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Raphael 2016 Cabernet Franc is our Wine of the Week. (Credit: Lenn Thompson)

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with their friends, family and of course food! I took advantage of the long weekend to catch up on some wine tasting, including this week’s Wine of Week: Raphael 2016 Cabernet Franc ($22). 

Winemaker Anthony Nappa has a way with cabernet franc. He knows when to push the extraction and intensity, making reserve-level wines. He also knows when to take his foot off of the gas, use less (or no) new oak and go for a juicier, fresher style.

This wine is the latter, with a nose that smells like just-crushed red raspberries and blackberries with hints of sweet black licorice and a briny, sea air note.

Medium-light bodied, this is the kind of juicy, food-friendly red I like having on hand for a wide array of foods. Red raspberries dominate, but there are notes of earth, vanilla, dried herbs and black olive on the palate too. The acidity is fresh and well-integrated, combining with medium-intensity tannins to frame that melange of flavors nicely.

Don’t be fooled by the “New York State” on the front label either. This wine was made with 100 percent North Fork grapes. It’s available in the Peconic tasting room for $22.

Lenn Thompson has been writing about American wine — with a focus on New York — for nearly 15 years. After running newyorkcorkreport.com for 12 years, he launched thecorkreport.us in 2016 and The Cork Report Podcast soon after. He lives in Miller Place with his wife and two children.

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