The Rafanelli Family

Alberto & Letizia Rafanelli founded A. Rafanelli Winery in the early 1900s, when they settled in the Healdsburg area with their family after immigrating from Italy and started growing grapes and making wine. After Prohibition, Alberto and Letizia’s son Americo was soon carrying on the tradition. He moved the winery to its current location in Dry Creek Valley in the early 1950s and began to focus on the cultivation of premium Zinfandel grapes. In the early 1970s, Americo offered his first commercial wine release with the iconic A. Rafanelli Winery label. Following in Americo’s footsteps, his son David earned his degree in Viticulture from UC Davis and began working at Lambert Bridge Winery. When Americo passed away in 1986, David and his wife Patty took over the family’s winery and began to seek out the best land to plant more varietals for their portfolio. Their eldest daughter Shelly graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1996 and worked side-by-side with her father until becoming the head winemaker in 2000. With the help of her husband Craig Fehlman, who manages their vineyards, along with her sister, Stacy, who oversees the daily operations at the winery, they carry on the family tradition.