Robert Stackowiak

9.1

Not as creamy as I remember from past vintages, but excellent fruit and balance. One of the best domestics. August 2025. — 6 days ago

John Willison

9.2

Stone fruit, oak, honeysuckle…banana? More fruit and oak than I usually drink. Still good. — 16 days ago

Jason Phillips

9.1

Mild nose and light texture. Blackberry and cherry. Strong Pinot. — a month ago

with Max

Andrew Shaheen

9.2

Much lighter than expected, beautiful, balance, really nice wine — 2 months ago

Craig Matthews

8.9

Ruby, well balanced, a hair on the drier acidic side. Red fruit on the nose with a little darker fruit on the palette. Vanilla and earthy notes on the finish — 12 days ago

Jerry Raphael

9.1

Notes of dark cherry, blackberry, and a touch of cedar and tobacco. I popped the cork and started drinking it kept on opening and getting better with air. At the BH. — 24 days ago

Jody Wycech

9.0

Aroma is woody. Long barrel aging. Lots of cocoa and vanilla with those lovely tobacco, pepper, and a kiss of smoke. Then the fruit aromas kick in with plum and currant. Definitely more of a medium body and a stronger acidity with a nice oak tannic finish. Of the more moderate body zins the heavy oak makes this one more favorite. — a month ago

with Ethan, Peter and 1 other

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

These just get so much better with this kind of age.

It had grand evolution & integration.

Elegant & ripe on entry. Dark cherries, plum, blackberry, baked strawberries, raspberry & hints of blueberries. Muddy clays, dry herbs, powdered dry earth times, light; caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanillin, withering dark, red flowers, some violets, well balanced, elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds.

#Nepenthe in Big Sur — a month ago

Andrea Watt

9.1

Woodsy for a Pinot with oak, baking spice, cherry, and clove. — 20 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 1997 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with beautiful notes of cherry lozenges, star anise, leather, horse blanket, black pepper, organic earth, and fine warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. I recently got to spend some time with Ren and Marilyn Harris of Paradigm and he shared with me that he thought Zinfandel was a variety that has the potential of being longer lived than Cabernet Sauvignon. I didn’t argue with him. Anyway, this is a killer Rafanelli Zinfandel that is aging ever so gracefully. Drink now through 2037. — 2 months ago