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About Bedell Cellars

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The recent purchases of Bedell Cellars, Corey Creek Vineyards and Wells Road Vineyards by Michael Lynne, Co-CEO of New Line Cinema signal the further transformation of Long Island's wine industry to professional producers of world-class wines. The Bedell Cellars group now includes three vineyards, two tasting rooms and one winery.

Bedell Cellars founder Kip Bedell continues as winemaker and oversees all operations. Bedell is consistently ranked the North Fork's premier producer of Merlot and one of the best in the United States. When Food & Wine singled out Long Island as one of America's "most dynamic new wine regions'" in November of 2000, Bedell Cellars was featured front and center.

The famous Four Seasons restaurant in New York City recently hosted a wine dinner solely featuring Long Island wines, including those of Bedell and Corey Creek. In 1976, a similar dinner was given by the restaurant for the California wine industry, and has been credited with helping to launch their success. Four Seasons restaurant owner Julian Niccolini said, "Long Island has come of age. We believe it has reached the level that California reached when we started featuring them. . . I was personally flabbergasted at how great they really are."

Since their first commercial vintage in 1985, Bedell Cellars has consistently won awards and high praise. Bedell's renowned standard of quality is maintained by consistency in viniculture & viticulture techniques combined with Kip Bedell's talent for optimizing variability in vintages. Kip's growing reputation as a winemaker begins with his red wines; his colleagues on the North Fork have even dubbed him "Mr. Merlot". Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America chose Bedell's 1995 Merlot as the benchmark merlot from Long Island. Howard Goldberg of the New York Times echoed the honor when he said, "Of the East End's established producers, only a handful have earned real brand recognition. . . The league leader is Bedell's Merlot, both regular and reserve, which sets the pace for the East End's signature grape and are a match for the top versions from anywhere."

Similarly, Bedell's white wines are making a name for themselves. Anthony Dias Blue, Wine & Spirits Editor of Bon Appetit, recently lauded the 2000 Bedell Reserve Chardonnay, calling it "balanced and fresh, with nice citrusy overtones." Peter Gianotti of Long Island Newsday remarked on its "exceptional fruit, vivid varietal character and hints of vanilla."

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