Owner Of Bedell Cellars, 'Passionate Advocate of LI Wines,' Dies

NORTH FORK, NY — Hearts are broken on the North Fork at news that the beloved owner of Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue has died.

"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."

Lynne died on March 24 and was 77 years old.

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."