Posts Tagged“richard olsen-harbich”

Bedell Cellars 2010 Cabernet Franc

Despite what casual observers or even some writers will tell you, a hot, dry growing season doesn’t automatically mean the best — or the most exciting — wines. When a local red wine captures the ripeness and intensity of such a vintage, but also retains its varietal character and regional distinctiveness — that’s when I really start to pay attention. Bedell Cellars 2010 Cabernet Franc ($35) is one such wine. Made without a splinter of new oak — and with ambient yeast — this wine offers an alluring, complex nose with layers of strawberry preserves, black cherries, blackberries, Chinese five…

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WTN: Raphael 2002 First Label Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Editor’s Note: Yes, I do still write for my blog. When Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Peconic’s Raphael, started his winemaking career, it was in the Finger Lakes region of central New York. As you all know, the Finger Lakes region is best suited —  and best known —  for its aromatic white wines, particularly riesling. Much of the time, the classic red varieties of Bordeaux struggle to ripen in central New York. Some wineries make wines like merlot and cabernet sauvignon anyway, but many of the better ones are made using fruit (or bulk wine) grown here on Long Island.…

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WTN: Raphael 2006 Grand Cru Chardonnay Reserve (North Fork)

When it comes to his white wines, Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker at Raphael, typically eschews oak to preserve the natural flavors of the grapes. Both his stainless steel chardonnay and sauvignon blanc are perennial favorites and are terrific spring and summer sippers. But, after a 2006 growing season that was cooler than 2005 and was marked by a lot of overcast days and higher-than-average levels of rain, Rich decided to make his first barrel-fermented chardonnay at Raphael. He didn’t make much though, only four new French barrels worth. All told, the wine spent five months in those barrels. He stirred the…

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How Will Global Warming and Climate Change Impact the Wine World?

By Special Wine Columnist, Richard Olsen-Harbich Will it be a brave new wine world? During the past year, discussions about the potential impact of “global warming” have dominated the mass media. Although the exact outcomes and causes are in dispute, few now doubt the existence of the phenomenon. What does it mean for the wine industry? As wine is all about long-term agriculture and entirely dependant on the weather, I’d say a great deal. The eventual consequences of climate change on the wine industry are unclear, as are the possible effects on the rest of the planet. The real question…

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It’s the Style, Stupid.

By Contributing Columnist Richard Olsen-Harbich Much has been written and debated lately about the style and direction of Long Island wines — most notoriously, a recent Op-Ed piece in the Long Island section of the NY Times implied that L.I. wine producers needed to spend more energy on experimentation and crafting out our own identity. I would argue that this is exactly what L.I. winemakers have been doing for the past 30-plus years. Most people take it for granted now, but back in the early 70s, the general consensus from Cornell University and many other “experts” on the East Coast…

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Author of Long Island’s AVAs @ Appellation America

This week at Appellation America, you’ll find my Q&A with Richard Olsen-Harbich, winemaker and managing director for Raphael. Rich has been working in the local wine industry for almost 30 years. The interview focuses on three main topics: Long Island’s three AVAs (he authored them), the differences between the two forks, and the varieties (and styles) he thinks do best on Long Island. You may recognize Rich from his contributions here at LENNDEVOURS as well, including: Human Terroir and Parenting Wines The Urban Legend of Sulfites The War on Terroir and Wines of Mass Vinification Read my Q&A over at…

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WTN: Raphael 2004 Malbec (North Fork of Long Island)

Don’t cry for me Argentina Long Island? Yes, there is malbec growing on Long Island — and probably more than you realize. Once a major component in the wines of Bordeaux, this large, fairly easy-to-ripen black grape is now best known in Argentina, where it is most often bottled alone, and as a bit player (along with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot) in in Meritage and other blended red wines in U.S., Australia and South Africa. So it only makes sense many of Long Island’s meritage-style reds feature small amounts of malbec — typicaly from 1 -…

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