Tom Garland

9.0

Decant for sediment(minimal sediment)and pour. A majestic still dark magenta with some bricking. On the nose: beautiful notes of dark fruit, pencil shavings, menthol, potting soil, floral, grilled meat. Taste: silky wine with blackberry/dark cherry, black tea, cinnamon, minerals, licorice, graphite and a dry, astringent, spiced espresso medium plus finish with a touch of heat. Finish is not working for me, but see how it evolves as the night goes. — 19 days ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(decent fine/cloudy sediment). A striking dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: Captivating aromatics jump from the glass with blackberry, stewed plum, black olive brine, truffles, smoked meat, little funky earth. Taste: dark plum/cherry, dark chocolate espresso, smoke, dried herbs and a minerally meaty medium plus finish. YUM!!! — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(some fine/cloudy sediment). A splendid dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: expressive notes of dark brambly fruit, currants, floral, milk chocolate, planting soil, and eucalyptus. Taste: silky, jammy mouthcoating wine with dark plum/cherry, earth, licorice, dark chocolate, and a long graphite/coffee ground finish. YUM! — a year ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.3

Decant for sediment and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta with some bricking. On the nose: some plum, currants, herbaceous, baking spice, touch of tobacco and milk chocolate. Taste: creamy, balanced, savory wine with currants, tobacco, green bell pepper, spiced dark cherry, clove. YUM! — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1.5 hour decant(lot's of chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: mellow notes of brambly dark plum, menthol, smoke, wet planting soil, herbaceous, boiled game meat. Taste: soft, velvety, creamy mouth coating wine with savory notes of earth, cocoa, cedar, espresso, fading plum, currants, baking spice and a lingering long finish. YUM! Seems to be hitting a slow decline so pop one if got em. — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant(decent fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: certain vintages really embrace the brett on the property, this is on the milder side. Notes of red plum, nutty vanilla, pine, funky wet earth, old leather, some cherry. Taste: smooth, delicate, silky wine with savory notes of cigar box, currants, wet dirt, peppery, little dark plum, cedar, slightly meaty. YUM! A very good vintage for Cain, a little more intensity could have increased the score even more. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

Celebrating with a couple of nice bottles tonight

2.5 hour decant(lots of chunky/fine/cloudy sediment). An astonishing dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: expressive notes of plum, cedar, worn leather, musky earth, floral, and smokey vanilla. Taste: smooth, creamy, rich wine with plum, cedar, tobacco wrapper, burnt earth, and a white pepper- strawberry-graphite long finish. YUM!! Comfortably in its drinking window(with decant) and more years to go. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

Had to get off this frustrating app for a month. Looks like it might be working, so let's see how long this takes to post

1 hour decant(decent sediment). A wondrous dark magenta with bricking. On the nose: Captivating notes of dark fruit, leather, nutmeg, cinnamon, herbaceous, vanilla toast. Taste: velvety, rich wine with dark cherry/plum, potting soil, crushed stone, spice, licorice, and a chocolate espresso long finish. YUM! — a month ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1.5 hour decant(little fine sediment). A striking dark magenta color. On the nose: Inviting notes of dark berries, sandalwood, herbaceous, smoked meat, potting soil. Taste: silky, layered, balanced wine with dark plum/cherry, dried herbs, spice, and a cedar/mocha java lingering long finish. YUM!! — 5 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.3

1/2 hour decant(decent fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta. On the nose: blackberry liquor, floral, smokey, baking spice, herbaceous. Taste: plush, round wine with dark fruit, graphite, iron, black pepper, cedar and a dark cherry/vanilla bean medium plus finish. YUM! — 2 years ago

with Brenda

ESF

9.6

Revisiting this classic - an All-Timer — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Splash decanted and then poured back into the bottle about 5 hours prior to dinner. This is my first impression of the 2021 Zinfandel which is even more exciting than usual because the 2020 vintage was skipped due to the LNU Lightning Complex fires which rendered that crop a write-off. The wine pours a deep ruby color with a translucent core moving towards a magenta edge and a slightly watery rim. Medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. There seems to be some sediment already, however this is not uncommon with bottles of Rafanelli both young and old. On the nose, the wine is clean although I do detect some VA, well within the “charming” range. Very expressive fresh red and black fruits, primarily brambles: Marionberry, ripe blackberry fruit, and raspberries. These are accompanied by white pepper and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. Alcohol is medium+ but not out of balance. Finish is medium. As usual, these wines upon release tend to be super primary but I like what I’m experiencing! Personally, I would recommend some patience when drinking these young. While they are no-doubt good, they tend to fill out with some time on their side in the cellar. Best after 2024 and should drink well through 2035. Oh…and this was an awesome pairing with grilled rack of lamb. — 3 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.4

Color - blend of crimson and magenta giving it a rich color with bricking. The nose has beautiful scents of plum, aged perfume, sweet tobacco with secondary notes of worn leather crushed rock, a subtle funky earthiness and herbaceous aroma. Taste - soft and smooth covering the palate with red plum,, cedar, smoked meat and subtle sweetness of cassis new cigar and some spice. Definitely will enjoy this rainy Saturday night. — 4 years ago

with Karin and Jill

Richard Adams

9.4

10 year old burg and going strong. Layered richness. Lemon rind, butterscotch, slight oak. — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Double decant and pour(some fine sediment). A splendid still dark magenta color with bricking. On the nose: Beautiful areomatics of blackberry, cigar box, worn leather, green vegi, bandaid(brett). Taste: savory, elegant, structured wine with some sour cherry, currants, tobacco leaf, charred earth, and a crushef rock-coffee medium finish. Sure, on the downside, but still drinks savory good tonight. — 3 months ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(some fine/cloudy sediment). A striking still dark magenta color with a little bricking. On the nose: Captivating savory notes of stewed dark fruit, mushroom, worn leather, charcoal, stewed meat, and touch of cinnamon. Taste: powerful, bold, structured wine with dark plum, dark chocolate, green bell pepper, earth, and a dusty, baking spice-cedar long finish with maybe a touch of heat and just slightly grippy tannins YUM! Drinking well with time to go. — a year ago

with Brenda

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.3

A murky purple magenta color, but still appears young. Very aromatic with beautiful notes of blackberry, perfume followed by sandalwood, wet rich soil, pencil lead and sweet oak. Tastes young with tannins still present leaving many years for aging. Primary flavors of blackberry cedar and bitter sweet chocolate with secondary notes of cassis, new leather, pepper, dried herbs, and gravel giving it a long dry finish. Should pair with our Neapolitan marinara pizza and pasta dinner tonight. Looking forward to see what another several years will add to its flavor profile. — 3 years ago

with Karin and Jill

Tom Garland

9.3

1 hour decant(decent chunky/cloudy sediment). A gorgeous dark murky purplish magenta color. On the nose: some dark cherry/blueberry, forest floor, chocolate mint, cedar. Taste: velvety, creamy, rich mouthcoating wine with a little dark cherry, earth, leather, crushed stone, and a tar/cedar long finish. Better place 2 years ago, not sure more time will do anything so drink em up — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant (little fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: tart cherry, creme de cassis, eucalyptus, orange rind, cinnamon. Taste: smooth, soft, rich, juicy wine with cherry/raspberry, leather, herbaceous, graphite, little spiced chocolate espresso and a nice medium plus finish. YUM! Bodes well for the 2015 Scarecrow wine, and I should pop one to check it out. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.4

The color is a beautiful purple magenta. On the nose - blackberry-raspberry fruit, sandalwood, eucalyptus with notes of chocolate, licorice and vanilla. Wow what can you say! A rich, juicy and medium bodied smooth wine. Black fruits with blueberry dominate and just snaps from the glass blended with chocolate and licorice notes followed by a hints of bacon and espresso and a mineral black pepper long finish. You can drink this wine all night long!! — 5 years ago

with Karin and Jill