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    A Rafanelli Winery

    4.4 (110 reviews)
    PriceyWineries
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

    By appointment only

    A Rafanelli Winery Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - A Rafanelli Winery

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    Dave giving us a tour

    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!

    Christine M.

    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!

    Does not get prettier
    J F.

    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.

    Entrance to their magnificent wine caves!
    Justin H.

    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!

    View of the vineyards
    K G.

    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.

    Suzanne W.

    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.

    Catherine L.

    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!

    Gretchen T.

    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!

    Wine dog at A. Rafanelli

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    3 years ago

    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.

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    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!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - A Rafanelli Winery

    Review Highlights - A Rafanelli Winery

    I have been served by Dave Rafanelli and later by his wine-making daughter, and both have been pleasant, gracious, knowledgeable, and attentive.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Marine Layer Wines

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    We were exploring downtown Healdsburg recently during the Christmas break. Since there were so…read moremany intriguing tasting rooms, we decided to check one out. We chose to drop in Marine Layer Wines. The tasting room is located in a very nice area in beautiful downtown Healdsburg across Healdsburg square. Parking is accessible all around the street and Healdsburg square. The modern decor was beautiful and bright. There were plenty of tables and couches to accommodate all different size parties. The vibe was inviting and family friendly. There was a cozy fireplace in the front as well. We ordered a glass of Lyra Pinot Noir and a glass of Aries Chardonnay. My Pinot Noir was smooth while the wifey's Chardonnay was crisp and refreshing. The wine was great quality. Overall we enjoyed our experience at Marine Layer Wines. The staff was nice and helpful. We appreciated the family friendly environment. It was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas, by relaxing with a nice glass of wine.

    We came to check out this tasting room after a friend's recommendation. The space is beautiful, and…read morethey offer two different types of tasting. We went for the Pinot flight (Sonoma coast Vineyard series) and really enjoyed the Bohemian and Whistler. Staff was great in explaining each pour and giving us space to just relax.

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    Front seating area with fire place
    Beautifully appointed tasting room
    Beautifully appointed tasting room
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    Booth in the tasting room.
    MacRostie Winery Estate House

    MacRostie Winery Estate House

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    Came here with a group of friends for my best friends birthday…read more The sommelier was very knowledgeable and inviting, she even brought all of us blankets as it was a little breezy. She also brought out a plate of locally crafted pastries for us to pair with our wine. The wine itself was very tasty and smooth, we bought a couple of bottles to share in Downtown Healdsburg afterwards so we could continue enjoying it. The winery itself is very beautiful and has a stunning view overlooking Dry Creek Valley. They had ambient live music with a tongue drum that added to the atmosphere. Looking forward to my next visit here!

    Pulling into their driveway, you get to see the rolling hills the property sits on surrounded by…read morevineyards. I made reservations for two adults and two young teenagers on a Tuesday morning and were the first guests to arrive that day. We were greeted with a welcome glass and were told they were setting up our table. That gave us enough time to do a couple of selfies and within minutes, we were escorted inside. Season Leef was our host/wine ambassador that morning and we loved her energy, attention to detail and how she treated us like we were members of the MacRostie Winery/family. She was more about understanding our palettes and pouring us what we gravitated towards to showcase the vast portfolio Heidi (winemaker) has been able to produce. Usually not a fan of Chardonnays but it was a neat experience tasting different variables and how each one is slightly different. We know we like Pinot Noirs so when we started diving into the reds, thats when we started figuring out what we liked. Ended up purchasing a bottle of their 2022 Nightwing Vineyard 828 Clone Pinot Noir :chefkiss: My two young teens are used to being at wineries with us so they're pretty good about keeping themselves occupied on their own (even with out devices). But, I really appreciated that Season brought over some paper and a pack of markers for them since they both still like to draw. Plus, we had a couple of good sessions of tic tac toe while we sipped and took our time. We had a great experience here thanks to Season! Seeing that they're dog friendly, we'll bring our 4 legged family member next time.

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    BACA Wines

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    My friend booked us a reservation here for my birthday! Coming from the Napa valley, we had never…read morebeen to Healdsburg before and we loved this quaint little town with so many local shops. The winery fit right in and we loved the small location with the view of the vineyards. We booked a reservation for the Root 101 Wine & Food Pairing Experience. I've had cheese and cracker experiences in wine tasting before, but this experience was a stand out with their perfectly curated arrangements of small bites that paired so well with the wines we were presented. Having the food pairing with the wines really felt like it brought out an elevated level of wine tasting because most wine is enjoyed with food when you take it home. The team really worked hard to make sure this tasting was unique and we found each bite to hold its own experience. I've been to Walt Wines in Napa but this location was worth the drive and the experience! Peter hosted us and was very knowledgeable about the wines and the food - having a passion for both. We were very grateful to be paired with Peter for our tasting, he made it a great experience! I would highly recommend taking advantage of the food pairing experience as it helps the wines stand out and just offers something different to a typical wine tasting.

    Apart of the Hall family wines, Baca is their branch in Healdsburg dedicated to Zinfandels. Upon…read morewalking in, a welcome pour is delivered of the newest label of Hall wines- Michael Foch Champagne (yes it's made in France and shipped here to be able to call it Champagne). Very sleek tasting room with minimal indoor seating and huge glass windows looking out at the vineyards. Lots of outdoor patio/vineyard seating which is where you want to be. Take in being wine country the right way. Choose a flight, sit back, and enjoy the wine + education. Brandon did such a great job with time management, good information- touching on key points and facts that i was able to remember. Although it was a good experience, Baca isn't my favorite wine out of the portfolio.

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    Summer Wine splash.
    Summer Wine splash.
    Champagne
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    Inside
    Furthermore Wines

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    We had an excellent evening at Furthermore Wines. We came for the live (complimentary) jazz on…read moreSaturdays and were both so pleased with this venue. The decor and ambience are classy and understated. Gabe was working the bar- so personable and also knowledgeable of their wines. We tried a few before settling on a bottle. Pinots are their specialty and we loved the ones we tasted. Will definitely come back for wine & Saturday night jazz.

    I came across an article that mentioned some of the top places to get amazing Pinot Noirs. I can't…read moreremember what the article was and I've been trying to locate it again, but of all the 5 places the article named, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a spot in Healdsburg made the list. Being a member at another place in the area, Healdsburg was a familiar place to me. I came across the article at the perfect time as my husband and I were making a day trip to pick up my shipment. We live in Sacramento to Healdsburg is only a two hour drive away. I was beyond happy to see that we're wasn't a wait when we arrived. They are tons of cute velvet couches in all different colors and the busking itself is very tall with huge ceiling and really amazing decorations. We received excellent service and I was blown away at how amazing their Pinot Noir selection was. Only $35 for 5 pours! I felt so relaxed and not at all rushed. Some live music was getting ready to start when we left and I was sad we couldn't stay for that but now I know for next time. This was such a beautiful wine and music lounge and i'm very excited to visit again.

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    Lounge and sip!
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    A Rafanelli Winery - wineries - Updated June 2026

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