Winery - Shafer
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Powerful in the white Burgundy manner, this 100% Chardonnay was aged in 85% new oak and is very ripe. It brims with pineapple tart, tangerine, lime, vanilla-infused crème brûlée and smoky wood flavors, with a firm minerality suggesting the tang of cold steel. Dryness and zesty acidity give it balance and elegance. Now–2010.
Tags:
Shafer Chardonnay - 2007
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A stunning, utterly fantastic wine. Fat and lush, with deep, supple fruit—ripe berries smeared with chocolate—and a long, echoing finish. You could drink it now, but in ten years it will be even more spectacular. Put this up there with the great Napa Cabernets.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Shafer’s ’05 is drier, crisper and more minerally than its predecessors from warmer vintages. You might even call it leaner. But it still shows the elegant balance that always characterizes the wine, with brilliant acidity.
Tags:
Shafer Chardonnay - 2005
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
As of this vintage, Shafer has done away with their Napa Valley Cabernet bottling and replaced it with this proprietarily named 100% Cab. It’s a junior version of Hillside Select, from different vineyards and not as oaky. But it’s nearly as massive in black currants, cherries and carob bean, a dry wine that never loses elegance. Needs a year or so to become less tight and more expressive.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Lavish and opulent, this 100% barrel-fermented wine is oaky, with an ultra-creamy texture and that sweet-and-sour flavor you get from extensive lees aging. The underlying fruit is very sophisticated, suggesting ripe apples. The finish is long and spicy. This wine has depth and offers plenty of interest.
Tags:
Shafer Chardonnay - 2000
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The impression is of a young, tannicly closed but enormously promising Cabernet. Floods the mouth with dramatic black currant, cherry and chocolate flavors, masses of toasty, caramelized new oak, and a rich, minerally earthiness. For all the power, there’s elegance and refinement. If you must drink it now, decant it; best 2008–2015.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Another outstanding Relentless from Shafer. As usual, the wine is massively constructed and extraordinarily rich and deep in flavor, offering waves of grilled blackberries and cherries, red currants, licorice, bacon, cola, black pepper and other spices. The tannins are very big, but completely ripe and sweet. Mainly Syrah, with 16% Petite Sirah, this wine will age, but it’s really best now with hearty foods, like short ribs or lamb.
Tags:
Shafer Red Blend - 2006
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A Merlot that showcases ripe blackberry, cherry and cocoa flavors with lush, sweet tannins. A little soft, but who cares. The oaky overlay merges well. Gentle and drinkable, yet complex and layered.
Tags:
Shafer Merlot - 2002
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This spectacular wine is drinkable now for its softness and finesse, and should hold well for a few years. Floods the mouth with cassis, cherry, cocoa and oaky flavors wrapped in sweetly ripe tannins, and feels sturdy and balanced. Mainly Syrah, with Petite Sirah.
Tags:
Shafer Syrah - 2001
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Extremely well-oaked, with lovely tannins that are soft and gentle, and subtle flavors of blackcurrants and herbs that finish a little thin. It’s a very good wine but certainly not on a par with the magnificent ‘99. Drink now.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
