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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 38 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 5/13/2016 & rated 91 points: Definitely better than the last couple of times we have had it. Deep and dark ruby red with garnet edges and a little bit of sediment. Forest floor on the nose accompanied with dark berries. Fruit forward with an attack of cassis with some undertones of truffles and other earthy/rustic notes. Moderate tannins (7/10) with a smooth medium body. Actually a bit of dark cocoa too. Moderate plus furry finish. Shafer does not disappoint! Drink till 2019. (3387 views) | | | Tasted by cuffthis on 10/16/2015 & rated 91 points: Brick red in color, this wine showed faded aromas of coffee, baking chocolate and black tea on the nose. The mouth feel was soft with added hints of cola and red berry compote. The finish was medium in length with the acidity and spices holding the faded fruits in the background.
A recent gift from my Boss's wine cellar, this wine needs to be drunk immediately. Although it has lost most of its fruit, the secondary flavors make it still enjoyable. Barely. (3671 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 8/23/2015 & rated 89 points: Light to medium body.
Brownish red hue.
Light fruit on nose.
Intriguing and enjoyable (3853 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 8/23/2015 & rated 89 points: Very light fruit in the nose. Showing its age with brown brick color. Mid palate I almost thought it was going to turn into a dessert wine. Thankfully it did not though a strong fruity mid palate. For me past its optimal prime. Drinkable and a refined lighter merlot now (3819 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 11/2/2014 & rated 88 points: Nothing appealing initially with smell. Smooth and great with filet and grilled chicken. (4311 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 10/31/2014 & rated 91 points: Initial nose was disconcerting and made me dislike it initially. Barnyard and distracting. Decanted for 30 mins and the improvement was significant. Smooth and balanced tannins 6/10. Light fruit came through slightly on the nose. A hint of brick color starting. Drink as a lighter bodied ready to drink wine now. (2176 views) | | | Tasted by MoreWinePlease on 11/5/2012 & rated 92 points: Part of a 3-way, including a 2001 Shafer Merlot(92pts), 2002 Zerba Cellars Columbia Valley Merlot (91pts). and a 2001 Etude Merlot(90pts). Initially the Etude and Shafer took front stage with their rich dark fruit/tannin profiles that overshadowed the Zerba and its zestier acid balance, more in the red fruit/red plum direction. After 90 minutes the Etude put on a lot of weight and got richer, albeit heavier as well, whereas the Shafer continued with its bright berried fruit profile to the end. The Zerba turned out more food friendly (paired w/beautifully broiled NY cut steak and fabulous salad of baby greens, goat cheese, red bells and fresh herbs) and balanced too. My favorite was the Shafer, which I gave 92pts. As much as I love great Pinot Noir, especially the best from Oregon and California, I'm reminded how good a fine, well structured Merlot can taste. (3292 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 3/10/2011 & rated 91 points: Really great Shafer Merlot. Still loads of fruit, cherry, a touch of lead. Medium bodied with supple tannins but a long finish. (4368 views) | | | Tasted by Stirling on 3/7/2011 & rated 92 points: Dark red, little fade at the rim. Wonderful bouquet of red fruits, chaerries and plums. The nose literally leaps from the glass and greets you with its blast of ripe fruit flavours. Medium body, smooth, thick, plush mouthfeel. Flavours of plum with hints of vanilla and mocha. I often find Merlot can have subtle hints of spice cake or baking spices. I did not detect any in this wine and my score would have been a point or two higher had I picked up some more nuances or complexity. Overall a delicious and hedonistic wine. At peak now and should be able to hold there for at least another five years. (4428 views) | | | Tasted by Iam Redwood on 3/5/2011 & rated 92 points: very nice berry, tempered by cab and cab franc blend. Wish I had more. (4000 views) | | | Tasted by xtenson on 1/29/2011 & rated 90 points: A very nice merlot...some hints of chocolate and cola on the nose. Rich mouthfeel, just slightly sweet but definitely not into Zin-land. Only complaint is that it was all up front...no lingering mouthfeel, not the most complex wine but man it hit the spot and was quite nice as a late night sipper after a long flight! (4073 views) | | | Tasted by mgl on 4/3/2010 & rated 89 points: Good but not as good as expected based on the other reviews (3092 views) | | | Tasted by Eric on 12/24/2009 & rated 91 points: Mmmm, stellar, textbook Napa Merlot. A little sweet but not beyond interest. Cassis, chocolate and leaf on a rich, expressive nose. Expansive, easy palate of lush red berry and chocolate cover cherries. Slightly drying and still a little tannic on the finish. (4055 views) | | | Tasted by Iam Redwood on 10/10/2009 & rated 90 points: not as berry as i would like for a merlot but a very solid one. (3365 views) | | | Tasted by curtr on 3/8/2009 & rated 91 points: Wow! A special bottle when it comes to merlot. Good depth and character. (3436 views) | | | Tasted by GolferChris on 9/13/2008 & rated 92 points: Lush, ripe and elegant merlot with lots of berry, licorice, dark chocolate and coffee aromas and flavors. Plush mouthfeel with persistent, ripe and juicy finish. (3549 views) | | | Tasted by curtr on 5/12/2008 & rated 91 points: Very tasty merlot. Shafer is one of my favorite merlots. (3527 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 5/3/2008 & rated 91 points: Did not decant and drank tasted this quickly while on the run. Good balance and body with nice fruit on the nose but not at all too strong or overpowering. I am sure that decanting would have taken the slight edge off. (3645 views) | | | Tasted by chicagobagley on 1/23/2007 & rated 92 points: Great wine, sorry I had to finish my last one. Wonderful aromas and a very smooth wine. Still some tannins but much more integrated and smoothed out than I previously remembered this wine. Sorry to see it go, hopefully the 2002 ends up the same way. (4123 views) | | | Tasted by JBVino on 12/29/2006: solid merlot from shafer in 2001...good balance of fruit, tannin and complexity...a little sweet but not too much...main fault to the wine at the stage was its short finish. every other aspect was good, not great, but missed a bit in the finish (4222 views) | | | Tasted by tanglenet on 11/25/2006: Opened not decanted. Bought off the list at the El Dorado CC. No formal notes. Started out a little musty and tight. Morphed into a round and dark tasting wine by the last glass. Very good. (4350 views) | | | Tasted by SimonG on 1/20/2006: A good bouquet, positive attack with good acidity and velvety mouthfeel, full flavour and softish tannins, Well balanced and an excellent food wine. A half bottle consumed at Pied a Terre, London. (5060 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 12/4/2005: Plum and chocolate dark fruit nose. Full-blown lush merlot on the palate but slightly angular which exposes some heat on the finish. Medium-grain tannins and decent weight. Would be better with some decanting. **+/5 (4903 views) | | | Tasted by Lou Briccant on 5/12/2005 & rated 89 points: Decanted for 45 minutes. Ripe fruit and mildly spicy nose. While this is a nice Merlot, I found this bottle to be somewhat "thinner", than my last bottle. On the palate, what was promised by the nose was delivered, only on a reduced scale. Medium bodied. Medium finish. (5212 views) | | | Tasted by Mark on 4/12/2005 & rated 91 points: One of the better vintages of Merlot from Shafer. Structured, full bodied, lots of ripe fruit and great balance. Medium length finish with some powdered mocha. Thoroughly enjoyable. (5306 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, January/Febuary 2004, IWC Issue #112
(Shafer Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley Stags Leap District) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/7/2003)
(Shafer, Merlot Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.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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