A. Rafanelli, Merlot, Dry Creek Valley

just cleaning up inventory

2017 vintage

Opened about 30 minutes prior to service; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2017 Merlot pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with mostly ripe and some tart, black and red fruits: black currants, boysenberry, chocolate covered cherries, purple flowers, new leather, pipe tobacco and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. …

2017 vintage

Deep garnet color; alcoholic bubblegum nose with hint of vanilla; fruit forward flavor with long, structured finish. Kind of Old World Merlot.

2017 vintage

Crimson in color. 14.8% ABV. Sensational nose of black fruits, licorice, bay leaves and leather. Full bodied with plush, concentrated fruits. Black cherry, currants, cassis and tobacco on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish with faint, silky tannins. Exceedingly approachable. This stunning Dry Creek Valley Merlot will drink well for another 4-6 years.

2017 vintage

Still holding up with good fruit in the nose. Medium body with a great balance of tannins & acid. Lingering finish that ends with a sweet note. Went very well with turkey chilly. Best Merlot I have had in the last year.!

2014 vintage

A beautiful wine full of Christmas spice and red currants. This wine is a mouthful and full bodied but not jammy. Decanted for a half hour before drinking, this wine was delicious.

2017 vintage

Very nice Merlot.

2017 vintage

Beautiful dark fruits, pepper, some silky tannens still there. Packs a lunch with a little heavy alcohol burn but delicious finish

2014 vintage

14.8% ABV Took 30 min to open up, wonderful wine.

2017 vintage

opaque. Drinking well now. Limited potential to age.

2017 vintage

Lovely wine. 14.8%ABV. Nice oak

2017 vintage

A big unabashed Merlot, dark red and purple fruits, oak spice/clove, with a dense, structured palate. Good balance and brawny, though it may find more elegance with age. On day two it was a bit bound up by the oak, with a tomato leaf note on the nose. Definitely on the young side, give it 3 years or so.

2017 vintage

This deliciously crafted wine shows off a wonderful bouquet of black cherry, currant, fig, and black olive. A hint of raw molasses with clove flirt with your palate, leading to a plush well rounded finish that makes it hard to resist that second bottle! 20% Cabernet Sauvignon Harvest DateSeptember 25-29, 2017 Aging22 months in both new and one year old Traditional Chateau French oak barrels Bottling Date July 2019 Alcohol %14.8

2017 vintage

Won the best wine in a blind tasting of some good wines (although different varietals). Sequel (syrah), Sleight of Hand, and Seghesio Zinfandel were some of the others

2014 vintage

Drinking fabulously right now

2012 vintage

Black/blue berries. Cacao, leather, olive brine, nutmeg. Sweet oak, dusty tannins, moderate acidity. All of this in a multi-act, well-structured play. Very good indeed.

2014 vintage

Popped and poured, first sip was excellent, full merlot experience, but not to jammy or tannic, seems to be in a better place than a few years ago... wish I had more

2014 vintage

Consistent with previous vintages. Just released, but already drinking well. Will continue to improve over the next couple of years.

2017 vintage

fabulous wine drank at the right time

2012 vintage

14.8% ABV

2014 vintage

Opened last night. Decanted 4 hours prior to drinking. The wine was spectacular and drinking very well now however it will likely develop further over the next few years. Will revisit in 2 years. Update 6/26/2021: In a great place right now. Drink up!

2014 vintage

Broad mouth feel, good fruit, moderate tannin and good acid. Bouquet simple, would age several more years, but v.g. now.

2012 vintage

Super w steak; PNP but it would benefit with a decant of an hour, since it got a lot better over the course of dinner. Left about 6 oz. in the bottle overnight and it was still very good for the next dinner. Big meaty wine, good acid, moderate tannin. Will keep for 2 more years but excellent now.

2012 vintage

Tasted at the Winery with Chris Allison and Ann, fruity and good

2014 vintage

Strong cherry, plum and oak on the nose, which continues through the med-palate. Smooth, luxurious finish that demands another taste. Drink now or hold to find even more developed flavor.

2014 vintage

Loved this wine.

2012 vintage

This bottle was outstanding. I don't think I have had a Rafanelli merlot before, and I don't believe they produce it every year, but this one was fantastic.

2012 vintage

Very young. Will be outstanding in a few years.

2012 vintage

Just awesome even after its prime.

2001 vintage

Wow, what a wine! Great nose, big fruit; succulent, fleshy mouth feel; long on tannins integrated with a complexity that kept this wine developing on one's palate; with a beautiful, spectacular finish.

2004 vintage

Superb claret, soft merlot mouthfeel with elegant nose. Tannin moderate, balanced acid. Aired about 1 hour before pairing with steak. Last bottle but would have lasted a couple of years more.

2004 vintage

Oh - so THAT is what a merlot is supposed to taste like. After years of avoiding bland, insipid merlot we pulled this out of the basement. It had a bit of sediment due to age and being unfiltered, but after decanting was rich and plummy, with a bold earthy flavor. Really, really excellent.

2001 vintage

Flavors broad and deep, tannins mellow now but evident, still good acid. Very much in the Rafanelli style of big fruity cab/zin, but with the broad softness of merlot. If more merlot were like this, the grape wouldn't have been the butt of humor in "Sideways". Good with roast chicken.

2004 vintage

excellent vintage- enjoyed more than '06. Evrything you want from a merlot, sweet and deep, warm and mellow, but with enough bite to warrant more sips

2004 vintage

Even better the 2nd day if you can hold over. Merlot at its best with all the flavors mentioned below.

2001 vintage

This wine was pretty spectacular. Lovely notes of tobacco, herbs, good fruit and balancing acidity. I was very, very impressed.

2001 vintage

A truly great Merlot... probably because it's unfiltered and then we laid it down untouched for over 5 years, it winds up having more character and strong flavors then most any Merlot we have come across. Even my wife who rarely enjoys a Merlot (either too cheap and watery or too much alcohol for the flavor) really enjoyed this one.

2001 vintage

earthy and spicy nose, soft and full on the palate, with a pleasantly subtle spice. Very balanced and complex.

2004 vintage

Still has it all. great dfruit and finish. nearing its peak

2001 vintage

I'm writing this note a few days after the fact. This wine was singing out of the bottle. Dark berries and vanilla. Really good mouthfeel.

2004 vintage

Really hitting it's stride now.

2004 vintage

Bottle shared with Zindoctor. Still a very nice wine. Berries, pepper and oak on the nose. Flavor is rich with a full mouthfeel. Finish lacks some of the depth it did just a few months ago, but still a great Merlot.

2004 vintage

Previous tasting notes hit it dead on (pepper/oak), but it really took a long time to open up. If you open now, decant for several hours.

2004 vintage

Excellent wine. Deep ruby color with big berry and pepper nose. Big mouth feel with dark berry, stone fruit and pepper flavors. Very enjoyable.

2004 vintage

This is a big, edgy Merlot with good oak and pleasing to drink.

2004 vintage

No formal note.

2004 vintage

This “unfiltered” labeled bottle was decanted immediately prior to dinner; there was not a sign of sediment. The color was as deep and rich as could be found. The first sip was plain and ordinary; but after the bottle opened WOW is the only (explosion) an

2004 vintage

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A. Rafanelli, Merlot, Dry Creek Valley

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