Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery

Raffaldini was probably the vineyard I was looking forward to visiting the most. The pictures on the website are fantastic and I wanted to see if it looked as good in person or if it was just good marketing. The vineyard is a little off the beaten path so you have to drive out into the country for a little bit. The roads are well marked with signs that make it easy to find.As you get close to the vineyard there are some pretty run down single wide trailers which is pretty ironic, because when you make the turn and can see the vineyard it is stunning. It is very obvious they put a lot of thought and a LOT of money into the design of Raffaldini. I didn't get a shot as nice as the one below so I borrowed it from their website.

The Villa (tasting room) and the vineyard are spectacular. The villa is sitting atop a gorgeous knob with fantastic views. The drive up the knob leads through the vineyard, which has an awesome fountain separating the entry driveway from the exit. Then it follows past the villa, the Fattoria (special event center) and the rose gardens. Everything is meticulously landscaped and absolutely beautiful. I really never thought anything like this existed in North Carolina. Even if you're not into wine, it is worth a visit just for the scenery.

Raffaldini focuses on Italian style wines and grows a lot of Italian varietals such as Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Vermintino. Their tasting room is as nice on the inside as it is on the outside. Their wines are pretty solid throughout the line up with no real disappointments. I even kind of liked their Pinot Grigio, and normally I do not care for PG. I enjoyed the other 2 whites, the 2008 Vermintino and the 2008 Fiori. Both are dry in style. I had never tried the Vermintino grape before and I believe that Raffaldini may be the only place that grows it on the entire east coast. It was unique and I'd like to see some other vineyards take a shot at growing it. I ended up buying the Fiori which is a blend of 56% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier 11% Pinot Grigio and 3% Orange Moscato. It has tropical fruits on the nose and I even seemed to get some apricot. It has a dry crisp finish and can stand on its own. However, as I found out once we got back home it really shines with food. I'll go into more detail in a Food & Wine Pairing post later. Unfortunately, this is going to be the last vintage of this wine so if you want to try it you better grab it now.

Raffaldini's motto is "Chianti in the Carolinas" so they take their reds seriously. Their Sangiovese (Chianti) was actually pretty good. I would even say it compares well to most $10 - 13 Italian Chiantis. I also liked the Montepulciano. I had never had this grape on its own before, only as a blend. For me the real star of the reds was the Urbano, a blend of the Sangiovese and Montepulciano. It will probably be even better after another year of aging, but it is really good right now. It has cherries and dark chocolate on the nose. Those flavors are also evident on the palate along with some oak. I think it will definitely shine with some italian dishes and red meats. I grabbed a bottle that I plan on keeping for 6 months to a year to let it age a little more. We were unable to try the Bella Misto because they were sold out. However I did learn they do something really cool with this wine. They run blending trials over several weeks in November and December where for $15 you get a 2hr blending session led by Jay Raffaldini. They use the feed back and blending percentages from the best participants to help them determine the next years blend. It is a chance to learn a lot and play winemaker for the day. I wasn't able to make it this year, but I'm already putting this on my calendar for next year.

Bottom line: Visit Raffaldini, it is stunning. All of the wines are reasonably priced, they have a decent selection of cheeses, fruits, snacks,etc. to have a perfect pinic on their beautiful patio. Here is a shot of Traci near the patio, showing the amazing view (of the hills and her :) ) and the complementary pasta salad.