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RAFAEL et FILS, Estate Grown, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District

Napa Valley, United States 2012 (750mL)
$54.00
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RAFAEL et FILS, Estate Grown, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District

When I moved to the Napa Valley a little over a year ago, I was determined to explore every nook and cranny of the wine culture here. There’s no substitute for seeing where a wine is made; it offers insight you can’t get just tasting on your own.
To climb Mount Veeder, for example, and taste at Mayacamas Vineyards is a game-changer for anyone, but it’s not just the legends that captivate me – it’s the relative unknowns who pop out of nowhere and blow your mind. I had one such encounter (one of many lately) when I met Marc Rafael, whose family has been quietly crafting small quantities of wine in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Although Marc’s father, Georg, first acquired the property in 1984, only recently did Marc come on board to expand sales and recognition of his family’s passion project. Their beautifully crafted 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is exactly what I’m after in the Napa Valley: it is well-proportioned, well-priced, and above all, authentic – an appealingly pure expression of Cabernet that emphasizes balance over bombast.
If you’ll indulge me another baseball reference, this is the crafty starting pitcher with a whole suite of different pitches to get hitters out, not the 100-m.p.h. closer whose overpowering fastball is his only weapon. There are lots of 100-m.p.h. fastballers in the Napa Cabernet world, with price tags to match. To encounter a wine like Rafael’s is such a pleasant departure, both economically and stylistically. It’s an artisan wine, not a “cult” wine.

German-born Georg Rafael was a successful hotelier, a principal at Regent International Hotels and the founder of the Rafael Group, a boutique hotel collection. His travels throughout Europe and the US (particularly the San Francisco Bay Area) sparked his already considerable passion for wine, and when the opportunity arose to acquire property in Western Oak Knoll, he grabbed it. Previously used for ranching, the steep-pitched site sits at the base of the Mayacamas Range, with good elevation and drainage. Initially the Rafaels sold Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to other producers, but in 1996 they began releasing wines under their own label. It’s still a family affair, at a decidedly artisanal scale: they only produce about 1,500 cases a year in total.

And they don’t just pay lip service to the “Old World” (read: restrained) style of winemaking. This 2012 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 22 months in French oak, yet it is neither over-extracted nor especially “oaky.” One of the reasons for this is the Rafaels’ decision to hold their wines back for an extended period before release, which has clearly benefited this wine greatly: the oak is well integrated and the aromatics have had a chance to really blossom. The texture is silky and elegant.

In the glass, it’s reliably ruby-purple and opaque, but on the nose, I get as much red fruit as black: red and black currant, red and black cherry, red and black raspberry. There’s a deep and evocative, earthy side to it as well, with scents of tobacco leaf, wet gravel, and anise rounding out the very perfumed aromatic profile. It’s full-bodied and extremely satisfying, but there’s great tension and energy to it as well; it doesn’t wear you out after one glass. With about a half-hour in a decanter this wine opens up nicely, but I can see it aging with ease for another five years or more. And whereas so much California Cabernet is almost too sweet to pair effectively with food, this wine’s mix of subtlety and savor would make it a great partner to a juicy grilled ribeye and some of Cabernet’s other classic companions. If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, uncork it alongside a swanky duck preparation like this one.

Finally, it’s not enough to say that you won’t find this at your local retailer, or at a restaurant (save for a very few in California). Everyone loves the exclusive, the under-the-radar, etc., but that’s just a little bonus here. I’m recommending the wine because it’s really good. In a category where I’m often left scratching my head at the $100-plus price tags, here’s a wine that, in the Rafaels’ words, “under-promises and over-delivers.” That’s the cult I want to be in.
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Country
United States
Region
Napa Valley
Sub-Region
United StatesOak Knoll District
Soil
Various
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol
14.0
OAK
60% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
30-60 Minutes
Pairing
Duck Breast with Cherries

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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