3994874773586
$ 309.99
98+ points Parker
Shafer's famous Hillside Select Cabernet, one of California's legendary Cabs - extremely limited.
98+ Points Robert Parker: "Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select comes bounding out of the glass with gregarious scents of crème de cassis, warm black cherries, plum preserves and Indian spices with hints of lilacs, garrigue, stewed tea and cigar box plus a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied, rich, boldly fruited and wildly decadent, it has a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with loads of earthy and savory layers...
98 Points James Suckling: "There’s an intensely ripe, fresh and vibrant edge to this focused, elegant and assertively pure cabernet that delivers attractive blueberry and cassis aromas in stylish form. The palate arrives as a precise and focused suite of ripe blueberry and blackberry flavors, building smoothly to an attractively crisp and even-paced finish. Another superb edition of this wine. Drink or hold."
....Shafer’s Hillside Estate Vineyard consists of 54 acres all on steep, amphitheater-like, rocky outcroppings and knolls. It receives the full benefit of southeasterly sunlight, and enjoys the afternoon breezes that blow up from the San Francisco Bay channel. An unusual geographic feature, this vineyard is basically a box canyon. The top soil is virtually non-existent as the bed roots that go into the white tofu volcanic soil base rarely extend more than 18 inches before hitting bedrock. This no doubt is a significant reason for the intense flavors achieved by the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, and why it is able to spend 32 months in 100% new French oak without a woody taste."
$ 28.99
Brand new white release from the famed winemaking duo of Shafer Vineyards Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez and their new label Eight Four. Limited.
95 Points Wine Enthusiast "Editor's Choice": "This new project of Elias Fernandez and Doug Shafer, of Shafer Vineyards, continues to impress with this standout variety, sourced from Carneros, where the duo planted four acres of the variety a few years back. It's achingly pretty and substantive - exotic, complex and lingering, with sizzling acidity. Peach and honeysuckle stand out , while the texture is so sublime, you'll simply want more."
Winery Notes: The whole reason Eighty Four Wines exists is to explore what Napa Valley can produce with newcomer grape varieties. Albariño has been at the top of our list since the beginning. We love the clean acidity and the direct purity of the wines from Spain and wanted to see what the grape would do here. In 2012 we planted four acres in Napa Valley’s Carneros District and this is our first harvest. We gave it just four months on the lees in stainless steel barrels — no oak, no malolactic fermentation – so that the resulting wine would be fruity and refreshing. We’re pleased with the result and hope you are too.
Winemaker Elias Fernandez: “This is springtime in a bottle. The aromas and flavors are silky, sunny citrus blossom, white peach, honeysuckle, and dried apricot with a touch of lavender. Thanks to the lively acidity and austere minerality this abundance of fruit is clean and energetic from start to finish.
$ 48.00
Doug Shafer & Elias Fernandez are the well-known winemaking team behind Shafer Vineyars who produce some of Napa Valley's best wines including the legendary Hillside Select. Their new small-production label, Eighty Four, represents the year they started making wine together. The first few years were challenging – experimenting, working long hours, learning from mistakes, pushing to make the best wines they could. This wine represents two friends going full circle – making wine together, trying new things, doing what they love. That's the spirit they are trying to recapture in their new label. The Malbec is a stunner but extremely limited.
Malbec is a relative newcomer to Napa Valley and we have loved the challenge of taking on something new. With this latest vintage we are pleased with the wine’s deep color, lifted aromas, and vibrant flavors. We give it 20 months in 75% new oak to allow it to take on a bit of heft and richness and to speak purely of its varietal character, a generous mix of black and red fruit.
Winemaker Doug Shafer & Elias Fernandez Notes: Petite Sirah has a long history in Napa Valley. We first became acquainted with it in the 1970s as a homemade wine that local grape growers made and stored in their barns and basements. The wine can be a burly wall-of-flavor unless tamed to allow its subtler, delicious dimensions and inherent elegance emerge. Toward that end we aged this wine for nearly four years in new French oak and another year in bottle prior to its release.
$ 49.99 $ 54.99
Shafer's Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is one of California's finest examples of this varietal - don't miss it while it's available.
94 Points Wine Enthusiast: "This is a perennially impressive wine, floral in a heady perfume of white roses. Fresh and fleshy, the expansive palate offers concentrated flavors of kiwi and pineapple. The wine was largely fermented in oak, then aged just over a year in French oak (75% new). It holds the oak well, ending bright in juicy acidity."
previous vintage 93 Points Robert Parker: "First, their non-malolactic Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch comes from a cool-climate vineyard in Carneros. This is aged in 75% oak casks and 25% stainless steel, which seems to be the perfect marriage for showcasing this wine’s rich fruit. The wine has loads of tangerine oil, citrus blossom, a hint of apples and orange marmalade. The oak is subtle, the wine medium to full-bodied, pure and rich. (This is the official tasting note, but I shared two bottles with some friends of mine at the casual Market restaurant in St. Helena, and it was a huge hit.)"
“…one of the best non-malolactic, barrel-fermented Chardonnays in California …”
The Wine Advocate