tasting room was open. We did walk in with ‘expectations,’ so to speak. The night before, as we arrived to our friend’s house in Atascadero (she is the best hostess!), she had a few bottles of wine open for us, one of which was Bella Luna (it was a ‘mystery’ bottle; I can’t recall the name, but it was a Cab/​Sangiovese blend). We all decided after many, many tastes, that it tasted odd. It was super flowery, thin, and not at all like a Cab/​Sangiovese. Frankly, it was disappointing, and my friend was quite disappointed, being in their wine club.
We arrive to taste and chat up a gentleman (who I presume to be Sherm, the owner). He was kind and the wines tasted nice. As my friend explained our experience with the wine the previous evening, he explained that there had been a problem with the machines during bottling, exposing the wine to tons of oxygen. He was disappointed with our disappointment, which was nice. He went a step further and replaced my friend’s bottle with another one, of her choice. That’s customer service!
The nice thing too is that my friend was considering dropping from their club, but his kind actions convinced her to stay. I’m not totally in love with their wines (or prices; a bit high, I think, for the taste), but I do like the wines and I do completely respect the level of customer service.
Well done!