Over the Barrel... with Lenn Thompson

Bedell Cellars Ups the Ante

Long Island wineries will never compete in the world wine market in the $8 to $12 price range. Large wineries in hot climates in Spain, Italy and Australia will always be able to ripen many more grapes per acre and make the wine cheaper than local producers can ever hope to. Land is a whole lot cheaper-and more plentiful-in those countries, too. Have you looked at real estate on the East End lately? Even with the market's recent dip, prices are prohibitive to many.

Photo by Lenn Thompson

No, Long Island's oenological future resides within a higher price range, say $25 to $45 per bottle......maybe even higher. These wines may be expensive for the average consumer who is used to spending $7.99 on a bottle of ubiquitous Aussie shiraz with a marsupial on the label, but they are much more affordable than wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and California that can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars per bottle.

And the good news is that many of Long Island's best wines fall into this price range. These are the real values in local wines-for those smart enough to remember that there are values to be had at every price point. Value doesn't mean cheap.

Bedell Cellars, and its sister label Corey Creek Vineyards, have released new wines that fall in this range.

Two whites from the Corey Creek label, the Corey Creek Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay ($25) and the Corey Creek Vineyards 2006 Reserve Chardonnay ($40) are well made. Both feature exceptional mouthfeel and texture.

Bedell's second release of its flagship white wine-Bedell Cellars' 2006 Gallery ($48)-is far more successful. This blend of chardonnay, viognier and sauvignon blanc smells of ripe peach and apricots with vanilla, faint toasted oak, spice and flowers. It's extremely flavorful, filling the mouth with spiced apricot and peach flavors, lemon zest, tropical hints, vanilla and sweet oak. It's velvety as it coats the palate but still lively with terrific balancing acidity and a lingering, slightly minerally finish.

Bedell's newest red wine-replacing the long-lived Cupola label-is also its most luxurious. Bedell's 2005 Musee ($65), Bedell's new flagship red, is a rich, alluring blend of merlot (78 percent), cabernet sauvignon (17 percent) and petit verdot (5 percent) that balances the power and potential of the 2005 growing season with elegance and emerging nuance. Right out of the bottle, the wine's youth is strongly evident with primary aromas and flavors of blackberry and vanilla dominating. But with some time in the glass, secondary and tertiary flavors emerge, resulting in a complex, layered wine with dark berry and plum fruit character as well as cocoa bean, espresso, spice and herbs. At $65, it might seem too little for too much, but some have compared it to a similarly priced Bordeaux, and I think it's reminiscent of the similarly priced silky red blends of Washington State at this stage of its development.

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