Bella Vida 360

Steve Whiteside had a first career in orthotics and prosthetics before embarking on what he described as a twenty-five-year plan: buy property, plant a vineyard, build a tasting room, start a brand. He did all of it in the Dundee Hills, farming Pinot Noir on classic Jory soil at high elevation.

What made Bella Vida distinctive was how the wine got made. Rather than hiring one winemaker, Whiteside traded fruit to several of the region’s best and had each make a wine from the same vineyard — a Winemaker Series showing three Pinot Noirs from one vintage, one site, three hands. Jacques Tardy of Torii Mor, Brian O’Donnell of Belle Pente, and Jay Somers of J. Christopher, now JC Somers Vintner. Patrick Reuter of Dominio IV made Two Row Proprietor’s Cuvée, a field blend of all seven Pinot clones in the vineyard. There’s also TLC, a memorial bottling funding a technical scholarship at Newberg High School.

In 2021 Whiteside sold the Dundee vineyard — it’s now LucidWild Estate — and bought a new site in Yamhill, nestled under a canopy of Madrone trees at the top of a hill. The 360 in the name refers to the view: Coast Range, Cascades, and the valley floor visible in every direction. The new tasting room opened over the July 4th weekend, 2025.

What’s poured now is the cellar. Bella Vida 360 offers cellar-aged vintages from the original vineyard’s fruit, which means you’re tasting wines with real bottle age from a site that no longer bears this name. Steven and Veronica Rico host personally, and guests taste alongside the founder while hearing the story of the vineyard and the winemakers behind each bottle.

The property also functions as an event venue, handling weddings, elopements, and gatherings up to roughly 150. Community events include Paint & Pinot with Blue Plume Studio and star parties with the Carlton Observatory.