A. Rafanelli (3.63)



Open By appointment only

Appt required? Yes

Last barlinwine.com visit: 2009

Directions:
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Tasting:
After driving up a steep, rose-lined driveway to the A. Rafanelli tasting room, we were greeted at the tasting room door (the entrance to their barrel room) by two yellow labs. This was a solid start to the tasting experience!

Things didn't improve much from there, however. While we had an appointment (at a time requested by the winery), there were four people already in the tasting room, and they dominated the attention of Shelly Rafanelli. A. Rafanelli tastes 3 wines: a Zinfandel, a Merlot, and a Cabernet. Complimentary chocolate is available as well to pair with the Merlot and Cab.

Perhaps it was a scheduling mishap (although two more groups of 2 arrived while we were still there), but I felt like there were too many people in the tasting room and that we were an afterthought for the majority of the time we were there. Isn't the point of appointments to avoid this sort of scenario? Little things as well turned me off: wines too young to be released, an upcharge of $1-$3 if you pay by debit/credit, their failure to set up my appointment until the day of the visit (I had called a week prior)...overall, I had high hopes for this stop, and I left feeling disappointed.

Recommended wine: It's too soon to tell! I bought a bottle of Zinfandel based on reputation. The wine is not ready yet -- Shelly even said at the time of purchase to wait until at least December (it was purchased at the end of June) -- but I think it will be quite good eventually. The Merlot and Cabernet were decent, but nothing special.

Ratings (out of 5):


WINE
3.75
TASTING ROOM
3.75

ATMOSPHERE
3.00
VALUE
4.00

OVERALL
3.63

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