If you appreciate big Zins and Cabs do yourself a favor and reserve a tasting here. The tasting fee is most reasonable at $25 per person. A Rafanelli has been on my winery bucket since the first time I experienced one of their Cabs. This is a beautiful winery in the dry creek valley. If you are driving from Napa give yourself some extra time due to traffic on 29 and going through St Helena. We had a wonderful tasting, barrel room, and cave experience. Our consierge made sure we had ample time to sample and savor each tasting. We were the only ones at this tasting so we felt like A-listers! Of course their Zins and Cabs are unbelievably good but their Merlot offering was a big surprise. There Merlot opened up beautifully and we ended up with taking home a bottle plus others. There is a great story how this winery came to be and you can read about it on their website but there is more to the story so no spoiler here. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

Called to arrange for the purchase wine. It was a busy day with bottling going on. But the representative said she would come to the tasing house to help me with my purchase. The grounds are beautiful and the entire staff is friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this wine and this winery. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Tasting room - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

See all

Alec was our host and gave us a tour of the wine making process in the barrel room. He was very informative. The wines were exceptional and worth a visit if you are in the Dry creek area. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Visiting from Lodi, California - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

See all

We revisited Rafanelli after several years and had another wonderful experience. The staff is warm and welcoming, the wines are outstanding, and the family story is inspiring. The winery was founded by an Italian immigrant woman and is now run by her great-granddaughters--four generations later! Their father Dave, was generous with his time, giving us a tour of the wine cave and showing us where the family gathers for special dinners. Be sure to make a reservation in advance and join their wine club, the A List, it's worth it! read more

See all

My partner and I were in Healdsburg and wanted to check out a winery that was small and family-owned, had a beautiful view, was close to downtown Healdsburg, and had tasty reds. This checked all of our boxes! They have a form online where you can request a tasting but it's probably easier just to call them - they don't have an online booking platform from what I could see. They have simple tastings of three wines - Zin, Merlot, and Cab for $25 which is a steal in this area. It's super casual in their barrel room, and our host Gabby was so friendly and kind and gave us a little tour of the caves and let us walk around the pond as well. We were the only ones there when we went so had the place to ourselves. There was an also a cute big lab there that accompanied us on our walk. They have picnic areas and places to sit outside. It's a very laid-back, fourth generation Italian family run place with great, affordable wines. Spend an afternoon here and soak up the views with a friendly pup by your side! Thanks Gabby and good luck with the new job! read more

See all

Amazing. Great tasting again. We have been members for a while. Very old school and super friendly. Met Mr. R and he was so nice!!! Told us where to go to dinner and we did and they love him!!!! We were given the " treatment " sip one of his Zins as we speak. Quality and friendliness is their hallmark. We will be back. Like to stay in one of your houses. Keep it up. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Does not get prettier - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

See all

We made reservations to visit. Stacy did our tasting. She gave us a tour and explained the family history and their wine business. Such an interesting experience. The grounds are beautiful and we can't wait for the sun to shine to experience sitting outside to enjoy their wine. read more

Oh my...what a first-class tasting and family-owned estate vineyard with decadent reds...Zin, Merlot, and Cab Sauv. Best Cabernet I've ever tasted. One of the most picturesque places we visited in Sonoma county, it felt like Tuscany made an appearance in CA. First thing, we arrive to open the fancy gate with a secret code, glide into the estate feeling like VIPs, and Tom, the tasting host with graying scruff, makes us feel welcome with a reasonable pour and get's us acquainted with the tasting room + brief family history of the Rafanelli family. Next thing we know, in walks Dave Rafanelli, the patriarch and 3rd -gen winemaker ("A." was his grandfather, Alberto), greeted us warmly and gave us a private tour of their barrel rooms, fermenting area, and even his enormous and beautiful wine caves. We picked up 1/2 dozen bottles and he even signed and personalized a couple in gold sharpie. Seriously, we couldn't have felt any more welcome, enchanted, or ready to recommend now and return when we hit up Sonoma again. Thank you Dave and Tom for making us feel special and making us A. Rafanelli fans and promoters for life! read more

See all

I have been drinking this wine since my first trip to Sonoma. I asked my guide at Jordan for a good place to stop next, and he sent me here, the property is stunning. The wines are delicious, the family is so nice and they run great tastings in their barrel room. You drink right next to the wine. I always come back for a visit and order more. read more

A stunning until intimate vineyard set in the dry creek valley with some of the most gorgeous views we've ever seen. We had an appointment for wine tasting session here and wines were just amazing. We tried their, zin, merlot, and cab. My personal favorite was the 2019 cab though they're extremely well known for their Zins as well. We bought some at the winery. Definitely stop here if you're this side but get an appointment beforehand, as they don't do walk ins Special shout out to our fantastic hosts Karla and Greg who are so knowledgeable and made the visit even more memorable. read more

This was my first time visiting this winery. We enjoyed our wine tasting at this place, visiting with friends, and they have good red wine. We arrived a little early and they were more than willing to accomodate us. What I loved most about this place was the grounds because the views are gorgeous! If you are looking for a winery with a picturesque view, this one has some amazing views. They have a pond, picnic tables, a tree filled with hummingbird feeders where you can see hummingbirds up close, and a great view of the vineyards. If you go to this place, If you visit, make a reservation ahead of time. I would also recommend taking your time to walk around the grounds because they are amazing. Like others have mentioned, they are a small production winery so if you like something I would purchase it while you are at the tasting because it may be hard to find once you leave the winery. read more

See all

Manny was a wonderful host. The wine was awesome as always. We had a zin and a cab. Both fantastic. The veggie garden looks beautiful. I love the creative tomato trellis. We had our tasting when picking up our wines outside by the large stainless vats. It was 90 degrees outside but you wouldn't know it. The area was shaded and there was a wonderful breeze. We are so glad to be members here. read more

See all

Superb winery with superb wines! Always a great experience here and the patio is the place to be in the summer. Be sure to reserve early.

Outstanding wine! Heard about the A-list from a friend when they shared some Rafanelli wine one evening. Can't wait to visit the winery!

A very charming and intimate winery. Be sure to call at least a couple days prior to make an appointment. They do complimentary tastings for smaller groups of under 7. We arrived on a Saturday morning and was greeted by Mack, their lab. +1 already! We were quickly given a brief intro to their Zinfandel and got tastings of 3 total different wines. My favorite was the Merlot, although they have a couple others that are more reputable. We were also taken on a quick tour outside to see their vineyards. It's clear that they like to grow and harvest their grapes using more traditional and time consuming methods, which is partly why they have such a limited supply of wine each year that only gets sold to restaurants. They also walked us through the wine cave which provides a consistent, natural way to keep the wine at a specific temperature. Be sure to purchase a bottle or two before leaving because you can't find their wine commercially! read more

See all

Another wonderful visit to one of my favorite wineries in the region. Was helped this time by Tom, who was great, and we loved every wine we were served. The grounds are beautiful, and they've managed to keep the experience special and authentic. Highly recommend a visit, and expect to leave with at least a couple bottles! read more

Undoubtedly the finest wine in the Valley. Call ahead for hours and appt . Helpful staff and lovely to sit outside tasting room. Parking is not easy... read more

What's not to like? Old school feeling tasting room with no charge to taste, requires reservations and serves up some of the most delicious Zin in the region. My, my!!! The only thing I can see that would frustrate some is the requirement to make an appointment here in advance, which requires a little planning. It's worth it. The tasting room and parking lot are small and the vibe is completely old school, if not old-world. This is not a giant corporate feeling winery. Far from it. The female winemaker here is a third (fourth?) generation of this wine dynasty. The family history in the U.S. started auspiciously with an exodus from Tuscany when a great grandmother fled after being told that in no uncertain terms that women could not be involved in the winemaking process. She decided the New World would be a better place to pursue her winemaking passion. Italy's loss was Russian River's gain and now here we are several generations later, and particularly the last two generations have really been cranking out the good stuff. I mean, really good. Really, really good. We bought several bottles and then spent the rest of the day tasting wines that just were not this good nearby (and they were all good, just not THIS good!) We ended up coming back to buy up to our limit (6 bottles of Zin) because this terrific wine is very hard to get outside of the area, and is just delicious. read more

One of my top three favorite wineries in this region. Spectacular grounds and views and red wine you will want to drink now and later and did I mention now? Merlot, Zin, Cab--all knee-weakeningly good. It was also the only place we visited where they don't push their wine club on you. I don't even know if they have one. A few important notes: *By appointment only, and while we got lucky and got a day-of Sunday appt., I think that's rare so call the week before. It's worth it. *Be on time. I thought the tasting room guy might actually give us 50 lashes with grape vines or worse (sending us away) for being late. *Cash or check only. *Bottle limits. 1 or 2 bottles per person (not per couple or group though) on most wines. I was ready to pay off grape pickers to go in and buy us just a few more bottles, but I'm sure they are on to that trick. We'll just have to keep going back! read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

No trip to Healdsburg would be complete without a stop at A. Rafanelli. As usual we had a fantastic tasting experience and walked out with a case of half bottles of Zin (normally you can't buy the half bottles at the winery so this was a great score) And to top things off, Stacy gave me a bottle for free since we were visiting during my birthday weekend (which we promptly enjoyed in the hot tub that evening) Thanks to Stacy and everyone at Rafanelli for making my birthday weekend extra special! read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Wine dog at A. Rafanelli - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

Rafanelli is a family-run winery - though it seems obvious, this means that there are some limits on what they can accommodate in terms of traffic to the tasting room and production. Some of the reviewers mention they had a bad experience -- but it seems like their bad experience was due to their own discourtesy (ie, showing up with twice as many people as planned). Usually, there's one person in the tasting room - and she's also the same one answering the phone. I had the pleasure of talking to Stacey, one of the young daughters of the owner, who was very knowledgeable and friendly. She grew up around wine and she is lovely, smart and gracious. We were late for our appointment, so I called to advise and she asked me to try to arrive between her other two tastings which were scheduled 30 minutes apart. We arrived a bit early and enjoyed inspecting her father's garden (killer squash! great ideas for staking tomatoes!). The grounds are beautiful. The wines are also fantastic. My sweetie and I had some of the 2005 zinfadel at River's End in Jenner back in March and swore we'd have to find some for our selves. They were out of zin when I called for reservations in May, so this weekend we took the opportunity to pop in to taste the wines. The 2006 zin wasn't as good as we remembered the 2005 -- but we bought some to keep for a year to try next winter. I've never been a huge fan of Merlot but they have 10% cab which really improves the taste for me. The cab was also fantastic and I ended up buying 9 bottles of wine, half to keep in the back of my closet, er, cellar, for a few years. I'll definitely go back and plan to get on their mailing list. They limit their sales per person because they want to make sure someone doesn't just buy them out -- they don't sell retail. The limits change over the season and they try to stretch it out so that they can keep their tasting room open as much of the season as they can. Makes sense to me, I'll be back! read more

Bambie absolutely loves Rafanelli wines, I merely like them. We visit every year during the summertime Dry Creek Valley Passport weekend. We partake in the massively popular Rafanelli Italian food feast. It is the highlight of the Passport wine weekend. I usually blow $400 on Rafanelli wine (which gets me just 8 bottles !!!). The wines are good. Robust, rich flavored. These are food wines, not sipping wines. I think that Rafanelli wines are priced abot 100% higher than the quality merits. Thier $48 zinfandel is hardly any better than the Kunde that costs only $24. On 2nd thought let me re-phrase that; "The Kunde $24 century vine Zinfandel is a Better wine than the Rafanelli $48 Zin". Other reviewers lament that they can't get Rafanelli wine at their home wine shops. Rafanelli does not sell wine to stores. It can be found in very few local Italian restaurants and at the winery, that's it. No distribution. So if you like the wine during your Rafanelli visit, purhase as much as you'll need until your next visit, 'cause you ain't gonna find it anywhere else. read more

We came here for Rafanelli's 100th Year Celebration and boy was this event fun-filled and kept my wine glass "filled" too! ;) We actually took the SBBF's dad's invitation since he was away golfing that weekend. You gotta be an exclusive member on their mailing list to even get an invite. Talk about sexy VIP status baby! The SBBF is a big fan of Rafanelli wine and honestly he's opened a few bottles (Zin & Cab) for us before and I was never really obsessed with the flavor BUT...their Terrace Select wine is definitely to die for. I had to confirm it myself when I had a glass or two poured from the founder of this winery. They had this event catered with extremely delicious appetizers and mini entrees. The dessert station was one where we paid a few more visits than we should have. Can ya blame us? Those lil chocolate-truffle-pop-in-your-mouth-orgasm bites were the best!!! And made a great topping for the gelato. Food aside, we got to tour the winery and I really enjoyed walking through the "cave" where they actually have a hosted dining table for guests who make reservations for special dinners. Totally a cool factor! They had a really nice garden right outside where they had most of the food and their signature wines being poured. The band was also a very good one; played very cute and lively Italian songs. I would love to come back here for another event and/or wine tasting. I could seriously have a whole bottle of that Terrace Select to myself right now... read more

Loved this winery but we came at the end of the day and I don't think they were super excited to see us. Their Zin is fantastic. I definitely recommend making an appointment. It's a small operation but the people are so friendly and make great wines. Reds only! No tasting fee but doesn't matter because you'll definitely spend money here anyway! read more

Update 4/28/08. I was finally able to get a reservation the most recent time I went wine tasting at Dry Creek and finding there was a cancellation. Unfortunately, they were out of their yummy Zinfandel, but they had their Cabernet. I bought a couple of bottles since they were very good. I believe they were both around $45.00 each. A little pricey and I will have to decide later if it was really worth the price. Sadly, we didn't get much attention because another party who was very late for a previous appointment showed up a few minutes after we arrived. She practically ignored us after that other than to recommend another winery (for their Pinots) that I actually didn't like much. 2 star deduction for only having Cabernets to sample and getting almost no attention. -------------------------------------original review----------------------------------- I tried to get a reservation at A. Rafanelli recently, but they were out picking grapes and could not accomodate me. I spoke to someone (a woman) on the phone a couple of times and she was very helpful. For my girlfriend's birthday in August we went to One Market (was just OK), a restaurant in San Francisco, I ordered a bottle of A. Rafanelli Zinfandel (don't remember the vintage) and I LOVED it. So, when I wanted to go tasting in the Dry Creek area a few weeks ago, I tried to go here. I will try again because I loved the zin and want to try the cab. read more

Only two vintages available at this time with a 3 bottle limit (merlot, zinfandel)...a very good thing for the Raffaneli Family...They sell everything out quickly! Check out Mack the labrador as he will mooch your lunch away way as a good doggie should! Haha! Take a stroll around the beautiful garden and vineyard as truly majestic. Great wine varietals when available...super friendly and genuine family...tasting experience in the barrel room is superb. All around...A gem! read more

Small number of visitors; beautiful setting for a lunchtime picnic on the dam; Mac is a big, friendly lab; attentive service; excellent wine. We have been members for 15+ years. The feel of a small family owned winery never disappoints! read more

We were a party of 12 at our largest. Bob secured the 12:30PM Sunday tasting for us weeks prior. They said they would only take 6-8 people. We showed up with 12 anyway. BIG MISTAKE! The gentleman barrels out of the barn asking us who was in charge of our party. Bob sheepishly comes forward and said our group of 6-8 had swelled to 12. NO WAY! He exclaimed. I usually only take 6 and I will take 8 at the most. I was traveling with some high-powered and classy sales people (in their professional lives) and they could not sway the guy to let the entire party enter even if we swore not to taste the wine or buy any bottles. There is a 1 bottle limit per person on the Cab and a 2 bottle per person limit on both the Zin and Merlot. I guess they are afraid of selling out of wine and try to make it last by limiting tasting parties. We bought it and almost all of us walked out with our limits. My husband and I only bought 8 bottles all weekend (we hit 10 wineries) and we bought 3 of them here. The wine was that fabulous. We aren't even every day/week/month wine drinkers. We just couldn't pass these up. The surly greeting just added to the whole experience, in a good way. If you are planning a wine trip to the Healdsburg area, make the effort to secure an appointment at A. Rafanelli. You will enjoy the experience. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - Tasting barn with Bob, Donna, and Jerry - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

See all

This winery had a phenomenal reputation and it's easy to see why after tasting here. I love some of the larger wineries in the Dry Creek area, like Truett Hurst, which has lovely facilities and allows one to just drop in. I tried to visit this place a couple times before getting a reservation. It was likely because two of the four wines had sold out. A. Rafaneli is more about the wine than the ambiance. They only sell to members or people tasting there. There are no wine club member events like at Seghesio. Only a few people are allowed in per hour. When a vintage sells out, there are no new vintages waiting in the wings. The wine list only included four wines, two of which had sold out. We tasted the zinfindel ($45 a bottle) and the estate blend (merlot and Cabernet sauvignon blend $50 a bottle). Both were excellent. The estate blend was especially excellent with notes of anis, clove, plum, and peppercorn. It was poured with a piece of dark chocolate, which really enhanced the flavor. The zinfindel was also lovely, with strong berry and cinnamon flavors. It was a very intimate experience. I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. read more

A Rafanelli Winery - My first tasting: the zinfindel. The only bad thing was that I could only get a small taste. - Wineries Near Me - Healdsburg, California

See all

My husband and I love Rafanelli! The wine is always amazing, we have been going for over 15 years and it's one of our favorite vineyards. We've enjoyed many cases over the years. Dinners with friends and a bottle of Raf have always been the mark of a wonderful night. Every so often a friend would break out one of their older bottles at a dinner party with a huge smile and a few of us would have a little private tasting in the kitchen bonding over good times. We'd save the oldest bottles on top of our cabinets for some reason, just a funny tradition that took. We moved out of state for a few years, deplete our supply but managed to hold onto one. After moving back and getting over the "fun" of transition years, we opened a 2000 Terrace Select to celebrate a big milestone, we enjoyed every single drop. After we moved back we got back on the list and began to restock our little wine cellar. Yesterday we picked up the latest, ran into Dave who was off to deliver the main part of the field guys pig roast, enjoyed great conversations during the pour and wandered along the beautiful hillside. Without fail, every time we leave we both think about relocating up to this little slice of paradise and how to convince the Rafanelli's to adopt us. read more

This winery is such a gem. The grounds are gorgeous. The wines are spectacular. The family is hardworking and humble. You need a reservation, but this isn't a stuffy wine experience. You will be immediately handed a glass of wine and sent on a walk of the grounds. Rick was amazing, and so fun! read more

Where do I start, this wine speaks for itself. The winery grounds are awesome. It's a small family winery, The owners daughter is the winemaker, and her husband is the vineyard manager. They don't even have a fancy tasting room, you taste in the barn and I like it that way. And seriously their parking lot fits about 4 cars. Like I said small family winery. The wine every year is excellent. I don't know about the few reviews saying the family will not talk about the wine, Rashell (the wine maker) has always answered all my question. To the guy who said they should go wholesale LOL. They already sell EVERYTHING. There is a reason their "wine club" (they don't really have a club it's just a list of people that get early info on releases) doesn't get a discount, just their limit of what they can buy is higher. All in all if you have a chance to make an appointment and taste some wine here do it. You will never find this wine in a store, and rarely at a restaurant read more

If you don't call weeks in advance you are out of luck tasting at Rafanelli- but we lucked into tasting there when they were open to the public for Barrel Days and were really excited because we had heard so many fabulous things about their wine. To say that we were underwhelmed is an understatement. The wine itself isn't 2 stars, but the overall experience was. The staff wasn't overly warm and welcoming, but hey maybe after winning so many awards for so many years you don't have to try, right? If the wine spoke for itself, that would be true however I just never quite had the Cabernet speak to me $45 worth. The Zin (at $32) was not even close to the zins that you can find pretty much any where in the area to being a good value for your money. There was an estate wine for $115, but even the thought of that one makes my Marin mortgage go into a tail spin. On the overall, the place seemed fit for the pretentious crowd that buys wine for the label and bragging rights on how expensive it is rather than those that appreciate good wines for the quality and value. read more

This story started in maybe 1999 or 2000: After a week of trying, I was finally able to get an appointment for a tasting at A. Rafanelli. My boss had told me they were his favorite wine, and said I should not miss out if I was going to Dry Creek Valley. I called every day, sometimes multiple times, during the week we were in the area. There was no answer. I left a message the rare times an answering machine picked up, but never got a call back. Our hotel concierge and several people we asked in the area suggested this was par for the course. Finally, on the day we were to leave, I got through and got an appointment for a tasting. I am so glad I persisted. This was by far the best wine we had in a week of tasting. The Zin and the Cab Sav are to die for. We've since gone back several times, and buy as much wine as we are allowed. Yes, the experience can be a bit daunting, but it is so worth it. The very special, select friends to whom we've introduced the wine become instant, rabid fans. I hate to say this, but many of the people who have problems with the Rafanelli's would seem to be basically clueless. Case in point: On one of our visits several years ago, David Rafanelli was describing with great pride the care that goes into making their "Terrace Select" premium cabernet: How his vineyard manager picks the grapes personally, how David culls the bunches from the manager's selections with his own hands. Et cetera. He says, "This is a wine that should be put down for 10 years, maybe even 20." He explains that due to all the extra work, this bottle sells for $90, which at the time, was double or triple what their regular cab sold for. A woman in a group that was tasting at the same time as ours hears all this, and says, "If I buy a bottle, could we drink it tonight?" He answers, "Sure, if you're a complete IDIOT!" So, our group gets a good laugh, but her group is a bit upset, poor babies. I think this tale perfectly describes the self-selecting audience that makes up Rafanelli's fans. If you "get it," you get treated well, you get fantastic wine, you can even get a tour of the caves (though they will deny it angrily if you ask when you call). They don't suffer fools well at this winery, and, much like Seinfeld's soup nazi, if you don't play by the rules, then it's NO WINE FOR YOU! This is a place for people who truly love wine for its taste. It is not for people who like fancy tasting rooms, mansion-style wineries, chatty pourers, or who believe there is "glamour" about wine. It is not for people who read glossy wine magazines and can tell you the number of points their favorite cab is rated. If you like Fess Parker, Opus One, Beringer, etc., then simply stay away. If you like Regusci, Prager, Pezzi King, Trentadue and other small, more "rustic" wineries (and their wines), then A. Rafanelli may be for you. Or maybe, another way to think of it is: If you are the kind of person who would rather have a beer with Anthony Bourdain or Gordon Ramsey, than Rachel Ray or Alton Brown, then maybe you are the kind of person who will appreciate the off-kilter beauty of A. Rafanelli Winery. read more

I visited A Rafanelli winery in mid October. I was anticipating an unforgettable tasting experience. Unfortunately I got my hopes up way too high. I first tasted a 2005 cab from Rafanelli at a restaurant in Mendocino county. I instantly fell in love with that cab! Finally a couple years later I called and scheduled a tasting appointment for 5 people. As we arrived we were greeted by an extremely cute and friendly yellow lab. Unfortunately he was the friendliest of the staff. Once in the tasting room... we were poured our tasting by a lady whose name I can't recall because she just wasn't that memorable. She poured the wine and told us the name of each and didn't give any sort of explanation of the wine or opinion of it or suggestions on what flavors to look for in the wines. She simply walked away after each pour. The wines we tasted were definitely quality wines but nothing compared to the 2005 Cab that got me first interested in Rafanelli. Plus it was a little hard to fully appreciate the full experience of the wines when the owners seem more bothered by your presence than they are happy to share their creation. One wine was listed at the bottom of the list we were tasting from but only available for purchase and not tasting. It was a 2005 Cab that costs $110. I was extremely curious as to weather or not this would be similar to the first Rafanelli wine I originally fell in love with. I ended up buying the bottle that was not available for tasting and surprisingly the service became a little friendlier after that. We even were given a free bottle of olive oil. I'm guessing our group was not initially seen as serious wine enthusiasts when we first walked in and therefore received less than friendly service until we made an expensive purchase. If the forgettable lady serving us would have engaged in a little typical wine conversation with us, maybe she would have learned early on how much we truly love and appreciate wine and a nice wine tasting experience. If Rafanelli ever decides to sell their wine at stores, I wouldn't hesitate to buy some but I will never make the effort to return to their tasting room to taste or just to purchase. My hopes were up so high for this place and I was really let down. read more

Dave and his family do a great job of growing and making wines their way... the old way. Not the top hospitality or ambiance around, but a timeless location and wines produced are worthy of the price in my opinion. I'd drink a $45 A.Rafanelli over a $65 Larkmead from Napa, for example. Besides, the Rafanellis will let you taste their wine without milking you for $20 and then pressuring you to join a wine club. And they give you some of the BEST chocolates on earth to go with the wine... no kidding. Their is a good kind of quirkiness to the place, and that said it may not be for everyone. And Mrs Rafanelli is just fine if you don't question their direct distribution model and argue with her about it! That is what will get her going, and you deserve the blasting you get if you play rude. It is their business to run their way. Shut up and drink! read more

Love, love, love their red zins! A must stop every time I make a trip out to Napa. You'll need to make reservations for an appointment, but it's so worth the detour every time I go out there to restock on my favorite zin supply :) read more

3rd generation Italian family runs this one. It is small, and requires appointment only for tasting. Mr. Rafanelli is very pleasant, and knowledgeable on wines. Zinfandel is king in this Dry Creek Valley, and Rafanelli is no exception. Great complex wine, with berry aroma, and long lasting finish. I first had it at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco. Call to make an appointment in advance. Nice stop along the road. read more

We found out about A. Rafanelli after having one of their amazing Zinfandel's in a restaurant a few years ago. My wife and I gravitate towards smaller wineries and A. Rafanelli is an great example of why we do. It's a small, family-run winery that produces a small amount of fabulous wine. We recently got an appointment for a tasting and really enjoyed the experience. They really don't have a tasting room and so you get to taste wine amongst the barrels while learning all about their wine and how it's made. Keep in mind that tastings are by appointment only and it's a good idea to call at least several days in advance. read more

Wonderful. classic red wines. The Rafanelli Cab has been my benchmark for years. $45 may seem pricey but many Napa Cabs are well north of $50 for your run of the mill bottle. The Rafanelli is definitely a special wine with a huge mouth feel, solid tannins, and a long finish. Regarding the limit on bottle purchases, I asked for additional bottles and got them with no problem. If I were going to be anywhere in the vicinity, I 'd give them a call and try to get in. It's worth a little persistence. Nearby Mauritson Winery keeps getting better and better. Really tasty reds at fair prices. Try the Cemetery Zin. read more