2023 releases from Stag's Leap
Five decades after John Shafer planted himself and his family in the Napa Valley, Shafer Vineyards is widely regarded as one of America's and the world's great wineries. It's about hard work, and trial and error, and sticking with it - and it's also about top vineyard sites, on the rugged, volcanic slopes that look up to the Stags Leap Palisades. It was the efforts and achievements of the Shafers that led to Stag's Leap being defined as an AVA (American Viticultural Area).
Low fertility hillside sites have always been the priority here, along with low vigour rootstocks and clones; it is a quality-focussed approach that leads to low yields of small, intensely concentrated grapes. TD-9 is the Shafer calling card red; the quirky name references the brand of tractor John Shafer drove when he first started laying out vineyards. One Point Five is a classy pure Cabernet. Relentless is a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend from Vaca Mountain sites, named in honour of long-term winemaker Elias Fernandez, who is notoriously relentless in refusing to allow anything to stand in the way of top-quality wines (including yours truly - I got a fearsomely dirty look when I accidentally blocked his path in the winery). And from Carneros in Napa's cool south-eastern corner comes the zesty, high-energy, citrus-and-stonefruit Red Shoulder Chardonnay.
But more than anything else, Shafer is known for Hillside Select, one of America's defining wines. It is pure Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced only from the best blocks around the winery (Sunspot, John's Upper Seven, Venado Illegal and Firebreak). It is always a dense and complex wine. 2019 saw a warm and untroubled growing season, which has led to a great Hillside Select of balance and energy; the powerful attack is followed by an expansive mid-palate, sumptuously fine tannins and a long, profound finish. /NT
'Sourced from specific blocks of estate-grown fruit, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another highly successful vintage. All Cabernet Sauvignon aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, it boasts intense aromas of pencil shavings, dark loam, cassis and plum on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, super-ripe, rich, dense and concentrated—a truly impressive California vin de garde. Tannic but ripe, it finishes long and firm on the finish, adding a hint of mocha. To be released in September 2023, it`s a strong showing and hopefully an indication that quality will remain high under the new ownership.' - 98+ points, Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, March 2023
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available late Spring 2024
