Five decades after John Shafer planted himself and his family in the Napa Valley, Shafer Vineyards is widely regarded as one of America’s great wineries. Shafer occupies prime vineyard sites on the steep, rugged, volcanic slopes of Stags Leap. Low vigour rootstocks and clones planted on low fertility hillside sites lead to low yields of small, intensely concentrated grapes; it is an extremely quality-focussed approach. Winemaker Elias Fernandez marries the meticulous vineyard management with a regime of minimal intervention in the winery. Recent tweaks in the vineyard have seen increasing freshness and vigour express themselves through the lush Napa fruit – and these wines have always had a fiery, savoury, mineral bass note from the volcanic soils.

TD-9 is the Shafer calling card red, mainly Cabernet/Merlot; the quirky name references the brand of tractor John Shafer drove when he first started laying out vineyards. One Point Five is a classy Cabernet. Relentless is a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend from Vaca Mountain sites, named in honour of Elias’ approach to quality. From Carneros in Napa’s cool south-eastern corner comes the zesty, high-energy, citrus-and-stonefruit Red Shoulder Chardonnay.

Above all, Shafer is known for Hillside Select, one of California’s defining wines. It is produced from the vineyard blocks around and above the winery, the sites that originally drew John Shafer to the valley. 2021 was a Napa Valley classic, with the long stretches of warm days and cool nights allowing maximum fruit expression. /NT