Posts Tagged“bedell cellars”

LENNDEVOURS Q&A: Trent Preszler, COO for Bedell Cellars

Today marks the beginning of yet another new feature here at LENNDEVOURS, the "LENNDEVOURS Q&A." (Catchy name, no?) Briefly, I’m going to ask the same 7 questions to people throughout the New York wine industry (with minor tweaks depending on the person’s role). And, I won’t limit this to winery owners or winemakers. There are a lot more people behind the scenes that don’t get the attention they deserve. We start this new project with Trent Preszler, chief operating officer for Bedell Cellars. What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? When I was ten years…

Continue Reading

WTN: Corey Creek Vineyards 2006 Gewurztraminer (North Fork of Long Island)

I happen to love gewurztraminer, but only a handful of local wineries bother with this under-appreciated grape Some make it in the off-dry style that I think plagues many U.S. bottlings, but a couple use Alsace as their model, crafting dry, distinctive wines. Corey Creek Vineyards 2006 Gewürztraminer ($30) is similar to the stellar 2005, and while maybe a little less intensely flavored, it’s no less enchanting or delicious This is an extremely aromatic white with wild flowers, peach and lychee mingling in a nose that is typical for the varietal but somehow fresher and more lively. The flavors in…

Continue Reading

American Airlines to Serve New York Wines

If you’re flying from New York to the west coast–say to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle–you’ll now be able to enjoy some New York wine during the flight. Assuming you fly American Airlines that is. I haven’t been able to dig up specific vintages yet, but they’ll be serving a merlot from Bedell Cellars here on Long Island and also a riesling from Salmon Run, which is Dr. Konstantin Frank’s second label. This is a very cool development and I’m glad to see that they chose well-regarded producers. There are a lot of wineries in NY with better PR/marketing,…

Continue Reading

Bedell Cellars Named #7 Hottest Small Brand

I got an email yesterday that Long Island’s own Bedell Cellars was named the #7 hottest small brand by Wine Business News. While the story itself isn’t all that interesting (I’ve been talking about Bedell’s quality and shift towards more blends for a while now), it is obviously nice to see a North Fork producer on this list. It also shows just how boutique a region this is. In the overall world of wine, Bedell Cellars is a small producer, but it is definitely not one of Long Island’s small producers–in terms of wine production, quality or notoriety. Certainly, they…

Continue Reading

WTN: Bedell Cellars 2003 Merlot (North Fork)

Red wines from the 2003 vintage — even those made with the region’s signature variety, merlot — have proved inconsistent in my tastings. Some wines, from some vineyards are delicious — elegant and classic Long Island. Others tend to be light on flavor and even a little ‘green’ in their under-ripeness. Some wineries didn’t even bother making first label or reserve wines in 2003, declassifying the vintage. So what caused this inconsistent vintage? Poorly timed rain and October frosts — two of them actually. Rain, obviously, can dilute flavors and frost kills the canopy. Without the engine to drive the…

Continue Reading

WTN: Bedell Cellars 2005 Gallery (White Blend)

This week on Appellation America, I have recommended a white wine that I think captures the unique terroir of Long Island’s North Fork as well as any I’ve tasted. 2005 Bedell Gallery ($45), from Bedell Cellars is a complex, richly textured blend of 52% chardonnay, 32% sauvignon blanc and 16% viognier. This is a unique blend for the North Fork, or most anywhere else for that matter. Five separate lots of chardonnay were barrel fermented in French oak with primarily native yeast, and were blended with the viognier and sauvignon blanc. Pale straw yellow in the glass, the aromas immediately…

Continue Reading

A North Fork Gallery Worth Seeking Out

I consider myself fairly sophisticated and cultured, but a trip to an art gallery — and just an art gallery — isn’t necessarily my cup of tea (or glass of wine.) I need a fine meal either before the gallery or after (or maybe both) to entice me. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?        But, there’s a new Gallery on the North Fork that I’m willing to visit — and open — any time. In fact, I plan to several times over the course of the next few months.       Bedell…

Continue Reading

Long Island Wine Country: News & Notes (9/20/06)

* If you’ve driven by their tasting room on Main Road in Southold, you’ve probably noticed that Bedell Cellars is sporting a new logo. I always liked the old logo, but the new one is simple, clean and somewhat modern — and seems more in line with the design of their tasting room. * On October 1, Bedell will also release the latest member of its Artist’s Series family of wines — 2005 Gallery. The wine is a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier. The label was designed by artist Ross Bleckner and only 200 cases were made. Many…

Continue Reading

Les Howard: Building on Success at Jamesport Vineyards

Winemaker Les Howard’s 18-plus months at Jamesport Vineyards have been some of the craziest of his winemaking career. There was the stressful-but-successful 2005 harvest season that may prove to be one of Long Island’s finest. There’s how he’s developing his own style as head winemaker while maintaing the quality Jamesport is known for. And recently, he’s been able to enjoy impressive scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. "Things cannot be much better here at Jamesport," he wrote recently in an email. Howard, a Long Island native, "never thought of being a winemaker" when he first started at Pindar Vineyards over…

Continue Reading