Rafael et Fils

Oak Knoll, Napa Valley, California

Founder Georg Rafael got into the hotel industry after living in east Berlin, ultimately running the Regent Hotels in Hawaii. After falling in love with the Napa Valley and meeting and befriending such Napa luminaries as Warren Winarski, Georg and his wife Rosie purchased 50 acres of land in 1982 in the southern part of the Valley, on a bench right up against Mt. Veeder in what is now the Oak Knoll district. At the time, the land was being used for cattle grazing.  This stunning piece of land, on the same bench as the Mayacamas mountains, has a top elevation of 500 feet and is significantly cooler than vineyards located up valley. 

Over the next four years, Georg and Rosie planted grapes, mostly Cabernet, with the intent of becoming grape growers, ultimately planting 23 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and two acres of Chardonnay. For 15+  years, they sold their grapes to producers such as Duckhorn, Robert Mondavi and Far Niente. The beginnings of Rafael et Fils as a label date to about 1996 when Tom Farella of Farella Family Winery convinced the couple to bottle their own wine. Tom became their winemaker and stayed in that role until 2009. 

Georg’s son Marc joined the business in 2009 when the family realized that they had about eight thousand cases of unsold Napa Cab dating back to the late 1990s. Needless to say, Marc, who studied economics in London and winemaking at UC Davis, had no problem selling through the stock. Today Marc is the sole proprietor of Rafael et Fils. Despite the fact that their first vintage was produced more than 20 years ago, Marc feels like he is building a startup.

Marc’s philosophy is to create 100% varietal specific wines from the family vineyard in Oak Knoll as well as a vineyard to the north in Mendocino County. The focus is on wines that are old world in style – showing more restraint when it comes to ripeness, level of alcohol and feature long aging. With a track record of over 20 years, these are wines that have proven to age very well.

For more information on the estate, check out the website or visit Napa Wine Project 

Our Selections

Rafael et Fils Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Vintage

The 2016 vintage was close to ideal with mild weather throughout the growing season. Harveststarted about two weeks early and allowed for picking at optimal ripeness. Overall quality was exceptional.

Rafael Vineyard

The vineyard is located northwest of the town of Napa just within the boundary of the Oak KnollDistrict of Napa Valley AVA. Bordering Mt. Veeder, it’s a unique, highly prized hillside locationwith southern exposure and steep slopes that dramatically rise to well over 400 feet in elevation.Sitting in the Dry Creek alluvial fan, the well drained soils on the upper terraces are stony,volcanically derived, transitioning to silty clay loam on the lower portion of the site. TheCabernet Sauvignon vines are planted on 110R rootstock, using Clone 7. Yields are low and thevines are meticulously cane-pruned to optimize vine balance between vigor and yield. Vineyardpractices are certified Napa Green Land and Fish-Friendly Farming, one of the mostcomprehensive environmental certifications in California.

Vinification

Our philosophy is that minimal intervention in winemaking practices allows for the bestexpression of the unique characteristics of the vintage as captured in the grapes. The 100%Cabernet Sauvignon grapes came from two different blocks at the top of the Rafael estatevineyard. The grapes were destemmed to bin and fermented on the skins for two weeks. Thefermenting wine was punched down twice a day. The wine was then pressed off of the skins andput in French oak barrels, 30% new, and aged for 23 months before being bottled unfined andunfiltered. ML fermentation proceeded naturally to completion in barrel.

Tasting Notes

The wine is a profound ruby purple in color. Classic aromas of blackberry, black currant, cloveand anise are initially expressed. With time in the glass, complex notes of cedar, cigar box,Kalamata olive and forest floor are also revealed. Fresh, rich elegance and structure allow thewine to be enjoyed on its own or with food. The experience is capped off by a rich, smooth longfinish highlighted by fresh blackberry. Additional layers of complexity will be revealed overmultiple days. The wine will age gracefully for 15-20 years.

Technical Information

Harvest Dates: September 24, 2016, Sugar: 24.1 degrees Brix, Titratable Acidity: 5.86 g/l, pH:3.83, Alcohol: 14.1%.

Rafael et Fils Pinot Noir Lauren Creek Anderson Valley 2016

Vintage

The 2016 vintage was close to ideal with mild weather throughout the growing season. Harvest started about two weeks early and allowed for picking at optimal ripeness. Overall quality was exceptional.

Elke Home Ranch Vineyard

The Elke Home Ranch lies just west of Boonville, CA in the Anderson Valley.  The Anderson Valley is known for sparkling wine, cool weather white wines and Pinot Noir.  The Elke Home Ranch is planted to four different clones of Pinot Noir, including renowned Pommard and the extremely rate heritage clones, Stang and Elliott. The vines are meticulously cane-pruned to optimize vine balance between vigor and yield.

Vinification

The grapes were selected from the Pommard and Elliot clones. They were picked at relatively low Brix for a balance point with restrained alcohol and a touch higher acidity than most other red wines. 80% of the grapes were gently destemmed into fermentation bins. The remaining 20% were placed in one of the fermentation bins, without being destemmed, as whole clusters. The wine was aged for 10 months in French Oak barrels with less than 20% being new, the intent being to add complexity without overt presence of new oak. The wine was racked once and bottled unfiltered.

Tasting Notes

The wine is a beautiful red color and slightly opaque. It initially exhibits vibrant aromas of rose petal, violets, fresh strawberry and pie crust. With time, the wine evolves to reveal flavors of wild mushrooms, cedar, rhubarb, and black tea. The wine exudes a bright elegant structure with a medium weight mouthfeel and velvety softness. Fabulous flavors of cherry and tart raspberry seem to linger forever in the finish. Drink now or age for 10-15 years. The wine is an excellent pair with food.

Rafael et Fils Chardonnay Napa Valley 2017

Rafael Vineyard

The vineyard is located northwest of the town of Napa just within the boundary of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA. It’s a unique, highly prized hillside location with southern exposure and steep slopes that dramatically rise to well over 400 feet in elevation. Yields are low at between 2 to 3 tons per acre in the well-drained soils. Twenty five acres in plantings are primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon with a small block planted to Chardonnay. The vines are meticulously cane-pruned to optimize vine balance between vigor and yield.

Vinification

The Chardonnay grapes were picked relatively early for maximum flavor, refreshing crispness and restrained alcohol, but not so early to lack body and mouthfeel.  The grapes were whole cluster pressed away from the skins and fermented slowly at cool temperature in barrel to retain varietal flavors. Malolactic fermentation was left to its own devices. The wine was aged in neutral barrels on the lees for 10 months prior to bottling.  Lees stirring was employed during aging.