BEDELL CELLARS 07 APR 2022

 

We were long overdue to visit an old friend Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, Long Island, NY, as we continue to make progress visiting all the wineries along the #NorthForkWineTrail.  Our last visit was when we were shopping for a wedding venue almost ten years ago.  Today we focused on Bedell Cellars but will soon visit their sister winery Corry Creek Tap Room in Southold Long Island, NY.  We were reacquainted with Bedell Cellars by Kathy F., Bedell’s Brand Ambassador, when she started to follow LIWINEDAD on Instagram.

Bedell Cellars is a sustainable wine producer and member of LISW, producing some fine wines, including wines served at the 2013 Presidential inauguration.    The greeting was warm and friendly as we entered the tasting room, that is bright and cheery.  We were presented with two menus, one for Wine Tasting flights (Figure 1) and one for Food (Figure 2).  While the food selection looks excellent to pair with Bedell’s wine, we passed on the food as we had just finished a late lunch at Sound Bistro.  The wine flight menu has a 3-glass tasting flight and 15 other wines by the taste/glass/bottle.  Fortunately, not being the designated driver, I could construct a 7-glass tasting (Figure 3) that allowed for a full exploration of Bedell’s wines. 

The expanded flight consisted of Rośe 2021, First Crush White 2020, Merlot 2019, Musée 2015, Pinot Gris 2020, Sauvignon Blanc 2020, and Riesling 2020 (Corey Creek). 

We started with the Rośe 2021, which was served well chilled with slight fruit notes on the nose.  The color is a pale pink, bright acid with hints of stone fruit and guava.  The Rośe 2021 is well-balanced, easy-drinking, with finishing notes of minerality.  All the fruit is sustainable estate-grown, fermented with wild yeast, and blended from Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Rośe 2021 is a fine wine for pairing with cheese and tapenade while relaxing on a porch with a beach view. 

The First Crush White 2020 is a dry, crisp wine with perfect acidity and a short minerality finish.  Notes of orchard fruit and citrus come to the forefront, and a hint of herbaceous flavors.  The wine is made from sustainable estate-grown fruit, fermented with wild yeast, and blended from Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc hence the slight herbaceous notes. 

The Merlot 2019 is a medium body, rich Garnet color, cherry forward classic Long Island Merlot.  Light on the tannins with bright acids; this will develop nicely over time but remains very drinkable right now.  Given the complexity and long finish, the wine is moderately priced, placing it in our inventory as a bottle of daily drinking wine.

 Musée 2015 is a higher-end monthly wine reminiscent of a Bordeaux blended from Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Dark ruby in color with notes of oak and dark fruit and bramble on the nose.  Rich in tannins with complex structure, excellent now, but better after a few more years in the cellar.  Notes of pencil graphite and cedar with a hint of Licorice.  It is well worth acquiring and enjoying a case over the coming years. 

The Pinot Gris 2020 is a fine summertime white, Crisp, clean, with bright acids.  Granny smith’s apple and pear notes come through, followed by the minerality reminiscent of a fresh Oyster.  Pinot Gris 2020 is a great sipping wine for a backyard party.

  Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is one of the best wines to pair with fresh Long Island Blue Point Oysters.  On the nose, floral notes lead with solid hints of herbaceous, fresh-cut grass notes.  The acid is bright, something that is sometimes missing in other LI Sauvignon Blancs.  The only thing disappointing with this wine was the lack of Oysters to pair with the wine.

A last-minute addition to the tasting was the Riesling 2020 from Corey Creek.  Dry with good acidity showing apple notes on the nose, and absent were any notes of petrol typical with colder region fruit (finger lakes).  The wine has a clean short finish, easy-drinking wine good for sipping while watching the sunset. 

Overall, this was a luxury 2-hour tasting session with all fine wines and no turkeys in the flight.  We walked away with a few bottles (Figure 4) to take home, including the Riesling 2020, Sauvignon Blanc 2020, and of course, the  Musée 2015 which lasted only a few days at home(Figure 5).   Bedell Cellars also provides a guide to all their wines on the website call “tasting notes & cheat sheet” (Figure 6). We are looking forward to returning and also exploring Corry Creek. 

FIG 01 - BEDELL CELLARS WINE TASTING MENU

FIG 02 - BEDELL CELLARS FOOD MENU

FIG 03 - BEDELL EXTENDED TASTING FLIGHT

FIG 04 - BEDELL CELLARS TAKE HOME PACK

FIG 05 - BEDELL MUSÉE 2022 AT HOME

FIG 06 - BEDELL CELLARS TASTING NOTES & CHEAT SHEET