Raphael Malbec 2004

Winemaker's Notes:

Wine Recommendation: Raphael 2004 Malbec Tasting Notes: This is second varietal bottling of Malbec of Raphael. Malbec is our earliest ripening red variety and is always harvested at least 2 weeks before the Merlot, showing great promise for our terroir. Traditionally used for blending in Bordeaux, it has more recently become the signature red wine of Argentina; in our area it has exhibited the strength and power to stand on its own. The 2004 vintage is a dense and rich with chewy tannin and exotic hints of dark black fruit, banana and cedar. Only 80 cases made. Vintage Notes: The 2004 vintage saw a return to normal growing conditions with average rainfall and temperatures. The summer was fairly dry but slightly cooler than normal, which allowed our Merlot to retain bright acidity and fresh aromatics. A delicate and elegant vintage, similar to the wines made in 2000. Technical Notes: Appellation: North Fork, Long Island Varietal: 95% Malbec, 5% Merlot Winemaker: Richard Olsen-Harbich Enologist: Paul Pontallier Aged: French oak 70% new 30% 2-3 years Harvest: 100% Hand Harvested on Oct. 4th 2004 Brix: 22.0 pH: 3.53 TA: 6.5 g/L Return to Raphael Vineyards Wine List

Region: USA » New York » Suffolk County » Long Island » North Fork of Long Island

Vintages

2004

+ Vintage

Winery: Raphael

Color: Red

Varietal: Malbec

+ My Wines

My Wines

Save in My Wines

Add to Wishlist

My Cellar

Save
List It
Add Review

Average Rating Rate It Add

Raphael:

The winemaking philosophy is based on an understanding of the cycle of nature, the climate and soil, the ripeness of the grapes and the success of time-honored techniques. Utilizing gravity flow and a natural winemaking philosophy, Raphael wines are produced sustainably, utilizing spontaneous fermentation with little fining and filtration resulting in wines that purely express our local terroir. Our goal is to produce ripe, fruit-driven wines that exhibit a marriage of depth, finesse, elegance, and balance – the flavors of the North Fork – provided first by the terroir and secondly, by the dedicated, impassioned attention of our own hands. The winery was designed by John Petrocelli who was inspired by the Italian monasteries of his ancestral home. Our production facility blends classic Mediterranean architecture with modern winemaking equipment. By building the winery 12 feet underground we are not only able to make our wines using a gentle gravity-flow method, but were able to construct a very energy efficient building using the earth’s natural 55F temperature to cool the winery in the summer and warm it in the winter. Read less

Do you love Raphael? Follow them to show your support. Why?

+ Follow winery

Member Reviews for Raphael Malbec

Add your review

LennThompson

133

12/10/2008

A deep violet-crimson in the glass, this wine has an intense nose of black currants and other black fruit, black tea and cedar. With time in the glass, these secondary aromas strengthen and evolve.Rich, concentrated black fruit flavor greets the palate and is accented by a definite black tea note and faint hints of cigar box. Medium, slightly chewy, tannins provide nice structure and the finish is medium long.

This was helpful! Comment