Chardonnay is the most-planted white grape on Long Island, covering around 30% of local vineyard land. That's a lot of chardonnay, relative to the white grape that I think holds the most potential for the region, sauvignon blanc, which covers far less than 5%. That's also a lot of mediocre chardonnay. A lot of chardonnay that (usually) isn't going to do much more than fill the white wine columns on tasting room sheets. Don't get wrong, there are some outstanding, well-made Long Island chardonnays — made both with and without barrels — but Long Island is never going to be…
Posts Tagged“bedell cellars”
Bedell Cellars 2006 Reserve Merlot
2006 was a relatively cool year on the North Fork, but the vineyard management and winemaking teams at Bedell Cellars were able to coax impressive amounts of ripeness out of the grapes that went into Bedell Cellars 2006 Reserve Merlot ($48). The nose offers intense red cherry and plum aromas with quite a bit of toasty oak and vanilla. After a few hours of air time, light hints of spring herbs emerge, but are still dominated by red fruit and oak. Medium bodied and mouth filling in the flavor department, the palate shows red raspberry and red cherry candy flavors,…
Bedell Cellars Library Tasting on December 19
On Friday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m., Bedell Cellars and founding winemaker Kip Bedell will library tasting featuring reds from the mid-1990s. The tasting will include nine red wines from the 1993, 1994 and 1995 vintages, including cabernet sauvignon, reserve merlot and Cupola (red blends) bottlings. The evening will open with sparkling wine, feature commentary by Kip Bedell, and continue for approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are by reservation only, and will be limited to 30 seats. Wine club members (and their spouses) are admitted free of charge. The public is welcome for $25 each. The wines tasted will be available…
New Video from Bedell Cellars
Bedell Cellars has produced a new video and they’ve actually been smart enough to post it on YouTube. Long Island wines have been slow to embrace new and social media…but there are baby steps being made.
Bedell Cellars 2005 Musée Launch Party Report
By Sasha Smith, New York City Correspondent If you’re going to name your prestige wine Musée and put a Chuck Close daguerreotype on the label, where better to launch it at The Modern? Last night Bedell Cellars hosted a party to officially introduce their newest, top-of-the-line cuvée. A blend of 78% merlot, 17% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% petit verdot from the Wells Road and Bedell Estate vineyards, the wine is aged for 15 months French oak, half of it new. Soft and supple with well-integrated oak and notes of plum and cocoa, the wine is incredibly easy to drink. (The…
Fresh-Pressed: John Levenberg Out as Winemaker at Bedell Cellars
I have emails in to my contacts at Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards, but the latest rumor on the North Fork is that John Levenberg has been fired from his winemaking duties there. His name (thought not his picture) have been removed from the website, so I’m inclined to think that this one is true. This is a surprising development given his resume and the recent success he’s had at Bedell, but it takes more than good wine to keep your job, right? For the short term, it would seem that Bedell will move forward with assistant winemaker, Kelly Urbanik, consultant Pascal…
Bedell Cellars Set to Release New Red Blend, Musee
Remember Bedell Cellars’ Cupola, their flagship red blend? Well, they haven’t made it recently, apparently deciding to discontinue the product line. Instead, they’ve released a new high-end blend with their 2005 Musée, price at $65, making iti their most expensive wine (and $15 more than the last Cupola if I remember right). Joining wines like their Gallery, TASTE Red and TASTE White, Musée’s front label features artwork by a renowned artist. This time, Chuck Close a well-known painter and recipient of the 2000 National Medal of Arts, has contributed the beautiful label, a photo daguerreotype of grapes. Musée is a…
LENNDEVOURS Q&A: Kelly Urbanik, Assistant Winemaker, Bedell Cellars
On Long Island, as in most wine regions, the ‘stars’ are the winemakers, but you rarely hear much about the assistant winemakers and other cellar rats who work hard to produce the wines we enjoy so much. With that in mind, I decided to get in touch with Kelly Urbanik, assistant winemaker at Bedell Cellars and ask her our usually batch of questions. What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? The first wines I remember drinking were the home wines that my Dad and Grandpa made together. My grandpa had a small vineyard, and our…
WTN: Bedell Cellars 2005 Reserve Merlot (North Fork of Long Islandd)
Long Island’s 2005 vintage was one for the record books-on a couple fronts. There was the rain. Some vineyard locations received 17 inches of rain an eight-day period-an eight-day period that happened to coincide with with the grape harvest. Most of the white grapes has come in already, but most reds had not. And there were the near-drought conditions before the rain (less than two inches over three months). Those conditions led to smaller-than-usual fruit and some of the most intense fruit ripness in Long Island’s short wine-producing history. Those 17 inches of rain wreaked havoc and several vineyards sustained…
July 30: Winemaker Dinner With John Levenberg, Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards
On July 30th at 6 p.m., Mora’s Fine Wine and Spirts will host a winemaker’s dinner with John Levenberg, winemaker at Bedell Cellars and Corey Creek Vineyards at Bliss restaurant in East Setauket. I’ve met John on a few occasions and he is a young, energetic winemaker with great, diverse experience. He’s also a lot of fun and I’m sure this dinner will be as well. The menu is: Bay Scallop Risotto Bedell Cellars “Main Road White” NV Watermelon and Feta SaladCorey Creek Vineyards 2006 "Domaine CC" Rose Roasted Breast of Long Island Duck with White Bean Ragout and Cabernet…