Bedell Cellars

Bedell Cellars is one of Long Island's flagship producers — a Cutchogue estate famous for Merlot-led Bordeaux blends and gallery-quality labels.

Founded in 1980 by Kip Bedell and now stewarded by the Lynne family, Bedell built its reputation on Merlot — most notably the Musée flagship blend, poured at President Obama's 2013 inauguration. The 80-acre estate sits along Main Road in Cutchogue, with a renovated potato barn tasting room designed by Calvin Klein that rotates contemporary art on the walls each season. Longtime winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich (a Long Island fixture since the 1980s) leans on native yeasts, low-intervention farming and the maritime climate to coax structure from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a fine-boned Chardonnay. In the cellar What makes Bedell read as Bedell — and not as one more Bordeaux pastiche — is the restraint. Olsen-Harbich was one of the first winemakers in New York to commit fully to spontaneous (native-yeast) fermentation, and that decision shows up in the glass as a slightly savory, almost mushroom-and-tobacco undertone that holds the fruit in check. New oak is used sparingly: even the flagship Musée typically sees a measured share of new French barrels, with the rest in second- and third-fill to keep the wood out of the way. Reds are bottled unfined and lightly filtered, and the team has moved progressively toward cover-cropped, lower-intervention farming since the Lynnes took over. What I order in the tasting room For a first visit, I always start with the First Crush White — a stainless Sauvignon Blanc–led blend that resets the palate for the reds to come — then move into the Cabernet Franc, which is the bottle that best shows Bedell's herb-and-graphite house style without the wallet hit of the reserves. From there, if the Taste Red is open, drink it; if not, pivot straight to a Musée pour. I'll spend the rest of the flight asking which Petit Verdot lots went into the most recent blend, because Bedell's solo Petit Verdot bottlings (when they happen) are some of the densest reds made on the East End. If the cheese plate from Catapano Dairy is on the menu, order it — the goat tomme is built for the Merlot. Best time to visit My favorite Bedell window is mid-September through the first weekend of November. The crush pad is alive, the gallery rotation tends to land before Columbus Day, and the seated tastings move from the bright front room out toward the back porch, which catches the late-afternoon Cutchogue light. June and early July are the next-best slot — pre-Hamptons-spillover crowds, full Provence-rosé season, and tables are still reservable a few days out. Avoid August Saturdays after 1 p.m. unless you've booked at least two weeks ahead; the room is small and the parking lot fills. The signature bottle If you buy one bottle, make it Musée. It's a Merlot-led Bordeaux blend (typically Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in shifting proportions) from the oldest blocks on the estate, aged roughly 18 months in French oak and held back another year in bottle before release. In a strong vintage it drinks beautifully on release — plum, cocoa, cedar, a long savory finish — and rewards a decade in the cellar with secondary notes of leather and dried fig. I've been pulling Musée from my own cellar going back to the late '90s; the 2010, 2013 and 2017 are still drinking, and the 2019 is the one I'd buy by the case today. This is the bottle I hand visitors when I want them to understand why Long Island Merlot deserves to be taken seriously.

Musée, Taste Red, First Crush Rosé, Cabernet Franc

I've been pouring Bedell Musée at my own table since the late '90s — it's the bottle I hand visitors when I want them to understand why Long Island Merlot deserves to be taken seriously. Ask for a vertical pour if any older library vintages are open; they age beautifully past a decade.

History and ownership

Bedell Cellars began in 1980, when Kip and Susan Bedell planted their first vines on Main Road in Cutchogue and turned a parcel of North Fork farmland into one of the region's founding wine estates. Kip Bedell was a self-taught winemaker who had previously run a fuel-oil business, and he concentrated from the outset on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon — work that earned him the nickname "Mr. Merlot" and helped establish Cutchogue as serious red-wine country.

In 2000 the estate sold for $5 million, then a record for a Long Island winery, to an investment group led by Michael Lynne, the film executive and contemporary-art collector. Lynne spent two decades expanding and rebuilding the property; after his death in 2019 his wife, Ninah Lynne, took over as owner and runs the estate today.

The vineyard and how the wine is made

Bedell farms roughly 75 to 80 acres across three Cutchogue sites on a gently rolling glacial plain, where loam over sandy gravel drains quickly after the region's summer storms. Peconic Bay, Long Island Sound and the Atlantic together moderate the climate and give Cutchogue the longest, warmest growing season in the Northeast — the reason Bordeaux varieties ripen here at all. Plantings run well beyond Merlot to Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

The estate is certified by Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, an organisation it helped found in 2012, and works to a programme of roughly 200 farming practices aimed at reducing inputs in the vineyard. Winemaking has long been led by Rich Olsen-Harbich, who made his first Long Island vintage in 1983 and wrote the petition that created the North Fork of Long Island AVA, approved in 1986.

What a visit is like

Tastings happen in a mahogany-timbered pavilion looking out over the vines and gardens, with a loft under vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, and windows that open onto the barrel cellar below. The room doubles as a gallery: the owners' contemporary-art collection hangs alongside the original commissioned works that appear on Bedell's Artist Series labels, so the walls explain the bottles.

Alongside walk-in tastings at the bar, the estate runs a Tour & Taste experience — a reserved table for three hours with a dedicated pourer, a sparkling welcome, an hour-long cellar tour, an Estate Flight, and a cheese and charcuterie platter. Themed packages, including a pre-wedding option, a birthday package and a two-person reserved table, pair seating with bottles or cellar access for photographs.

The wines and the artist labels

The tasting list is built around curated flights: a Premium Flight of rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Main Road Red, and a Winemaker Flight of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and the Musée blend, with a Blanc de Blancs and a sparkling rosé alongside them. It is a useful way to taste the estate's two registers — the bright, coastal whites and the structured reds — side by side in one sitting.

The Artist Series is the estate's signature. Since the Lynne era began, Bedell has commissioned original work from contemporary artists including Chuck Close, Barbara Kruger, Eric Fischl, Ross Bleckner, April Gornik and Mickalene Thomas for limited bottlings; Gornik's "Clouds Over the Sea" was made specifically for the sparkling labels. Bedell's 2009 Merlot was poured at President Obama's 2013 inaugural luncheon, the first New York State wine served at a presidential inauguration.

Practical details before you go

The tasting room is open daily, 11am to 6pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday, with live music on Wednesday evenings from 4pm to 8pm. Reservations are not required for a standard tasting, and groups of up to fifteen are accommodated without notice; anything larger needs to be arranged in advance by email.

Outside food is not permitted, but a cheese and charcuterie menu is served on site. Bedell does not publish its current flight prices online, so confirm the figure when you arrive or by phone rather than relying on older numbers circulating on directory sites.

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Frequently asked questions

What are Bedell Cellars's tasting room hours?
Bedell Cellars's tasting room hours vary by season — typically Friday through Sunday during the off-season and daily in summer and harvest. Always check the winery's website before driving out, especially mid-week.
Do I need a reservation to taste at Bedell Cellars?
Reservations are strongly recommended at Bedell Cellars on weekends and during harvest season (September–November). Walk-ins are sometimes accepted on weekdays. Booking ahead also locks in your group size for seated tastings.
Where is Bedell Cellars located?
Bedell Cellars is in Cutchogue, NY, on the North Fork of Long Island. It's an easy stop on most North Fork or Hamptons wine-tasting day trips.
What wines is Bedell Cellars known for?
Bedell Cellars is known for musée, taste red, first crush rosé, cabernet franc. On the tasting menu, ask about their Musée, Taste Red, First Crush Rosé, and Cabernet Franc.
When was Bedell Cellars founded?
Bedell Cellars was founded in 1980, making it one of the more established producers on Long Island's North Fork.
How do I get to Bedell Cellars from NYC?
From Manhattan, Bedell Cellars is about a 2–2.5 hour drive via the LIE (I-495) to the North Fork, exiting toward Cutchogue. The LIRR reaches nearby Ronkonkoma and Greenport; from there you'll need a car, taxi, or a booked wine tour to reach the tasting room.
What's the best time of year to visit Bedell Cellars?
Late spring through fall is peak on the North Fork — May and June are quietest with the vines leafing out, July–August is busiest, and September–October harvest brings the best energy in the tasting room. Winter weekends are lower-key with shorter hours; always confirm before making the drive.