Bedell Cellars

I decided to go to Bedell Cellars vineyard and winery, it is located 36225 Main road, Cutchogue in North Fork of Long Island. It is a pioneers of family owned since 1980, they have an extension of 80 acres are planted with different varieties. This vineyard produces handcrafted wines that define their unique wines from North Fork maritime terroir. They have six red grapes, which are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, Petit, Verdot for white grapes are Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignion Blanc, Albarino. This vineyard has been making wines for 36 years. In 2000, Bedell Cellars was sold to Michael Lynne successful Film Executive. Lynne is also esteemed contemporary art collector and trustee of New York Museum of Modern Art.

The employees were very friendly and welcoming, once we entered to the place they offered us the first glass of wine to start the tour. Our first stop was the area where they have oak barrels and stainless steel vats, the tour guide told us cooper oak barrels are large barrel which hold 55 gallons and offers more neural flavor with more fruit, when they fermented in stainless steel tanks is less contact with sediment and no oak flavor. He explained to us how they make the fermentation process, after the grapes harvest, they have a pressing machine where they get all the juice and let the juice to be fermented stainless steel tanks for 3 to 4 weeks in temperature up to 50 degrees. The juice is pumped from the bottom over the grapes skin twice a day, then is age in old barrels for at least 14 months once the process is completed, it goes directly to the bottle process, they use natural cork all labeling is done by machine from front and back and is ready for public consumption. Commercial yeast is not user in the fermentation process; they use 100% wild naturally occurring indigenous yeast. They fermented over 50 batches of wine each vintage is to highlight different aspects of their terroir.They practice the guidelines of the Long Island sustainable wine growing. The tour guide showed to us the vines, he explained to us that plants are given a little less water than needed so it competes to ripen the grape, which adds more complexity to the wine. They keep the over crop dense which prevents erosion and promotes the natural predators.

After the amazing tour, he brings us to taste room to taste their wines, he served three different kinds of cheese and crackers, honey, and dry fruits. It was quite nice to see the different celebrity artwork on their labels due to Michael Lynne’s passion for the art. We choose five wines to taste the first one was Chardonnay 2014, the color was clear with expressive fruit like green apple, citrus, with some honey medium body and creamy texture I love it. The second one was Sauvignon Blanc 2014 refreshing, citrus, with moderate alcohol acity. The third one was Cabernet Franc 2014 aged in older oak and stainless steel taste flowers very oaky. The four one was Malbec 2013 it is acidic, smells fruity dry cherries, and on the palette some vanilla dried fruit medium body I like it too. And the last one Musse 2013 this wine is blend 60% merlot and 30% cabernet sauvignion smells fruits, spice ,on the palette dry fruits with oak, very tannin.It was a great experience I really enjoyed and definitely like to come back, it was great to knew all the wine terminology and able to ask questions. Bedell Cellars harvest in October.I would like to visit again to see the grapes and the vines.

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Red wines are fermented in oak barrels and stainless steel

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The pressing machine to separate the juice from the skin

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the life cycle of the vine

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Front of the house with our tour guide

 

 

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