Raphael La Fontana Red Long Island Wine 750 mL

Rated 90 points Wine Advocate “The 2014 La Fontana is a blend of 42% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Franc, all aged for 22 months in French oak (25% new). It comes in at 13.7% alcohol. Long Island is sometimes criticized for price points, but there can’t be anything to argue about here. This is a bargain, a quality red from 2014 (so, it has some age on it). Sensually textured, elegant, fresh, juicy on the finish and very tasty, this is pretty delicious and a perfect food wine. It’s never fleshy and sweet, though. The mid-palate shows finesse too. Actually, if there’s a quibble, the tannins make it feel a bit compact. I do wonder whether the fairly serious tannic pop will eventually overwhelm the fruit. So far, so good. I’m leaning up today. It should continue aging well for several more years, at least.” Mark Squires

The winery tends to use the New York appellation for the entry-level wines. Sometimes (as with the Riesling) that may mean they contain fruit from the Finger Lakes, not just Long Island. The 2019s will all have a 20th Anniversary label, celebrating the winery’s 20th year. Congrats to one of Long Island’s fine wineries.