Last year, Bedell Cellars added a new premium white wine to it's portfolio, named Gallery. I really enjoyed it and I actually just polished off my last bottle a few months ago. They didn't make much of it, so once my last bottle was no more, I wasn't able to get my hands on another bottle or two.
Luckily, Bedell has recently released the second edition of its flagship white with Bedell Cellars’ 2006 Gallery ($48). And even if I like this one a little less, it is far more successful that the two chardonnays I reviewed earlier this week, if still pricey and with a touch more oak than the 2005.
It is a blend of chardonnay, viognier and sauvignon blanc and the nose is expressive with super-ripe peach and apricots up front with vanilla, faint toasted oak, baking spice and fresh flowers layered behind.
Extremely flavorful and well textured, it fills the mouth with spiced apricot and peach pie flavors, lemon zest, hints of mango, vanilla and sweet oak. There is terrific balancing acidity here that should give this some longevity and a lingering, slightly minerally finish stands out.
At $48, it's not a cheap wine to be sure, but these sorts of blends can be very successful with Long Island fruit. The success of Channing Daughters Winery is further evidence of that.
Producer: Bedell Cellars
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $48
Rating: 
(3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)
Another hugely priced white wine. What is going on at Bedell/Corey Creek?
By the way, of the current Bedell offerings listed on the website, do you know what the average bottle price is?
$43.00
(since the Artist Series bottle only come in a magnum for $200, I used $100 in the calculation)
If you drop out their brand new "First Crush" label ($18 each for the red or white), that average jumps up over $50.
I used to have a basement stocked with dozens of bottels of Bedell wines, but those days will soon be passing me by.
Posted by: Foley | March 28, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Clearly they are trying to market (and price) themselves as a luxury brand. Time will tell how the market responds, really.
The 2001 Reserve Merlot was only 30 in the standard bottle if I remember correctly...
They definitely do not make it easy for the average consumer to stock up on their wines.
Posted by: Lenn | March 28, 2008 at 12:54 PM