It’s always a good day when new review samples from Shafer Vineyards arrive. The days I get to taste them are even better. Below are reviews of the latest wines from Shafer, including the stellar 2014 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon.

2015 Shafer Relentless Napa Valley 95 15.8% 750ml $95

Opaque purple in the glass and satisfyingly savory on the nose with aromas of black olive, licorice, dark spice, leather, dry sage and bay, lavender, and black plum. The palate is voluptuous and richly textured with extremely long, intense flavors which include syrupy dark fruit and dark chocolate alongside the appetizing olive, licorice, spice, leather, and sage. The tannins are fine and chalky, the alcohol completely balanced by fruit. 90% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah. Drink now through 2028

2016 Shafer TD-9 Napa Valley 93 15.3% 750ml $60

Appetizing aromas of bing cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg waft from this inky, purple-black blend of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec. It has medium-plus body in the mouth with matching tannins which are very fine, plush and softly chalky. Flavors include jammy bing cherry, savory spice, dark chocolate, espresso, heavily toasted oak, redwood, plus nuances of raspberry and ripe red cherry. It finishes warm and juicy. I found the texture most enjoyable before decanting. So drink it straight from the bottle now or hold it for up to a decade.

2016 Shafer One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley 94+ 15.3% 750ml $95

This is a rich and sensual wine, deeply colored with lovely, thick tannins and ripe, syrupy fruit—black cherry, red cherry, blueberry, and blackberry—plus spice and chocolate on the palate. Body is medium-plus and tannins which are very soft fine, and mostly powdery. They don’t impede the intense flavors a bit and there’s excellent harmony between that texture, the fruit, and buoyant acidity. Don’t hurry past the nose though. It’s a delight, full of ripe and briary blackberry, graham cracker, and Chaparral. Drink now through 2035.

2014 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley 97+ 15.5% 750ml $295

An absolutely superb wine, decadent but well-structured, extremely long, rich and juicy. The nose is very generous with loads of briary blackberry, ripe black currant, iron, dried thyme and sage, dried violets, redwood, spice, and unsweetened licorice. The palate is intense, powerful and full-bodied, but no punch to the jaw. The ripe black currant, briary blackberry, savory spice, chaparral, mocha, and chocolate mousse flavors come in soft waves. The texture is very fine and soft with just a touch of graininess. And there’s enough acidity to refresh and make you want another sip (when the finish finally subsides). This is a great wine, which will be good with a meal but could pass for either main course or dessert on its own. Drink any time you like. It will outlast most anyone’s willpower.

Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch Carneros 94+ 14.9% 750ml $52

Lemon-green in the glass with irresistible aromas of yellow apple, mango, and baking spice. The palate has medium-plus body but also a fascinating, fine-boned structure which focuses the explosive flavors of mango, green apple, baking spice, pear, honeysuckle, apricot and prevents even the slightest fatigue. The finish is dry and clean, the alcohol completely hidden within the long, delicious fruit. Drink now through 2025.

Previous Shafer Vineyards Reviews Here

Shafer Vineyards Current Releases (Feb 2019)

2015 Red Shoulder Ranch (June 2017)

2014 Shafer One Point Five (May 2017)

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Photos courtesy of Shafer Vineyards/Russ Widstrand. All rights reserved.