“Our winemaking style has come from four generations of experience, and we have always prioritized quality over quantity.”—Shelly Rafanelli, winemaker
Located in Healdsburg’s picturesque Dry Creek Valley, A. Rafanelli Winery was founded in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants Alberto and Letizia Rafanelli. According to their great-granddaughter and the winery’s fourth-generation winemaker, Rashell “Shelly” Rafanelli-Fehlman, Alberto and Letizia settled in the small town with their family and began growing grapes and making wine. Soon after Prohibition, Rafanelli’s son, Americo, took interest in the business and continued to carry on the family tradition. In the early 1950s, Americo moved the winery to the Dry Creek Valley, where it still remains and began cultivating premium Zinfandel grapes. In the early 1970s, Americo offered his first commercial release with the A. Rafanelli Winery label.
In keeping with the family tradition Americo’s son, David Rafanelli developed a passion for winemaking while attending the University of California, Davis. Upon graduation, he began researching for the best land to plant additional varietals for the winery’s portfolio. The winery remains a family-owned operation. Along with David’s wife, Patty, their daughters are also hands-on at the winery. Shelly serves as winemaker and Stacy Rafanelli-DuBois is the winery’s operations manager. Shelly’s husband, Craig Fehlman, is the vineyard operations manager. Today, there are a total of 19 full- and part-time employees working at the winery.
So how do wine connoisseurs get their hands on A. Rafanelli wines? Apparently, it helps to be “on the list” at the winery. “We have created a mailing list over the years, called the ‘A-List.’ These are loyal followers of our wines. They have priority on newly-released wines, allocated wines and opportunities for tastings, dinners and special offerings. Otherwise, you can call the winery to book a tasting and purchase the wines,” says Shelly. “We are also on many wine lists in great restaurants locally and throughout the Bay Area, as well in Southern California.”
It isn’t surprising to see why the winery’s Zinfandel has attracted the attention of many wine palates. From the two varietals the winery produces, the Zinfandel has become the most popular wine due to the appellation where it’s grown. “It is natural to grow and produce this wine. We have been doing it for four generations and have a reputation for Zinfandel,” says Shelly. “We are proud to represent this varietal and find it rewarding to educate people about this grape, and see them enjoy the great drinking, food-friendly wine it produces.”
This year marks the third year in a row that the winery has won Best Zinfandel in the annual NorthBay biz readers’ poll. Everyone at the winery, says Shelly, is ecstatic to have won once again. “It is an honor to be voted on by your peers and consumers. To have that support is a great feeling. The best reward for a winemaker is to see people enjoying the fruits of their labor,” she says. “It is really a team effort by everyone from the vineyard to the cellar and tasting room, and being recognized for it motivates us to keep doing what we are doing.” Shelly believes the winery has won Best Zinfandel for the third consecutive year because of the wine’s consistency. They are skilled in stewarding the vines, and they know what makes them grow best. “Our winemaking style has come from four generations of experience, and we have always prioritized quality over quantity.” Shelly, her family and the winery’s employees appreciate the support they have received from customers, restaurants and the community, which makes Sonoma County a great area to be a part of!
Photos courtesy of A. Rafanelli Winery
