By far my favorite #zinfandel #wine producer, @arafanelliwinery #arafanelli. #2004 #winesofinstagram #drycreekvalley #healdsburg. Red fruit, pepper, herb, cedar. Plenty left to run, 93pts.
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This is truly an aged beauty. I've had this Rafanelli in my cellar since forever; well, probably since around 2005. Tonight was the night I decided to open it. No special occasion, just seemed right. It's a very cold night here and I have the fireplace going; the old Raf Zinfandel seemed like the right accompaniment. And it was. The cork crumbled on opening, but after decanting and straining to remove the sediment and cork bits, I was rewarded with this lovely old wine. The fruit was soft and mellow, but still very much a West Dry Creek Zin. Flavors of blackberry with overtones of smoke and leather, all in a very smooth and pleasing palette. This was after about 30 min following the double decanting. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops over the next hour and day. I'm pleased it has held up so well in my cellar, which has no special storage facilities, just an air conditioned room. I am partial to the Rafanelli Zinfandels.
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Popped and poured. Still has gobs of dark fruit and is totally smooth. Might want to decant if sediment is a problem for you. Really drinking great for a 12-year-old Zin.
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@ARafanelliWine Zin. Like one of your old favorites movies where you can't quite remember the ending, it still surprises and delights! I get spiced earth and blackberry. Nice to see it still have some weight after 12 years.
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This was a bit of a risk, bought over some aucition site for not much money (same as current release $). But it turned out to be balanced, mature wine. Soft brambly fruits with just a hint of acid remaining, plus some herb and greenish notes with lovely tertiary aromas of mushroom. After an hour the wine's finish also developed a bit more. Quite good! I'd still estimate a peak window of 5-8 years from vintage for this kind of wine though.
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Disappointing bottle. Has some faded primary fruit character, but no life. Tannins seemed brittle and dry. Dry finish, rather short. No harmony. The developed character was more akin to dried leaves and flowers turned to sepia.
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Dense crimson. Exuberant nose: brambly fruit, appropriately jammy (not raisiny) and spicy. Crisp attack, medium weight, ripe, with succulent fruit balance by crisp acidity and gently nervy tannic structure. Alcoholic in effect (i.e. heady) but not hot on the palate. Cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red currant, lavender, hint of dried herbs and a subtle stony note. Medium to shortish finish, but clean, crisp and not hot. Terrific wine for its style.
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The wine is light purple, almost crimson, in color. Great nose of briar, raspberry and blackberry. Tons of fruit on the palate. The wine almost seems light on its feet at 14.7% ABV. Lavender, pepper and a touch of vanilla. Terrific balance and acidity. This wine always ages well.
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Needs a lot of air to blow off acescence. Much better the 2nd day. Initial impression after opening is that this is too old, but it still has a lovely bouquet when that passes. Rafanelli Zins are big and fruity when young, but they can age nicely if you (accidentally) keep one.
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Delicious bottle. A wide array of lush fruit on the palate was certainly the highlight of the wine, although the beautiful nose of licorice and fruit and the lovely deep red-purple color should not be overlooked as well. This is just drinking great right now.
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Nice color and aromas. Big fruit but comes up perhaps just a shade short on the finish. Overall, has held up very well and is still drinking very nicely.
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Leslie visits Cleveland - Part 2: Really good. Very solid Zin. Earthy. Some bramble. Good raspberry fruit. Slight heat on the finish. The kind of Zin that I like.
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Dark red-violet. Blackberry and huckleberry nose, with creosote, vanilla, anisette. Medium tannin, medium-low acidity. Terrific density, initially tight but opens significantly over two hours in glass. Gives gobs of ripe, not over-ripe fruit, with deft oak seasoning noticeable and appreciated for the smoothing of tannin. Very energetic finish, nice lift. My wife says this is how she likes her zinfandel. I like it too
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What a wonderfully balanced bottle of wine these people produce. That said, the fruit likely showed better a year or two ago. However, if the commutity average value is accurate I'll be looking for offers to exchange with some of my 2004-2006 Turley:) Four out of five yums.
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Dark red color. Nose of dark fruits and briar. Deep concentration. Taste of black raspberries, blackberries, cherries and briar. Tannins are resolved. Good balance. Drinking well right now. Perfect with rare csteak
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More balanced than last bottle about nine months ago. Plenty of red and black fruit. A hint of bacon fat (?) on the nose (any Mourvedre in this?). Picked up some weight after about an hour of air. Typical Rafanelli (Epic!).
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Dark fruited with blackberry, licorice, tar and herbs. This wine is at peak, with an almost savory profile and firm tannins. Drinks like a southern Italian wine.
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Opened a couple of days ago, and the first impression after decanting was that the fruit was gone -- wrong! Opened nicely after an hour of air. Just finished the rest of the bottle and it was much better, long rich fruit, better aroma of Zin. Acid is OK, should keep for a few years. Tannin smoother but still a tad rough. Wish I had more.
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Drank at McCormick & Schmicks, along with Penfolds 1991 Bin 707. The Penfolds was dead, but the A. Raf was outstanding. Almost to hot to drink, needed to be decanted for awhile to reduce the hotness. Pepper, berries, chocolate. They just keep pumping it out. Unfortunately, last bottle, but have 2 merlot's and 2 cab's of the 2004 left.
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Not quite up to the stellar showing of our last bottle '07. Still a classy showing, with some nice sweet fruit, but the nose is muted and the finish a bit shortened. I say drink.
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Black cherry, licorice and roses provide great perfume and fruit to balance the mineral tinged midpalate. Fresh and lively with great acid, this drinks more like an Italian wine than a Cali Zin.
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Really nice -- rich, smooth, fruity and balanced. Great flavors of rich red and dark berry with some oak and pepper. Rich, smooth, coating mouthfeel and a terrific medium + fruity finish. Right at its "sweet spot" of maturity. Fruit has not diminished -- -- it is drinking really great right now.
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Opened and served immediately. Followed over 2 hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of sandlewood, berries and plums. Flavors of plums, berries and a bit of currants on the medium finish. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the shorter term.
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Score based on projection of eventual drinkability. A lot of '04 zins are past their peak, but this one sure isn't. Surprisingly tannic. Should have decanted or - better yet - waited a year or two. That said, it was very balanced with a ton of red and black fruit that should outlast the tannins. Given this producer's track record, I'm betting my remaining bottles will be killer by late 2010 or 2011.
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King of the Zins. Deep color, royal taste. Not very tannic, just right. Beautiful nose, keep doing the work all the way with a nice after. If you could, that's a wine to make to love with.
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Dark color with lots of rich red and black fruit, and pepper flavors. Medium to full-bodied with good balance and a medium finish. I think it has peaked and would drink any remaining bottles over the next year or so.
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Fantastic zin with great balance and fruit, and a bit of pepper. Medium to full-bodied with terrific mouthfeel and lots of dark berry flavor. This is a great zin. Alcohol was excellently integrated. I drink Turleys and Ridges and Ravenswoods over the last decade or two. I know a 94 score is a bit high for a zin but this bottle is a great example of why I like zin so much. I had an overly cheesy and pepperoni pizza with it. The food pairing could have been better.
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Opened and glass decanted a little over 30 minutes before serving. Followed over 2 hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of melted black licorice, black currants, black berries and a dash of florals towards the end. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, plums and a dash of boysenberry on the short to medium finish. Light to medium acidity, fairly integrated tannins, medium body. Slightly behind previous bottles. Drink over the short term. I'll drink my two remaining bottles in 2009.
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With Brian, Jason, Tim and others for Dinner the big football weekend with some bbq. A perfect complement, I wish I had bought more of the 04 and need to keep buying a Raf.
Color – dark maroon red Appearance – Clear Aroma – Strong red fruit with good pepper up front Body – medium texture and a good balance of spice and fruit Taste – nice pepper, light tannin and hints of acid Finish – Smooth finish of red fruit This is a great wine with good pepper and fruit for bbq foods and lightly spiced meats.
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Another great zin from Rafanelli. Dark purple/garnet with a dark berry, alcoholic nose (which blew off after a few minutes). Medium to full bodied with LOTS of boysenberry, and some dark cherry, oak and pepper. Well balanced with good acidity. Medium finish with a bite at the end. Just slightly jammy, but the acidity minimizes it.
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14.7% alcohol. Opened and served immediately. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of toast, currant, berries and a touch of smoke. Flavors of berries, cherries and boysenberry. Light to medium acidity, light to medium tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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Blueberry, plum, cassis, a hint of cinnamon on the nose. Blueberry, plum on the attack. Some vanilla, allspice on the mid-palate. Cedar, black cherry, dark licorice on the finish. Well made.
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Tasted non-blind with pizza after the blind portion of the tasting. Inky garnet color. Notes of plums, blackberry, pepper and dark brambly fruit. Loads of dark fruit on the palate, with pepper nuances and good levels of acidity.
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Excellent zin with great balance, and a bit of pepper. Medium to full-bodied with good mouthfeel and lots of dark berry flavor. This is a terrific zin.
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Enjoyed with Kyle at Elite Cafe. This had some similar tastes and complexity as a Cab and reminded me that I should continue to purchase their wines. Color – Dark maroon red Appearance – very clear Aroma – Assertive, Ripe, raspberry to warmer blackberry, light pepper/anise Body – Big, smooth, medium acid and tannin, rich Taste – Dry, smooth and rich, light fruit Textures – round, bold Finish - red fruit and clean
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Very tasty. Black current and plums. Very easy to drink now. Very strong fruit that I'm sure will mellow out a bit with age but was great with a Christmas ham and was really what you're looking for with a zin. I know I will miss this when I've drunk the last.
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Drank at MilkyWay, Nose: cherry, plum, chocolate very interesting nose, beautiful fruit and luscious Taste: silky tannins that get lost with every flavor of the meal, but stand up to every bite, light pepper in the forepalate with good fruit that adds enjoyment and complexity to a wide variety of meals and flavors in the food. Short finish, really lacking in the back part of the palate, but stands up to both spicy steak aeoles and sausages as well as pairing well with a great lamb in a mushroom reduction sauce. 89-91 points
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Deep violet color, good clarity. Brambly nose of black fruits and spice. Classic zin palate with blue and black fruits but no intrusive heat. Just enough acidity to keep the finish clean. Very, very nice. I prefer this vintage to the 2003, which showed more vanilla. Textbook Dry Creek Zin.
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Tasted October 28, 2007. Opened and served immediately. Purple to dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose with a hint of blueberry up front that quickly dissipated to reveal notes of black raspberries, black berries and melted black licorice. Flavors of black raspberries, black berries and just a tad of black licorice on the medium finish. Moderate acidity, moderate to maybe firm tannins, medium body. Drink now with a short decant (including sediment, maybe a ½ teaspoon at the moment) or continue to hold. Purchased for $30.00 a bottle direct from the winery and worth every penny of it.
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Nose of dark blackberry. Overwhelming burst of fruit flavor, teetering on the brink of grape juice. Full finish, very nice wine if you like over the top fruit bombs (and I do).
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Tasted May 27, 2007 at home. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black currants, black berries, thistle and a little smoke. Also picked up a little sandalwood on revisit. Flavors of sweet red berries, Bing cherries and strawberries. Light to medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink over the next 5-7 years.
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My first bottle ever of a Rafanelli Zin. One of the best Zins I ever had, full bodied, well balanced. Was ready to drink right away, didn't need much time to breath.
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Rafanelli is my all time favorite zin and I am not dissappointed in this bottle. The nice thing about zin is that you should drink while its young....Waiting for the 2005 release...should be any day now.
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Bought at the winery last summer and opened last weekend to help decide on an order from the mailer. This is a beautiful and distinctly "old school" zin if I have that term right. It is well balanced with lots of dark berry complexity along with nicely integrated sweet french oak, earthy notes and a surprising tannic structure. I think this could be slipped into a new world cab tasting with great success. Delicious and, oh I almost forgot, we ordered 24 bottles.
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Decanted for about an hour. Drinking nice now but can imagine improvement with more time. Dark berries, some spice and earth. Good balance. Was the winner of Zin themed wine night. Second was a 2005 Seghesio which was sweeter and more singular in flavor.
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This was the most complete wine of the tasting, in my opinion. The alcohol is in check, it is balanced, and it has a long life ahead of it. It is spicy, but peppery and cinammon-y. It has lots of blackberries too. I think it is very young and it will get better over the next 5 years.
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1/25/2023 - Buus wrote:
Still stellar!
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7/6/2018 - eporres wrote: 93 Points
By far my favorite #zinfandel #wine producer, @arafanelliwinery #arafanelli. #2004 #winesofinstagram #drycreekvalley #healdsburg. Red fruit, pepper, herb, cedar. Plenty left to run, 93pts.
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12/18/2016 - RDGinSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is truly an aged beauty. I've had this Rafanelli in my cellar since forever; well, probably since around 2005. Tonight was the night I decided to open it. No special occasion, just seemed right. It's a very cold night here and I have the fireplace going; the old Raf Zinfandel seemed like the right accompaniment. And it was. The cork crumbled on opening, but after decanting and straining to remove the sediment and cork bits, I was rewarded with this lovely old wine. The fruit was soft and mellow, but still very much a West Dry Creek Zin. Flavors of blackberry with overtones of smoke and leather, all in a very smooth and pleasing palette. This was after about 30 min following the double decanting. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops over the next hour and day. I'm pleased it has held up so well in my cellar, which has no special storage facilities, just an air conditioned room. I am partial to the Rafanelli Zinfandels.
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8/15/2016 - raiderwes wrote: 91 Points
still drinking well;
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6/19/2016 - BoulderWine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Still has gobs of dark fruit and is totally smooth. Might want to decant if sediment is a problem for you. Really drinking great for a 12-year-old Zin.
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4/17/2016 - eporres wrote: 92 Points
@ARafanelliWine Zin. Like one of your old favorites movies where you can't quite remember the ending, it still surprises and delights! I get spiced earth and blackberry. Nice to see it still have some weight after 12 years.
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12/25/2014 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine: 90 Points
This was a bit of a risk, bought over some aucition site for not much money (same as current release $). But it turned out to be balanced, mature wine. Soft brambly fruits with just a hint of acid remaining, plus some herb and greenish notes with lovely tertiary aromas of mushroom. After an hour the wine's finish also developed a bit more. Quite good! I'd still estimate a peak window of 5-8 years from vintage for this kind of wine though.
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11/30/2014 - granikmw wrote:
Disappointing bottle. Has some faded primary fruit character, but no life. Tannins seemed brittle and dry. Dry finish, rather short. No harmony. The developed character was more akin to dried leaves and flowers turned to sepia.
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7/18/2014 - WineDoctors wrote: 92 Points
puts most other zins to shame. brambleberry caramel, coffee and wonderful structure. 10 years out and wonderful finish is lovely
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11/27/2012 - granikmw Likes this wine:
Dense crimson. Exuberant nose: brambly fruit, appropriately jammy (not raisiny) and spicy. Crisp attack, medium weight, ripe, with succulent fruit balance by crisp acidity and gently nervy tannic structure. Alcoholic in effect (i.e. heady) but not hot on the palate. Cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red currant, lavender, hint of dried herbs and a subtle stony note. Medium to shortish finish, but clean, crisp and not hot. Terrific wine for its style.
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11/23/2012 - WineDoctors wrote: 93 Points
Purple, unfiltered, brambly fruit with finesse. Excellent balance, plum fig, long finish tannins give structure and gentle grip. with turkey dinner.
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8/23/2012 - tomlee wrote: 93 Points
The wine is light purple, almost crimson, in color. Great nose of briar, raspberry and blackberry. Tons of fruit on the palate. The wine almost seems light on its feet at 14.7% ABV. Lavender, pepper and a touch of vanilla. Terrific balance and acidity. This wine always ages well.
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6/30/2012 - mavericks wrote:
with Val, Megan, Neil, Beth, Woody and Laura for crab roll and fun dinner
reminds me I should be buying from the every year, clean, with great fruit and light spic.
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4/27/2012 - BoulderWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully.
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3/4/2012 - daveste wrote: 89 Points
Needs a lot of air to blow off acescence. Much better the 2nd day. Initial impression after opening is that this is too old, but it still has a lovely bouquet when that passes. Rafanelli Zins are big and fruity when young, but they can age nicely if you (accidentally) keep one.
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1/24/2012 - daveste wrote: 94 Points
Still a fine wine, still needs a bit of air to show well.
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1/8/2012 - JonGray wrote: 95 Points
This was a great wine! Really enjoyed this zin from Lee&Pix
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12/14/2011 - jakearoe wrote:
Delicious bottle. A wide array of lush fruit on the palate was certainly the highlight of the wine, although the beautiful nose of licorice and fruit and the lovely deep red-purple color should not be overlooked as well. This is just drinking great right now.
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11/26/2011 - BoulderWine wrote: 91 Points
Nice color and aromas. Big fruit but comes up perhaps just a shade short on the finish. Overall, has held up very well and is still drinking very nicely.
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8/7/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
Leslie visits Cleveland - Part 2: Really good. Very solid Zin. Earthy. Some bramble. Good raspberry fruit. Slight heat on the finish. The kind of Zin that I like.
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4/16/2011 - kanab ram wrote:
Oustanding old world style is what keeps me coming back for more.
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3/7/2011 - Hodby wrote: 91 Points
Dark red-violet. Blackberry and huckleberry nose, with creosote, vanilla, anisette. Medium tannin, medium-low acidity. Terrific density, initially tight but opens significantly over two hours in glass. Gives gobs of ripe, not over-ripe fruit, with deft oak seasoning noticeable and appreciated for the smoothing of tannin. Very energetic finish, nice lift. My wife says this is how she likes her zinfandel. I like it too
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1/4/2011 - Minnesota wrote:
What a wonderfully balanced bottle of wine these people produce. That said, the fruit likely showed better a year or two ago. However, if the commutity average value is accurate I'll be looking for offers to exchange with some of my 2004-2006 Turley:) Four out of five yums.
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1/1/2011 - greenblanket Likes this wine:
This was in a delicious place with expressive fruit, spicy dried flowers and nicely resolved oak.
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10/19/2010 - simmy wrote: 89 Points
a little less robust than the usual rafenelli zin. certainly needed to be drank now.
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10/14/2010 - lpollack wrote: 92 Points
Dark red color. Nose of dark fruits and briar. Deep concentration. Taste of black raspberries, blackberries, cherries and briar. Tannins are resolved. Good balance. Drinking well right now. Perfect with rare csteak
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8/21/2010 - Night Train wrote: 91 Points
Same as six weeks ago. Drinking beautifully right now
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7/22/2010 - Hodby wrote: flawed
Dark red-brown. Somewhat mute nose, faint prune and fecal notes. Horribly off, sour, putrified. Bottle #3 of three.
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7/3/2010 - Night Train wrote: 91 Points
More balanced than last bottle about nine months ago. Plenty of red and black fruit. A hint of bacon fat (?) on the nose (any Mourvedre in this?). Picked up some weight after about an hour of air. Typical Rafanelli (Epic!).
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6/2/2010 - rmodak wrote: 89 Points
Dark fruited with blackberry, licorice, tar and herbs. This wine is at peak, with an almost savory profile and firm tannins. Drinks like a southern Italian wine.
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5/14/2010 - daveste wrote: 94 Points
Opened a couple of days ago, and the first impression after decanting was that the fruit was gone -- wrong! Opened nicely after an hour of air. Just finished the rest of the bottle and it was much better, long rich fruit, better aroma of Zin. Acid is OK, should keep for a few years. Tannin smoother but still a tad rough. Wish I had more.
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5/13/2010 - raiderwes wrote:
Deep dark color, black cherry aroma with some spice, dark fruit & spice flavors, very smooth. Very nice
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4/19/2010 - daveste wrote: 94 Points
Sonoma Zin at its best now, nice bouquet, still decent acid and soft tannin. Should hold for a few years, but super now.
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4/18/2010 - cpdwines wrote: 92 Points
Drank at McCormick & Schmicks, along with Penfolds 1991 Bin 707. The Penfolds was dead, but the A. Raf was outstanding. Almost to hot to drink, needed to be decanted for awhile to reduce the hotness. Pepper, berries, chocolate. They just keep pumping it out. Unfortunately, last bottle, but have 2 merlot's and 2 cab's of the 2004 left.
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4/10/2010 - jakearoe wrote:
Not quite up to the stellar showing of our last bottle '07. Still a classy showing, with some nice sweet fruit, but the nose is muted and the finish a bit shortened. I say drink.
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2/2/2010 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
Black cherry, licorice and roses provide great perfume and fruit to balance the mineral tinged midpalate. Fresh and lively with great acid, this drinks more like an Italian wine than a Cali Zin.
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12/18/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 93 Points
Really nice -- rich, smooth, fruity and balanced. Great flavors of rich red and dark berry with some oak and pepper. Rich, smooth, coating mouthfeel and a terrific medium + fruity finish. Right at its "sweet spot" of maturity. Fruit has not diminished -- -- it is drinking really great right now.
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9/21/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91
Tasted September 21, 2009.
Opened and served immediately. Followed over 2 hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of sandlewood, berries and plums. Flavors of plums, berries and a bit of currants on the medium finish. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink over the shorter term.
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9/15/2009 - raiderwes wrote: 91 Points
wonderful! full fruit; drinking well right now. Only 3 more left!
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9/5/2009 - Night Train wrote: 90 Points
Score based on projection of eventual drinkability. A lot of '04 zins are past their peak, but this one sure isn't. Surprisingly tannic. Should have decanted or - better yet - waited a year or two. That said, it was very balanced with a ton of red and black fruit that should outlast the tannins. Given this producer's track record, I'm betting my remaining bottles will be killer by late 2010 or 2011.
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7/15/2009 - mpa2 wrote: 92 Points
King of the Zins. Deep color, royal taste. Not very tannic, just right. Beautiful nose, keep doing the work all the way with a nice after. If you could, that's a wine to make to love with.
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4/10/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90. Consistent with the previous bottle. Drink over the short term.
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3/8/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Dark color with lots of rich red and black fruit, and pepper flavors. Medium to full-bodied with good balance and a medium finish. I think it has peaked and would drink any remaining bottles over the next year or so.
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2/26/2009 - unc0rked wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic zin with great balance and fruit, and a bit of pepper. Medium to full-bodied with terrific mouthfeel and lots of dark berry flavor. This is a great zin. Alcohol was excellently integrated. I drink Turleys and Ridges and Ravenswoods over the last decade or two. I know a 94 score is a bit high for a zin but this bottle is a great example of why I like zin so much. I had an overly cheesy and pepperoni pizza with it. The food pairing could have been better.
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1/17/2009 - windypinot wrote: 90 Points
Popular wine at the tasting; decanted ahead of time; ready to drink now
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12/30/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90
Tasted December 30, 2008.
Opened and glass decanted a little over 30 minutes before serving. Followed over 2 hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of melted black licorice, black currants, black berries and a dash of florals towards the end. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, plums and a dash of boysenberry on the short to medium finish. Light to medium acidity, fairly integrated tannins, medium body. Slightly behind previous bottles. Drink over the short term. I'll drink my two remaining bottles in 2009.
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12/30/2008 - RWilkinson wrote:
continues to perform very well, a nice wine...
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12/23/2008 - BoulderWine wrote: 92 Points
Delicious!
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11/19/2008 - mavericks wrote:
With Brian, Jason, Tim and others for Dinner the big football weekend with some bbq. A perfect complement, I wish I had bought more of the 04 and need to keep buying a Raf.
Color – dark maroon red
Appearance – Clear
Aroma – Strong red fruit with good pepper up front
Body – medium texture and a good balance of spice and fruit
Taste – nice pepper, light tannin and hints of acid
Finish – Smooth finish of red fruit
This is a great wine with good pepper and fruit for bbq foods and lightly spiced meats.
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11/16/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Another great zin from Rafanelli. Dark purple/garnet with a dark berry, alcoholic nose (which blew off after a few minutes). Medium to full bodied with LOTS of boysenberry, and some dark cherry, oak and pepper. Well balanced with good acidity. Medium finish with a bite at the end. Just slightly jammy, but the acidity minimizes it.
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9/17/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
Dallas 2nd Wednesday - September 2008 (Amici's in Carollton, TX): WIML91
Tasted September 17, 2008 at an offline.
14.7% alcohol. Opened and served immediately. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of toast, currant, berries and a touch of smoke. Flavors of berries, cherries and boysenberry. Light to medium acidity, light to medium tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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7/21/2008 - billyg wrote: 92 Points
Blueberry, plum, cassis, a hint of cinnamon on the nose. Blueberry, plum on the attack. Some vanilla, allspice on the mid-palate. Cedar, black cherry, dark licorice on the finish. Well made.
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7/1/2008 - Taylor56 wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing bottle. Will try another soon.
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6/20/2008 - raiderwes wrote: 90 Points
very big and fruity; drinking well now.
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5/18/2008 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Tasted non-blind with pizza after the blind portion of the tasting. Inky garnet color. Notes of plums, blackberry, pepper and dark brambly fruit. Loads of dark fruit on the palate, with pepper nuances and good levels of acidity.
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5/15/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 92 Points
Excellent zin with great balance, and a bit of pepper. Medium to full-bodied with good mouthfeel and lots of dark berry flavor. This is a terrific zin.
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4/4/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
Full-bodied with dark fruits dominating the taste. Very good but without much complexity . Minimal tanins - very smooth.
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3/30/2008 - malper wrote:
I love everythign they produce. This was smoky enough to hold up to a long-simmered BBQ brisket and just a great tasting wine on its won.
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2/13/2008 - mavericks wrote:
Enjoyed with Kyle at Elite Cafe. This had some similar tastes and complexity as a Cab and reminded me that I should continue to purchase their wines.
Color – Dark maroon red
Appearance – very clear
Aroma – Assertive, Ripe, raspberry to warmer blackberry, light pepper/anise
Body – Big, smooth, medium acid and tannin, rich
Taste – Dry, smooth and rich, light fruit
Textures – round, bold
Finish - red fruit and clean
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12/25/2007 - Ethan wrote:
Very tasty. Black current and plums. Very easy to drink now. Very strong fruit that I'm sure will mellow out a bit with age but was great with a Christmas ham and was really what you're looking for with a zin. I know I will miss this when I've drunk the last.
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12/22/2007 - familydoc wrote: 90 Points
Drank at MilkyWay, Nose: cherry, plum, chocolate very interesting nose, beautiful fruit and luscious Taste: silky tannins that get lost with every flavor of the meal, but stand up to every bite, light pepper in the forepalate with good fruit that adds enjoyment and complexity to a wide variety of meals and flavors in the food. Short finish, really lacking in the back part of the palate, but stands up to both spicy steak aeoles and sausages as well as pairing well with a great lamb in a mushroom reduction sauce. 89-91 points
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11/8/2007 - mjpaustin wrote:
Deep violet color, good clarity. Brambly nose of black fruits and spice. Classic zin palate with blue and black fruits but no intrusive heat. Just enough acidity to keep the finish clean. Very, very nice. I prefer this vintage to the 2003, which showed more vanilla. Textbook Dry Creek Zin.
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10/28/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91
Tasted October 28, 2007. Opened and served immediately. Purple to dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose with a hint of blueberry up front that quickly dissipated to reveal notes of black raspberries, black berries and melted black licorice. Flavors of black raspberries, black berries and just a tad of black licorice on the medium finish. Moderate acidity, moderate to maybe firm tannins, medium body. Drink now with a short decant (including sediment, maybe a ½ teaspoon at the moment) or continue to hold. Purchased for $30.00 a bottle direct from the winery and worth every penny of it.
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10/27/2007 - RWilkinson wrote:
Light to medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drinking well now
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9/24/2007 - AZVinoVeritas wrote: 90 Points
Nose of dark blackberry. Overwhelming burst of fruit flavor, teetering on the brink of grape juice. Full finish, very nice wine if you like over the top fruit bombs (and I do).
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8/16/2007 - jakearoe wrote: 93 Points
Extremly well done. Very classy and balanced for a zin. Drinking great now, will last a few years I'm sure...wow
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8/3/2007 - oski wrote: 93 Points
Wow, what a nice soft full throttled zin. Good flavors of plum with a very soft silk like feel. Drinking well now, need to buy more
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7/15/2007 - raiderwes wrote:
drinks well now. will be one of our new faves.
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7/15/2007 - BrianMcCall wrote: 92 Points
A. Rafanelli, never one to disappoint, produced a delectable zinfandel once again. Can't wait to drink the other one in my cellar.
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7/11/2007 - raiderwes wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well.
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7/7/2007 - malper wrote:
exceptionally good
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5/28/2007 - psmith wrote:
Intense but well structured blueberry and dark fruits. Spicy with real zin character. Really good.
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5/27/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML91,PURPLE91,NOWA,NOWS
Tasted May 27, 2007 at home. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Magnum glass. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black currants, black berries, thistle and a little smoke. Also picked up a little sandalwood on revisit. Flavors of sweet red berries, Bing cherries and strawberries. Light to medium acidity, medium tannins, medium body. Drink over the next 5-7 years.
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4/23/2007 - earlster wrote:
My first bottle ever of a Rafanelli Zin. One of the best Zins I ever had, full bodied, well balanced. Was ready to drink right away, didn't need much time to breath.
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4/5/2007 - Gadwall wrote: 92 Points
Rafanelli is my all time favorite zin and I am not dissappointed in this bottle. The nice thing about zin is that you should drink while its young....Waiting for the 2005 release...should be any day now.
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4/1/2007 - greenblanket wrote: 90 Points
Bought at the winery last summer and opened last weekend to help decide on an order from the mailer. This is a beautiful and distinctly "old school" zin if I have that term right. It is well balanced with lots of dark berry complexity along with nicely integrated sweet french oak, earthy notes and a surprising tannic structure. I think this could be slipped into a new world cab tasting with great success. Delicious and, oh I almost forgot, we ordered 24 bottles.
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3/11/2007 - MitchL wrote: 92 Points
Consistently great, lots of fruit and spice.
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2/23/2007 - DukeDrew wrote: 93 Points
Last bottle. Rafanelli zin never ceases to amaze me - it's consistently good year after year and the price point is spot on. Delicious.
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2/2/2007 - MitchL wrote: 92 Points
Well-balanced, good fruit, a little spice and pepper. Excellent as usual.
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12/25/2006 - DukeDrew wrote: 93 Points
This was firing on all cylinders tonight... perfect balance of fruit, alcohol and mouthfeel. Just wonderful. Wish my Turley's tasted this good.
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12/24/2006 - raiderwes wrote:
still excellent; Christmas Eve dinner with chopped pork and chili, hicama salad and guacomole. Guests raved on the wine and the dinner.
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12/1/2006 - Drewine wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for about an hour. Drinking nice now but can imagine improvement with more time. Dark berries, some spice and earth. Good balance. Was the winner of Zin themed wine night. Second was a 2005 Seghesio which was sweeter and more singular in flavor.
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11/19/2006 - nomadfromcincy wrote:
This was the most complete wine of the tasting, in my opinion. The alcohol is in check, it is balanced, and it has a long life ahead of it. It is spicy, but peppery and cinammon-y. It has lots of blackberries too. I think it is very young and it will get better over the next 5 years.
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11/7/2006 - cadillac doc wrote: 91 Points
Red fruit and nice white pepper. Easy drinker! Excellent as usual.
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