Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about 30 minutes prior to service and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2019 San Valentino pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and a decent amount of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with sensational notes of Bing cherry, plum, licorice, Palo Santo, varnish, balsamico, exotic spices, and a mix of dried under brush and earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose . The finish is long and there is no shortage of excitement. A wine that simultaneously makes you think and fills you with joy. Drink now through 2034. — a month ago

Neil Shah

9.3

Powerful but not overpowering — 5 years ago

Bryan Boucher

9.0

2018 vintage — 5 years ago

Julie Benson-Kaludis

9.1

Enjoying this 2013 vintage on June 25, 2025. Aged very nicely. — 4 months ago

Beth Hodges

9.0

Easy to drink on a Friday night — 3 years ago

Nesim Bekalti

9.3

Smoked sausage, old lady perfume, leather, cocoa, wet clay, decaying underbrush, blood, red meat, dried red berries, jammy dark fruit.

Grippy m tannins on tongue, rest are soft. — 5 years ago

SChardonnay

10

Soooooo good. Best merlot evah — 5 years ago

Charles Houssa

9.8

At Da Valentino with Jingang. Absolutely amazing !!! — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Something quite magical often happens to Rafanelli Zinfandel after 10+ years of bottle age. I can’t explain it…but these wines begin to take on a more rustic, Old World feel. It’s as if they shift into an overdrive. The fruit is still big, beautiful and pure (no-doubt a testament to their rigorous selection) and yet they can often display a new energy about them which give them remarkable longevity. This bottle is perfectly representative.

Opened to celebrate my daughter’s 14th birthday, the 2009 Rafanelli Zinfandel pours a deep, practically opaque garnet that becomes more turbid the further we delved into the bottle (in typical fashion, this Rafanelli full of sediment). Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, bright cherry and bramble-like fruits, Asian spices, espresso and some black pepper. I do sense a touch of VA. On the palate, the wine is dry and with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The notes from the nose are confirmed…with a bit of added emphasis, it should be noted. There’s almost a Pop Rocks experience too…with the slightest effervescence pricking the tongue. And again, this is something that I would more expect from a non-interventionalist wine from Italy…certainly not from Sonoma. Hot take here…but this bottle reminded me of something from Paolo Bea (San Valentino) more than anything from Sonoma, let alone California. It’s just so wonderful. The finish is long and delivers minutes of pleasure.

As far as I’m concerned, nobody is making Zinfandel with the soul that Rafanelli does and the proof is in the bottle each and every time. Of course, they are delicious when young but with age, these wines become something else. Drink now with a decant (for sediment only) and through 2034. — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.2

Bright cherry, cherry flower, spice, licorice, fresh, deep, terrific fruit, long, complex. — 6 years ago