Dan's Papers - June 27, 2008 - Over the Barrel... with Lenn Thompson

Raphael Winery, founded in 1996 in Peconic, is one of the East Coast's most aesthetically impressive producers. Located on sixty gently sloping acres in Peconic, the tasting room is one of the region's most majestic and beautiful, overflowing with Mediterranean style and offering spectacular views of the vineyard. Raphael has even been featured on television shows like "The Apprentice" and "Uncorked With Billy Merritt." Understandably Raphael's beautiful grounds are also a popular spot for weddings and other functions.

But, it's way too easy to get caught up in the beauty of the room and forget just how good the wines are. In fact, some recent blog coverage erroneously - and ignorantly - suggested that Raphael is only about the window dressing and not the wines. It's simply not true. Behind this aesthetic splendor, winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich's wines are always good, and often much better than that. In fact, in a region where prices have risen significantly, many of Raphael's wines still represent good values. The focus at Raphael is merlot. It makes up most of their vineyard and most of the other vines are other Bordeaux varieties - cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, Malbec and petit Verdot. Of the current red releases, several are worth exploring. The winery's flagship wine, Raphael 2002 First Label Merlot ($30) is a dark, almost inky purple and extremely aromatic with blackberry and blueberry fruit aromas accented by leather and minty notes.

The full-bodied, well-structured palate offers similar flavors along with a lengthy, minerally-graphite finish. The tannins are ripe, but plenty apparent, bringing grip and pointing to terrific aging potential. I'd take this wine over any other $30 Long Island merlot. Of the other available reds, Olsen-Harbich's Raphael 2005 Estate Merlot ($17) is a nice entry-level merlot - at a fair price - from a terrific vintage. It's a great everyday wine for a variety of foods. His Raphael 2004 La Fontana ($22) - a blend of 70% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 10% Malbec is a soft, plummy, somewhat juicy red that is extremely approachable.

But, to think that Raphael is a "red house" is to ignore Olsen-Harbich's talents with white varieties. After all, he learned winemaking working with Hermann Wiemer, a Finger Lakes pioneer known for his lively, aromatic white wines. The Raphael 2007 Grand Cru Chardonnay ($17) shows what Olsen-Harbich thinks is the "future of Long Island chardonnay." Made completely in stainless steel - meaning without oak barrels - and fermented at cold temperatures to retain the fruit's aromas, this summer-styled white offers clean pear, lemon zest and faint mineral aromas. Those minerals come through intensely on the medium-light palate, along with light apple and pear flavors. The finish lingers longer than expected with more of that seafood-friendly minerality. I enjoyed the Rapahel 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($23) even more. The nose offers classic sauvignon blanc aromas - bright grapefruit, lemon, kiwi and lemongrass scents. The palate, which is on the full side of medium bodied, is zesty and refreshing with loads of grapefuit, kiwi and mineral flavors and lively acidity. The finish is a little light and short, but this wine still serves as proof that sauvignon blanc is the white wine future of Long Island. Visit www.raphaelwine.com to learn more or to order any of these wines.