Bedell Cellars on Market For $17.9M After Beloved Owner's Death

CUTCHOGUE, NY — Bedell Cellars, a "pioneering winery" in Cutchogue, is on the market for $17.9 million following the death of owner Michael Lynne last month.

The 95-acre property in three separate locations, is listed with Gary DePersia of Corcoran and includes five different parcels of land and a residential property. The sale includes ownership of the Bedell and Corey Creek brands and operations, the listing said.

The estate is owned by the family of the late Michael Lynne who passed away March 24 at the age of 77. "Mr. Lynne was a film executive — e.g., 'Lord of the Rings' — but also a wine connoisseur who first bought into the North Fork business in 1999," Corcoran said.

"Dedicated to quality and creativity in everything they do, with a deep commitment to sustainable farming, Bedell has hand-crafted their wines in small batches for 35 years using methods that define the regional style — artistically blending grapes grown in the area’s unique maritime terroir," the listing said. "Every bottle of wine is produced from grapes grown on one of the Bedell properties. With a true vertical operation, their estate grown wines have achieved critical acclaim and awards."

The winery, located about 90 miles east of Manhattan, has a total of 75 acres of planted vines offering 10 different varieties of grapes. Numerous facilities dot the vineyard including an historic, fully renovated four-bedroom cottage, the main 10,000 square-foot winery which houses the tasting room, wine lab, barrel room, fermentation cellar, bottling line and offices, plus an additional 4,000 sq. ft. annex which is the events pavilion, an agricultural barn for machines and case storage as well as another tasting room and events building on one of the separate locations known as Corey Creek, the listing said.

Bedell receives over 100,000 visitors each year for wine tastings and events including 25 weddings each summer with up to 200+ people, Corcoran said. "With a dedicated 2,000 member wine club and distribution to more than 12 states and over 250 restaurants in Manhattan, Long Island and the Hamptons, Bedell Cellars offers acreage, facilities, pedigree and versatility that seldom presents itself for sale," the listing said.

Hearts were broken on the North Fork at news that Lynne, the beloved owner of Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue died in March.

"With profound sadness, we announce the death of our beloved owner, Michael Lynne," wrote Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Bedell, on social media. "There was no greater or more passionate advocate of Long Island wines. His unwavering commitment to quality winemaking was the driving force behind our success for the past 19 years. We will now carry the torch for him in all that we do at Bedell Cellars. It has been an privilege to work for Michael Lynne and we will continue to honor his memory with every wine we make."

(Bedell Cellars)

According to the Bedell Cellars website, Lynne had "a lifelong passion for wine, food, theater, film and art."

Graduating from Columbia Law School in 1964 he founded an entertainment law firm, and in 1990 began a 28-year association with New Line Cinema – producing and distributing films such as "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy," "Austin Powers", "Magnolia", "Hairspray", "Sex and the City", and "Nightmare on Elm Street," his bio said. During his "tenure as CEO, New Line became the most successful independent film company in the world. Michael is now Principal of Unique Features, a film production company he founded. He is an esteemed contemporary art collector and Trustee of New York's Museum of Modern Art," the bio continued.

Trent Prezler, PhD, CEO of Bedell Cellars, reflected on a man who meant so much in an email to Patch: "I'll be forever grateful to Michael for hiring me out of grad school and entrusting me to run his business and carry out his vision for making quality wines," he said. "I've worked for him since 2003 and was promoted to CEO in 2010. After my own father died from cancer in 2014, Michael became kind of a surrogate father figure to me. He was always a 100 percent supportive. I've never met a more noble or erudite man. I will miss him terribly."

A post in Wine Spectator noted that when Lynne bought Bedell for $5 million in 2000, it was the highest price ever paid for a winery on the North Fork, still a young wine region, at the time. He has been credited for helping to elevate the profile of the region, the post said.

"He was one of New York's greatest champions in terms of quality wine production," Olsen-Harbich told Wine Spectator. "He could've set up shop and made wine any place he wanted to, but he really loved eastern Long Island. He was a Brooklyn guy, and he saw in the region what a lot of us have seen and still see."