A solid win in the “San Rafael Italian Food” category to celebrate Father’s Day!!

To start, we enjoyed the Falanghina Feudi di San Gregorio Campania 2010 ($35) which paired nicely with my Arancini di Roso (arborio rice croquettes, aged crucolo, saffron cayenne aioli, chili and basil oil). For my main course, I ordered the Pollo alla Davide (roasted ½ rocky range chicken, zucchini, wild mushrooms, risotto, demi-glaze). The main course portions were so huge and satisfying, and enough made it into the doggie bag for a delicious lunch for a couple of days later. We brought the Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel 2000 ($50, 92pt Parker) with us which did not disappoint.

The year was 1899 when Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli  planted three acres of Zinfandel in the little town of Forestville. The special site they chose was a 60-degree slope with a southeastern exposure. The old vineyard is now known as Jackass Hill and remains the steepest non-terraced hillside vineyard in Sonoma County. Almost 100 years later Giuseppe and Luisa’s grandson, Lee Martinelli Sr., followed in their footsteps by planting a Zinfandel vineyard. The site of the Jackass Hill vineyard is very unique but Lee believed in the great quality of the scion. He grafted budwood from the centurion vines onto devigorating rootstocks. The fruit samples are then brought to the winery lab where wine maker Helen Turley (wine consultant and guru in California) tastes the juice and decides when to pick according to the flavor concentration. The 2010 Giuseppe and Luisa Zinfandel was bursting with aromas of boysenberry, brambly strawberry, and nectarine fruit. This is a supple Zinfandel with velvety blackberry and flinty plum flavors and a richness that fills your mouth and lingers.

We received first class service from the owner David and our waiter Rick! Happy father’s day, Dad!!