United States of Wine

Bedell Cellars – North Fork, Long Island – Cabernet Franc – 2022

Purchased: Flatiron Wines & Spirits, New York, NY

Price: $24.99

We had earlier tasted a Riesling from the Finger Lakes of New York, but I was on the search for a red wine from a different park of the state. This is how we found ourselves wandering through New York City, looking for a wine shop that not only sold a New York red not from the Finger Lakes, but where the wine was also made in that part of New York. Far too many times, we found a red wine made from grapes shipped in from other states. We wanted a New York wine made with New York grapes. A true New York state of mind, I suppose.

Flatiron Wines & Spirits on Broadway had just what we were looking for: a 2022 Bedell Cellars Cabernet Franc.

This medium-bodied Cabernet Franc instantly smelled of red cherries and other red fruit. There was a slight oak scent, all key in a lighter red wine. Though within a few minutes of opening, when we did an initial tasting, when I put the glass to my nose, there was an unmistakable scent of new plastic. It made me think of a new pool toy, the kind you blow into to float. This was the first time I’ve had a pool floatie wine.

This Bedell Cab Franc has a beautiful vibrant rustic-red color. The more light exposed to the glass, the far more vibrant it appeared. But when the glass wasn’t held against bright light, the wine appeared very dark. I found that really interesting when I found the big difference.

Now for the first taste. This came after the bottle was opened just 10-15 minutes. It had a mix of grapes and machinery on your tongue. I wonder if this wine is finished in a tank or something metal that could’ve given it the industrial finish.

The wine was tangy, with berries. But I noticed a saltiness to the wine that I haven’t experienced with wine before. When we tried it with a combination of meats and cheeses, the wine was softer, less tangy, and less salty. I recognized that the saltiness of the meats and cheeses could be overpowering the saltiness I had tasted in the wine.

After a glass, we aerated the rest of the wine to make it a more lively experience. With more air and time, the wine definitely smelled less like pool floaties, and also let go of it’s machine-like taste. Grapes were definitely the more intense taste, along with plums and red fruit.

With aeration, the wine was velvety and less tangy, but still salty. And it was more salty when you weren’t eating food with it. It reminded of trying to drink wine while sitting on the beach on a windy day, with a sense of salt and sand in each sip. I had to stop at two glasses because while I love wine and I love sitting a beach, I don’t want the beach in my wine.

Score: 7/10