96
points
Shafer 2009 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay (Carneros)
- Editors' Choice
- Online Exclusive
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$48
Shafer consistently produces one of the biggest, fruitiest Chardonnays in California, and yet the wine remains balanced and interesting. The 2009 Red Shoulder Ranch is gigantic in pineapples, pears, mangoes, tangerines and honey, yet so minerally and crisp that somehow it finishes dry.
— S.H.
(10/1/2011)
95
points
Shafer 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
-
$55
Enormously rich in crème de cassis, cherry pie and cocoa flavors, which many Cabs have these days. But what’s so special is the tannic structure, which is world class, and could only come from a premier Napa vineyard. This is an amazingly delicious wine, a joy to drink, but it’s best enjoyed now and for a year or three, to appreciate its youthful opulence.
— S.H.
(9/1/2006)