of all of the 'old-world' / 'old school' aged california cabernets that i've tried (la jota, Dunn, Montelena, Togni, etc) this bottle of Rafanelli might have been the best. very present fruit, yet still bright, vibrant, & restrained. beautiful secondary elements of cassis, vanilla, clove. the biggest problem with this wine is I don't have more of it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Soft tannin, elegant nose, lovely older cab. Cork was still sound, only a few mm. of wine soak with some crystals. Well-kept bottle shows this wine can age nicely
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was suprised that there was so much left to this bottle. Tanniins a nice shadow of what they were, but still there, raspberry, bit of leather. Overall a nice suprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Appears far younger than its age, a soft purple ruby. Nose of spice and leather, menthol. More primary than I expected, as well. Not made in the mold of the more modern CA Cab bombshells, this isn't a va-voom of a wine. A bit more intellectual than hedonistic, but with the acidic intensity I've found in a bunch of early 90s Rafenelli Cabs. Very pleasant to drink, a real food wine, if a bit less depth than I would have liked, and perhaps a little short on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
1/10/2021 - Evanakarp wrote: 93 Points
of all of the 'old-world' / 'old school' aged california cabernets that i've tried (la jota, Dunn, Montelena, Togni, etc) this bottle of Rafanelli might have been the best. very present fruit, yet still bright, vibrant, & restrained. beautiful secondary elements of cassis, vanilla, clove. the biggest problem with this wine is I don't have more of it.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2014 - DugyDog Likes this wine: 90 Points
Held up very well….in fact, drank better on night 2 after being left uncorked overnight. Quite a surprise
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2013 - daveste Likes this wine: 90 Points
Soft tannin, elegant nose, lovely older cab. Cork was still sound, only a few mm. of wine soak with some crystals. Well-kept bottle shows this wine can age nicely
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2009 - clintsf wrote: 89 Points
I was suprised that there was so much left to this bottle. Tanniins a nice shadow of what they were, but still there, raspberry, bit of leather. Overall a nice suprise.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2006 - SteveHyde wrote:
Appears far younger than its age, a soft purple ruby. Nose of spice and leather, menthol. More primary than I expected, as well. Not made in the mold of the more modern CA Cab bombshells, this isn't a va-voom of a wine. A bit more intellectual than hedonistic, but with the acidic intensity I've found in a bunch of early 90s Rafenelli Cabs. Very pleasant to drink, a real food wine, if a bit less depth than I would have liked, and perhaps a little short on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment