BEDELL CELLARS UNVEILS MUSÉE,
PREMIER RED WINE WITH LABEL ARTWORK BY CHUCK CLOSE
Cutchogue, NY, January 18, 2008 – Bedell Cellars, owned by Michael Lynne, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of New Line Cinema, announces the inaugural vintage of Musée, Bedell’s premier red wine. The 2005 Musée is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, all harvested from the winery’s estate-grown vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island. Musée joins the white blend Gallery as the signature wines from Bedell. To celebrate this new offering, Lynne, an avid patron of the arts, personally selected internationally renowned artist Chuck Close to create a work of art to adorn the label. A renowned painter and recipient of the 2000 National Medal of Arts, Close is particularly recognized for portraits of himself and other leading artists, which have redefined modern portraiture. He expresses his vision for Musée through a photo daguerreotype of grapes.
Michael Lynne and his impressive winemaking team at Bedell – Founding Winemaker Kip Bedell, Assistant Winemaker Kelly Urbanik and Consulting Enologist Pascal Marty – have been establishing a portfolio of specially crafted blended wines with labels bearing works of art by world-renowned contemporary artists such as Eric Fischl, Barbara Kruger, and Ross Bleckner. This exercise in creativity, artistry and talent has allowed the team to achieve a style that embraces each grape’s traditional characteristics within the company of other varietals. This process coaxes a unique personality from the blend to create a more significant and more highly defined wine. Musée reflects the particular terroir of the Bedell vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island and has benefited from meticulous vineyard management, hand harvesting and sorting, and a gravity-driven fermentation process, which are all elements designed to express the unique and complex characteristics of the grapes.
“Musée is part of Bedell’s ongoing commitment to creating world class wines and reflects the unparalleled talent of our winemaking team,” says Michael Lynne. “We are privileged to have an artist of Chuck Close’s caliber and significance to create a work of art that both literally and metaphorically illustrates the wine within the bottle.”
Mr. Close has been a leading figure in the contemporary art world since the 1970’s. Working from a gridded photograph, Close builds his larger than life images by constructing individual vivid cells which, when viewed from afar, achieve unity in a photo-realistic form. He was featured in the 1969 Whitney Biennial and was first exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 1973. He has been the subject of more than 400 exhibitions in over 20 countries, and currently lives in Bridgehampton, New York, just across the Peconic Bay from Bedell Cellars.
“I wanted to create an image for the Musée label that celebrates this outstanding wine,” states Chuck Close. “The portrait of grapes reflects the wine in its original and purest state.”
The label features a daguerreotype of grapes, which is one of the oldest forms of photography dating back to the early 19th Century. Close, who practices this time honored technique, created the Musée artwork by exposing the grape cluster directly onto a mirror-polished surface of silver which is developed using iodine vapor. The resulting daguerreotype is a negative image, but the mirrored surface of the silver plate reflects the image and makes it appear positive in the proper light. Thus, daguerreoptype is a direct photographic process without any capacity for duplication.
Inspired by Michael Lynne’s personal passions of fine wine and fine art, Bedell’s highly acclaimed Artist Series began in 2005. The Artist Series debuted with a limited edition magnum of 2001 Reserve Merlot featuring a watercolor by Eric Fischl of which only 455 were produced. Bedell subsequently released limited edition blends called Taste White and Taste Red, which featured a photograph by Barbara Kruger. Most recently, Bedell released its premium blended white wine, Gallery that features an oil painting, Falling Birds I, by Ross Bleckner.
Musée is a blend ofMerlot (78%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%), and Petit Verdot (5%). Only 400 cases have been produced. The wine will be available for $65.00 per bottle or in a hand-crafted wooden box that holds six for $400.00. Musée can be purchased through Bedell Cellars by calling (631) 734-7537 or online at www.bedellcellars.com
ABOUT BEDELL CELLARS
Bedell Cellars, purchased by Michael Lynne in 2000, is one of the pioneers of Long Island wine growing and a nationally recognized quality leader. The winery was founded by Kip and Susan Bedell on the North Fork of Long Island, New York in 1980, and released its first commercial vintage in 1985. Lynne, who is Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of New Line Cinema, also purchased Corey Creek Vineyards in 1999 and Wells Road Vineyard in 2001. These three properties comprise Bedell North Fork, LLC with a total of seventy-eight planted acres producing 10,000 cases annually. Award-winning Merlots including the 2005 Reserve Merlot (Best in Class at the 2007 New York Wine & Food Classic) and Bordeaux-style blends (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) are produced under the Bedell Cellars label. Under the Corey Creek label, the vineyard produces one of America’s finest Rosé wines as well as a coveted Gewürztraminer, which has won best Gewürztraminer in New York State for the past four consecutive years. Bedell Cellars has also been named one of the Top 10 Hottest Small Brands in America by Wine Business Monthly and winebusiness.com.
Visitors are welcomed to the vineyards and elegant tasting rooms at Bedell and Corey Creek, open year round. For more information, please log onto www.bedellcellars.com.
