So, the other day I went to Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue, on the North Fork on Long Island. Bedell Cellars has been one of my favorite wineries on the North Fork for many years. I must admit, I have an emotional connection. I bought two of Kip Bedell's old 1,500 gallon tanks for my own winery back in 2012. It was Rich who had facilitated that meeting. And I'd already been going to Bedell some time before that as just a novice - lucky for me.
It is the holidays, and of course, you're supposed to be visiting friends and family. And so, after visiting family, I made sure to drop by and visit a friend on the way home. I decided to stop and see Richard Olsen-Harbich at Bedell Cellars. Bedell has been pushing the forefront of what's happening in Long Island wine with their Corey Creek label under than smart, talented and imaginative hand of Marin Brennan. I have a massive wine geek crush on her, and I told Rich as soon as I got there that I wanted to try her Chardonnay rested on seashells. But that is a different post.
In the meantime, the winery was festive and beautifully appointed. And I was thrilled to be on the island. I had made my traditional stop at Main Road Biscuit Company befor pulling into the drive way of the famed wine producer.
Olsen-Harbich is no slouch either, but please don't tell him I said something nice about him if you see him. He is one of the most important East Coast winemakers there is. This last harvest was his 40th! He worked at two of the original wineries on the Island, Bridgehampton Winery and then Hargraves with Alex and Louisa Hargrave. He also helped create Raphael Winery before coming to Bedell (an historic spot in its own right, founded by Kip) more than a dozen years ago. He wrote the original North Fork AVA and helped to establish sustainable winegrowing standards which have become the default of many other wine regions around the country. Oh and he happens to make some incredible wine.
I recently featured Rich in my new book DRINK THE NORTH EAST.
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| Drink the Northeast |
After exchanging greetings and stories, we laughed, and then Rich got to work and pulled me into the wine cellar, into which I eagerly followed. Unknown to me, but expressly thrilled, I got to taste through all the fresh wines that had comes from the 2022 harvest. According to Rich, and others on the island and the east coast, the harvest was not the largest. but, some of the resulting fruit has produced an all time top five vintage for quality. Maybe even higher, wonders Harbich, who says this may in fact be the third best vintage, for quality, in his life time on the North Fork.
This was to be a barrel/tank tasting of the 2022 wines. We started off with a Bedell Albarino 2022. Alvarinho is the Portuguese pronunciation; Albariño is the Galician pronunciation. The nose was an exotic bomb of fresh cut apricot, white peach, and strong notes of lemon. This was a tremendous wine, so fresh and vibrant. Amazing.
The next wine was a Bedell Sauvignon Blanc 2022. Again, this aromatics were amazing. It screamed of passion fruit and elderflower, and it too had a wonderful, zippy, clean, refreshing finish. The longer I held the wine in my mouth, the juicier the flavors got. Long after the pucker of the wine gave way, the fruit flavor just lasted and lasted, becoming more intense.
Last of the white wines we tasted was the Bedell Verdejo 2022. Verdejo is a variety of wine grape that has long been grown in Spain. In the 1970s, Marqués de Riscal developed a fresher style of white wine based on Verdejo with the help of French oenologist Émile Peynaud. I must admit, I'm not sure who else grows Verdejo on the island or anywhere else from New Jersey and south. I know Keswick in Virginia makes one. so this is an extremely rare find. And a great one! This Verdejo is full bodied. Its a big wine, with complex flavors. Green melon, grapefruit and a savory minerality come through as promised. There's also a hint of nuttiness. And while it lacks the acidity of the two previous wines, it also incredibly well balanced. This is an exceptional wine, that could compliment chicken, fish, cheese, and even white meats like grilled pork chops. A wonderful, complex, impressive wine. Grown up stuff, but in the best way possible.
These three whites were fresh off the harvest (a few months?), and were already imminently drinkable right now. Amazing.
Then we moved onto the reds. The first was the Bedell Malbec 2022. This wine was sensational! This was all blueberries and cherries on the notes. Hints of dark cassis. Black berries. Dark cherry. But with a hint of yeastiness that gave the impression of eating dark berry jam on fresh bread. It was a singularly mazing tasting. This was classic Malbec. Jammy, impressive, lush, luxurious. Super impressive!
And for the last we tasted the Bedell Cellars Petite Verdot. "Bedell Cellars winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich made one of the first varietal petit verdots that I can remember in 2004 when he was the winemaker at nearby Raphael," wrote Lenn Thompson of Cork Report Media in Edible East End magazine. “We first planted petit verdot at Raphael in 1998,” he told Lenn in an email. “It was a component in our First Label Merlot wines but in 2004 I made my first standalone bottling. Over the last decade I’ve found petit verdot to be one of the best—if not the best—red wine of any vintage.”
Again, I am a huge Petit Verdot fan. If I had made wine in a warmer climate I would have made Malbec and Petit Verdot for the rest of my life. So you know my review is prejudiced. But there's noting to defend here. This was an outstanding wine. Purple and opaque, this wine started off with a big gobsmack of blueberries, cassis, blackberry, and stewed plums. There are hints of tobacco and mocha. This is a big, rich, gorgeous wine, that is already exhilarating, Some time in older oak, and then this wine will be a thing of beauty.
Rich Olsen-Harbich had shown me the future. And the future looks damn bright - for Bedell Cellars!
Link to Petit Verdot article in East End magazine: