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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.6 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 202 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by IndyTom on 9/23/2020 & rated 88 points: A bit long in the tooth. Popped and poured. Still looks young, with no bricking on the edges. The taste, however, showed that it is declining a bit. Probably should have given it time to breathe, although it didn't seem to evolve over the two or three hours while the bottle was consumed. (1234 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 5/16/2020 flawed bottle: The bottle was corked. (1307 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 4/20/2020 & rated 89 points: Flavorful wine, but the flavors are not very focused. Spicy, and also alcohol got away from them and somewhat hot. Medium length. (1289 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 1/10/2020 & rated 94 points: Thick rich full bodied cherry fruit bomb. And we loved it. When the cork broke I feared the worst but it held the seal. (1423 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 6/30/2019 & rated 92 points: Very similar to my last bottle 6 months ago. Drink up. (1756 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 6/1/2019 & rated 93 points: I haven’t had this in 7-1/2 years, but it’s hitting full stride today. At almost 12 years, this is mature, but still shows a youthful color and appearance: clear, deep ruby, no signs of bricking. Pronounced and complex aromas and flavors: beautiful purple violets, spicy red currant, cocoa powder, stewed red plum, dried red cherry, ground cinnamon, dried red earth, mixed herbs, decaying oak mulch, and some dried leaves. Tannin, acid, and fruit all in perfect balance. Follows through with a huge and long finish. Stood up to a grilled Ribeye steak. An outstanding California Merlot, this will not benefit from further cellaring, but it could drink well for another 2-3 years if cellared properly. (955 views) | | | Tasted by norsktorsk on 4/18/2019 & rated 92 points: This is drinking very nice at the moment. (921 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 2/23/2019 & rated 93 points: Aging really well - only needed about 2 hours to fully flesh out and integrate everything. Classic merlot fruit and nose. Finish was nice but not epic. This wine has a suede mouthfeel and coats nicely. Fun! (1105 views) | | | Tasted by acorelli on 12/25/2017: nice, but not complex. 90ish (1893 views) | | | Tasted by wine4lux on 12/22/2017 & rated 91 points: Last bottle from Shafer’s 2007 vintage merlot. Served with grilled lamb in a tamarind glaze. The old merlot still had enough fruit, acidity and structure to hang with a complex dish with a lot of flavors. That said, this vintage is starting to fade away, the finish is shorter and the tannins are fading. Drink up soon as it still is a solid merlot. (1529 views) | | | Tasted by callmeacab22 on 12/31/2016 & rated 90 points: Big and powerful, either at it's peak or a bit beyond. A fantastic wine but drink now. (3610 views) | | | Tasted by Tige on 8/22/2016 & rated 88 points: Un bon merlot mais c'est un peu sucré et lourd. Je recommande de prévoir un plat sucré pour accompagner ce vin. QPR pas très intéressant. (4440 views) | | | Tasted by tastark on 7/7/2016: Whoa, this is a big wine. Clocking in at 14.9% ABV, the alcohol is definitely noticeable, bordering on hot. The fruit is lush and ripe. The oak is well integrated. Had the ABV come in a little lower, this would've been a much more pleasant experience. (4630 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 5/3/2016 & rated 91 points: WIML91
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of cassis, plum and black pepper. Flavors of plum,, black berries and black raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, medium to full bodied. Drink over the next few years. (4344 views) | | | Tasted by JBD on 4/19/2016 & rated 93 points: Really fabulous. (4235 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 4/19/2016: At peak. Last of six bottles purchased years ago. Oddly perhaps, though it's drinking very well, we didn't love it. We have this now because we appreciate aged wines, but there was a nerve in the younger bottles that this wine, elegant as it is now, lacks. (2265 views) | | | Tasted by gigmoney on 4/1/2016: Pnp. Cellared since release. No need to wait on these. This is ready to go. Tannins are nearly non-existent and the fruit is velvety soft yet powerfully complex. A great merlot. This wine leaves me speechless. We cellar wine for a reason, and catching wines in their optimal zone is what i reach for. I reached correctly on this night. This one is certainly in my zone. Drink now and for the next year. (1569 views) | | | Tasted by Hawk94 on 3/13/2016 & rated 93 points: It gets a lot better than my last bottle. Superb nose with sweet plum, berries, licorice. Very powerful, sweet tannins, firm structure, meaty and chucky, but still very smooth, complex mid palate with waves of dark fruits, herbs, licorice, coffee mocha, balanced with delicious acidity. Overall impression - powerful but still soft. A great wine! (1391 views) | | | Tasted by Steve&Carolyn on 11/14/2015 & rated 92 points: Red brick in appearance with great legs. Fragrances of blackberry and violets. From the moment the fragrance washed over us we knew we were in the presence of a great wine. The wine is very balanced with black fruits and spices.Well integrated and could age longer but is delicious as is. No one guessed it was a Merlot. (1526 views) | | | Tasted by Eags25 on 10/12/2015 & rated 92 points: Big but elegant - still great fruit and long finish. Excellent. (1621 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 9/25/2015 & rated 90 points: Dark, sweet cherry, medium finish (1669 views) | | | Tasted by TXtea on 7/29/2015 & rated 89 points: With Vivian & Peter & Ebiz (1859 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoffalstaff on 7/27/2015 & rated 91 points: Brubron and evanrose have this just right. Californian merlot at its luscious best. Not the most complex wine but just lovely. (1884 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 7/10/2015 & rated 93 points: Thick, rich and luscious. (1549 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 3/21/2015 & rated 93 points: Fruit forward, long, lush mouth feel, good finish (1668 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By David Lawrason
WineAlign (3/8/2012)
(Shafer Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (9/29/2010)
(Shafer Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (9/23/2010)
(Shafer Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2010, IWC Issue #150
(Shafer Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/24/2012)
(Shafer Merlot) Medium ruby color; ripe, rich berry, black fruit, French oak nose; ripe black fruit, blackberry, French oak palate; needs 2-3 years for oak to integrate; medium-plus finish (85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20 mos. in French oak, 75% new; 14.9% alcohol) 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Shafer Producer website
John Shafer and his family founded Shafer Vineyards, located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, in 1979. From the Shafers' first wine, a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon,
their wines have won much acclaim. Today, the Shafers farm 200 acres of vineyard in the Stags Leap District, Carneros and Oak Knoll regions. Their flagship wine, Hillside Select,
is produced from selected blocks of the family's hillside vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. They also produce Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Merlot, One Point Five
(Cabernet Sauvignon) and Relentless (a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend), which was named #1 wine of the year by Wine Spectator's "Top 100" of 2012.MerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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