Bedell opens up his wine cellar

Last Friday, Bedell Cellars winemaker Kip Bedell held a special Library Wine Tasting for members of the vineyard’s wine club … and this lucky journalist. Around 30 people attended.

His object was to open nine wines from either the 1993, 1994 or 1995 vintages, talk about how they’ve held up over time all while offering some inside information on the blends and other tidbits on the modern alchemy that is winemaking.

Bedell started the evening with a little background on the winery, which first planted vines in 1980. It took a few years for the business to get a handle on growing climate, the varietals and the winemaking, he said.

Then, in 1988 Bedell enlisted the help of experts from France’s Bordeaux region - which is famous for growing the same kinds of grapes that shine on Long Island - for some advice on making better wines. To Bedell’s surprise, the group focused on the grape growing practices instead of blending and cellaring, and the next year, following their advice, Bedell started hedging and leaf-pulling the vines, techniques that expose the fruit to more sunlight.

Luckily, after years of practicing those techniques, came 1993, 1994 and 1995, three “spectacular vintages,” Bedell said, “Ones that put the Long Island wine industry on the map.”

Now, it was time to see if the night’s tasting would prove that wines from those years could definitely stand up to more than 14 years of aging in the bottle.

The first round featured three merlots, the 1993 Bedell Cellars Merlot ($35), 1993 Bedell Cellars Merlot Reserve ($45) and the 1994 Bedell Cellars Merlot Reserve ($35).

The ‘93 had a smoky nose with hints of sweet red fruit, was very dry on the palate with plum flavors that disappeared quickly behind hints of cedar and black licorice.

The ‘93 Reserve had much more depth. The nose was full of raisin - almost ruby port-like - cedar, earthy and black fruit. I could have smelled it all night. The palate had plenty of that black fruit with a little spice on the long finish.

The ‘94 Reserve didn’t have as much fruit on the nose, but it more than made up for it in the panoply of mint, tar, tobacco and earth aromas. The fruit fell off quickly on the palate, with the cedar taking over on the finish.

Bedell explained that the 1994 vintage was a more “feminine” vintage, which could explain why the fruit was a little less. Bedell, in answering one taster’s question, explained how a wine’s balance changes with age. When a wine is first made the fruit is up front while the flavors from the oak take a back seat. However, when a wine ages those flavors level off. The perfect balance of fruit and oak could describe a wine at its peak. However, as with the ’94s, having the oak shine through wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

For the next round Bedell turned to cabernet sauvignon grape, pouring the 1993 Bedell Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon ($30), 1994 Bedell Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) and the 1995 Bedell Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon ($55).

The ‘93 had a plummy nose, was rich on the palate with velvety dark plum and cedar flavors. Tasting blind, I would never have thought the wine was as old as it was.

The ‘94, like the ‘94 merlot in the first round, had a remarkable nose with smoke, earth, tar, spice and even a little bit of mushroom. The fruit was not as strong, but the finish was long and spice. Bedell said he thought that wine had hints of “cigar box” in the nose.

The ‘95 had plenty of black fruit, raisin, licorice and tobacco on the nose with plenty of black cherry and blackberry fruit on the palate. Amazingly, this wine could manage to sit for a few more years.

Before the last round, Bedell explained the challenges of growing on Long Island - a region where you have to count on rainfall at least once a month in the growing season. Fungus is the biggest problem, above insects and hungry critters like racoon and deer, which is why spraying the grapes with moisture repellents is so important.

Bedell also answered questions from tasters curious about the black grit that remained in their glasses. That sediment, he said, which is mostly tannins, falls out of a wine as it ages. That’s why you usually want to decant an older bottle.

The last round featured one more merlot and a couple of blends.

The 1995 Bedell Cellars Merlot Reserve ($60) was incredibly dark, with dried black fruit on the nose, a dense, lush mouthfeel with plenty of earth rounding out the thick fruit. Again, this wine could age a bit longer.

The 1994 Bedell Cellars Cupola, a blend of 60 percent cabernet sauvignon, 30 percent cabernet franc and 10 percent merlot, had another wonderfully smoky nose, soft with almost mossy hints, while the palate was full of bright cherry and tar. The fruit fell off pretty quick, but the cedar notes carried the finish.

Lastly came the 1995 Bedell Cellars Cupola, a blend of 65 percent cabernet sauvignon, 25 percent cabernet franc and 10 percent merlot. Bedell proudly proclaimed the wine scored 90 points from Wine Spectator magazine. It was really beautiful stuff, with more blackberries and plum on the nose with a long, juicy finish of raisin, red cherry and plum. The tannins on the finish again suggest the wine has a long life ahead of it.

To conclude the tasting, Bedell asked us to visit the tasting room’s upstairs terrace, where they’d arranged a spread of artisanal cheeses and glasses of the 2005 Musée, Bedell’s newest flagship wine ($75).

Honestly, after nine wines with either great fruit/oak balance or oak-leading flavors, the fruit-forward nature of the Musée was a bit shocking to the senses. The fruit was absolutely huge, toasted oak and vanilla hints the background to thick dried fruits and cocoa flavors.

I’d like to taste that in 15 years.