With nearly 150 years of winegrowing history in Sonoma County, Mayacama is proud to have a roster of Vintner Members that represent the future of this great region while also championing ones that provide us with a glimpse into the county's storied past.

The Rafanelli family (Vintner Members since 2018) has been growing grapes and making wine in Sonoma County since the early 1900s. It was then that Alberto and Letizia Rafanelli founded A. Rafanelli Winery after immigrating from Italy and settling in the Healdsburg area.

The business was predominately a grape growing operation at first, with little wine even being produced and none being sold commercially.

After prohibition, Alberto and Letizia's son Americo showed interest in the family endeavor and soon found himself carrying on the tradition.

In the 1950s, Americo moved the winery to its current location in the Dry Creek Valley, where he shifted focus to growing premium Zinfandel grapes. Two decades later, A. Rafanelli released its first commercial bottling of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.

Americo's son David eventually took the reins and, along with his wife Patty, continued to develop the business into a world-class winery.

Today, while the family's flagship bottling is largely considered the benchmark for Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, A. Rafanelli also hangs its hat on Bordeaux varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

As fate would have it, David and Patty's eldest daughter, Shelly, took a heavy interest in the family business from a young age. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she worked side-by-side with her father, learning the ins and outs of winemaking and viticulture in Sonoma County. Shelly would go on to become head winemaker in 2000.

Staying true to the term "family-run operation," Shelly's sister, Stacy, is currently in charge of daily operations at the winery, and her husband, Craig Fehlman, is the Vineyard Manager.

Today's Mayacama Wine Offer is certainly a special one considering the extremely small quantity of wine made by Shelly and her family each and every vintage. To that end, it is an honor to be able to provide our members with access to three very limited A. Rafanelli bottlings, all of which are not even available for purchase outside of the winery.

Please note, because of the limited nature of the wines, we are limiting the number of bottles sold to each member.

As always, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions regarding today’s offer. Thank you for your support!

Cheers!

Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director

Sparkling Wine, Blanc de Blancs, Dry Creek Valley NV - $75 (2-bottle limit)

Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley 2017 - $65 (Only 120 bottles available)

Estate Blend, Dry Creek Valley 2019 - $70

Click here for more information regarding the wines.