Raffaele Garbarino Red Blend 2-Pack
$85.99 $165.00 48% off List Price
2008 Raffaele Garbarino, Cinque Terra Vineyard
CT link above
Is the black tie moniker gone now? At this price I’m going to need some notes.
No monkey in a bow tie? Looks worthy…
From a Jennings review on CT from Nov of '11;
(Garbarino Estate Raffaele Cinque Terra Vineyard) Dark red violet color; complex, cigar box, tart plum, ripe currant nose; tasty, ripe currant, iodine, very tart black fruit, light cedar palate; medium finish (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Tannat) but only an 87 if you count points.
A lot can happen in four years.
At this tariff, lets hope for some current notes.
And only an AbV in specs.
WD, you can do better than this (on the minimal specs).
That iodine note is not a good flavor if it is true.
I have no idea what iodine would taste or smell like. How would Jennings be able to pick that out that odd ball note.
Good morning from So Cal:
Last Friday I got a visit from my “little Pal” all deck out in a top hat and tails, he handed me a bottle of Raffaele Garbarino and scurried away. Oh man I was pumped.
1st off being full blooded Italian I loved this label, reminds me of my Grandfather Sebastiano Montalto who immigrated from Sicily around 1910.
Knowing it was up for sale Wednesday, I sat down to open this “bad boy” yesterday, 1st of all it’s cool looking with the wax “foil” but is a real pain in the rear to open, after about 3 or 4 minutes I finally got the wax removed, shavings all over the counter and floor. Cork looked fine at the top, but completely fell apart as I tried to remove it, In fact my auto corkscrew couldn’t eject the cork so I had to dig it out, Hum not a good sign.
1 st taste direct pour from the bottle, real nice deep red color, but appeared a little “dirty” not as clear as I expected. Lovely Bouquet, swirl produced some decent legs I expected more than I saw. On the palate very dry wine with some tobacco, smoke and Blackberries flavors. But a definite bitter after taste, a familiar after taste couldn’t quite place it. Expected a more robust body from the deep color.
2nd taste ran through my Vinturi, major change to the wine, much, much smoother and drinkable, but that familiar after taste still exist. Had the wife try both glasses, she though the 1st pour was just awful, agreed 2nd pour was much more mellow but still didn’t like at all.
That after taste………. A “bad bottle”??? or has the drinking window passed on this vintage?? Not really sure.
Couldn’t drink anymore and left about 2/3’s of the bottle and re corked to maybe try another day.
Rjquillin mentioned a review from 2011 where this wine got an 87 rating, at the price point I expected a heck of a lot more from this wine. He also said “a lot can happen in four years” and sdfreedive’s comment on the iodine rang true. I’m no connoisseur of wines like many on here, I’m just an average Joe who knows what I like.
Seeing prices from $75 to $110 for this wine on line I expected something at least on par with Ardente, if not a step above, not even close.
This is a definite pass for me, not worth the risk of getting 2 bottles at $86 and having them both like the rattage bottle I received.
Truly bummed 
Thanks for the honest review. That’s what we need here and the community generally steps up to give good honest thoughtful notes.
On a side note in blind tastings more expensive wines don’t generally fare better and often times fare worse for the average wine consumer. Find what you like don’t worry about price.
It is a well designed bottle though. Good shape choice, nice old school label and a nice looking but completely annoying to remove wax seal.
Have we ever discussed how a wax top impacts the permeability of corks on a offer before? I don’t recall it if we have.
Foil vs wax vs bare cork? If I want to lay a bottle down for 20 years how does the enclosure covering impact the overall aging of the wine?
No iodine in this wine!!! It is a beautiful BORDEAUX blend, all the grapes are hand picked from the estate vineyard and grapes are hand pressed. It has won a Silver Medal and Best of Class, amonst other awards.
It is my absolute favorite wine at the winery-for special occasions I always bring this, so I was sad to see you did not enjoy it. I honestly have not had one person try it and not like it 
It is a big bold red and may not be to your palette ?
We would like to replace that bottle for you -please email me and let me know your address
This wine is FABULOUS-is drinkin well now and can be laid down for 10-15 years. It is a complex with multiple layers.
The packaging has special significance- it is our owners great grandfather’s passport picture on the back, and his signature on the front. The family originally came from a village close to Cinque Terra.
It doesn’t. There’s a persistent myth that cork should be permeable to allow wine to “breathe”. That’s not true. If your cork is permeable, your wine is ruined. A perfect cork is a perfect seal, but few corks are perfect, so you assume some small amount of air exchange and add sulfur. And the air doesn’t go through the cork, it comes from the cork.
As far as the Jennings note - who is he? An amateur who goes to some trade tastings, tastes a few dozen wines in an hour, and writes notes. I go to the same tastings because I’m in the business and for 25 years have never posted a tasting note. He doesn’t know what he means by iodine any more than we do.
This bottle can be laid down for 10-15 years but it is awesome right now! Good question about the wax…I feel it would help the seal but will get further insight from our winemaker and get back to you…here is the website for the full story on this wine…it is our estate grown Bordeaux
Thank you for the input on the wax! You will really appreciate this wine and how it is made- it has many layers, I like to call it complicated 
It is a BIG -but BORDEAUX…not to everyone’s palette but worth a try.
Great question. I’ve often wondered the same thing (especially when I get pseudo-concerned about bottled that have bare corks, like Halcon, etc.). I also agree with Fred’s thoughts regarding the wax-sealed corks. They look uber fancy but are a huge pain in the rear to open.
What would you like to know? I am happy to provide as much informtion as I can.
This is a Bordeaux blend made with Cab Sauv, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Cab Franc and Tannat.
Is is not sold in any stores , and has a “cult following” lol. We have people come to the tasting room just to buy this.
The wine was aged for 30-36 months in new and used French oak. Then it was bottle aged for two years.
It is a wine with multiple dimensions, each time you taste it you get something different. This is a food wine, as it is big! That being said I still like a glass before dinner
My boss and his wife maintain the vineyards by hand. Let me know if you want to know more about this…
I am happy to provide additional stats…just let me know what you want to know…
Thanks for your thoughts on the seal type. I think many in the industry would disagree with you though.
As for Jennings, you got it right as far as his amateur status, he does tasting as a hobby not a job but I have often found his brief notes to be pretty spot on. He is very prolific though and last I checked had the most notes in CT by a fair margin.
Thanks for your participation.
As a Bordeaux blend, what style of wine were you going for?
I noticed the reference to Haut Brion on your website. Is there a particular region within Bordeaux which you attempt to emulate?