Founded in 1978, Shafer Vineyards is situated in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, east of the Silverado Trail and just north of the town of Napa. Although their main focus has always been luxuriant, richly textured Cabernet Sauvignons from their Stags Leap vineyards, father and son John and Doug Shafer also own and farm vineyards throughout Napa Valley and Carneros. Low fertility, hillside sites have always been a major priority, as has the adoption of the finest, low vigour rootstocks and clones, leading to extremely low yields of small intensely concentrated grapes. They are also passionate exponents of sustainable farming practices in which they eschew all forms of chemical sprays and their vineyards teem with natural predators including bats, owls, and a variety of insects. The resulting raw materials are of the highest quality and provide them with numerous, stylistic options in the winery. Winemaking, in the hands of Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez, also follows a similar philosophy of allowing the fruit full expression and with a minimum of intervention.
Shafer Vineyards Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2021
14.5% abv
100% Chardonnay from the Red Shoulder Ranch vineyard in Carneros. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed and fermented with wild yeast in barrels for 14 months; 75% new Allier and Vosges and 25% stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is arrested.
““The 2021 fills the glass with radiant, elegant aromas and flavors of melon, honeysuckle, apricot, pineapple, and flint all held together with lithe structure, pitch-perfect balance, and energy that comes from pure, elegant acidity.”
— Shafer winemaker Elias Fernandez
92 Points Vinous
Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is a wine that bears the elegant imprint of its vineyard home – 68 acres that roll across the pastoral hill country of Los Carneros, a place where Napa Valley meets the northernmost rim of San Francisco Bay. The vineyard is named to honor the Red-shouldered Hawks and other birds of prey that play a vital role in our sustainable farming practices (in this case keeping gopher and other rodent populations naturally under control).
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2021 | California | Chardonnay | Duty Paid | Napa Valley | North America | Shafer Vineyards | Stags Leap | Still | USA | White | Wine- Reference #:
- 18173
- Strength
- 14.5 ABV
- Bottles per Case
- 6 bottles
- Grapes
- Chardonnay
- Organic
- No
- Biodynamic
- No
- Vegan
- No
- Vegetarian
- No
- Sparkling
- No