Business & Tech

Bedell Cellars 2008 Taste Red: Not Your Average LI Blend

Large percentage of expressive syrah grape adds depth, spice to this medium-bodied red.

Syrah's not exactly the red grape that comes to mind when talking about local reds. But if we have a few more hot vintages like 2010, and the vines dig in a bit more in the North Fork soil, who knows? For example, here's proof of how syrah is adding new flavors to Long Island wine.

The wine: 2008 Taste red, a deep, almost rusty garnet-colored wine made up of 34 percent syrah, 22 percent merlot, 22 percent cabernet franc and 22 percent petit verdot.

Aromas (Nose): Fruity scents of dried cherry and black plum skin blend with salty notes reminiscent of cured meats like prosciutto followed by herbal aromas of fresh thyme. It's complex, but balanced.

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Taste (Palate): Wine shows flavors of red cherry, dried red currant, black plum and green herbs. Oak is throughout, but the flavor is closer to a lithe, green, fresh-cut oak taste than the dry, cedar flavor many LI wines show. Mineral flavors of flint, slate and white pepper jump out on the long finish, with hints of leather emerging at the end. Plenty of tannins here. Expect the wine to soften and more cedar notes to emerge with age.

Food pairing: Grilled lamb rubbed with garlic and rosemary oil.

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Release date: September 2010

Price: $35 at the tasting room.

Interested in submitting samples for review? E-mail henry@patch.com.


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