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All tasting notes
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 149 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by mowtod on 5/1/2023 & rated 91 points: Beautiful well rounded wine. Drinking well now . (410 views) | | | Tasted by mowtod on 12/11/2022 & rated 91 points: Drank one and Gifted Emily and Steve one. Good nose good fruit on palate . Pleasant finish . (544 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 6/23/2021 & rated 93 points: Tasted double blind. I don’t have much experience with Merlot from Napa Valley but after a very nice off-vintage Titus Merlot 2017 (rated 93 and 94 pts), this is the second Merlot in a few months that delivers a very convincing performance. Very inviting, light and seductive. It might not have a hell lot of depth but everything is in place here. I would order that in a heartbeat from a Restaurant list. Anytime.
TN: Intense nose with dark fruits and brighter cherries as well as rosehip and a layer of herbs. Precise and inviting. Even better on the palate with ripe red fruits, darker berries, a shy layer of minerality and some icing sugar. Not the most complex profile but everything is delivered with good precision. The structure is marked by fine tannins and a good acidity and an overall very light and airy feel. Medium length finish with sweet fruits.
Decanting: Decanted for roughly 2-3 hours which seemed perfect. (1985 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 1/16/2021 & rated 88 points: Quick Merlot Tasting: Darkish red.
strawberry on the nose. Overall a lighter wine. Pencil graphite on the palate.
Dryish finish that is moderately long.
HL 4/6 FD 3/6 Finish 4/6 (1683 views) | | | Tasted by gogiants925 on 5/16/2020 & rated 92 points: I'm not a Merlot fan, but this a real enjoyable wine. Decanted for a little over an hour. It's drinking great right now and can probably go strong for another 3-4 years. Aroma of blueberry and violets, and a juicy mouthful of blueberry and cherry. There was some noticeable alcohol and I believe the level was around 15.2%, but it wasn't hot at all and faded after a little while in the glass. A really nice wine. (1801 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 4/21/2020 & rated 94 points: Perfect in every way. Flavor, depth, balance and finish. I let it open in the glass for an hour. At first taste, earthy and dark fruit on the nose with a touch of oak. Over time deep red fruit emerged, silky smooth with relaxed tannic backbone. Lasted forever on the tongue. (1567 views) | | | Tasted by Chateau du Fey 1994 on 1/18/2020 & rated 91 points: Rich, opulent and powerful, this is new world wine at its best. Definitely food wine. Tannins have softened and it is drinking well right now. Even some of the heat has blown off. However I would say that the 15.1% alcohol is detectable and arguably the only flaw in the wine. (1633 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 12/14/2019: tasted from magnum
nose of sour plum
in the mouth delicious smooth and round fruit. very nice. apparently the WOTN? (1430 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 7/28/2019 & rated 93 points: Really classy merlot that has Napa charm and not overblown with excessive chocolate, etc. Nice velvety mouthfeel with good acidity on the finish. Classic red merlot fruit. In its sweet spot. Drink up (1525 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 3/8/2019 & rated 96 points: It’s a god awful shame that shafer is discontinuing one of the most consistent and voluptuous merlots produced in California. Layer upon layer of silky smooth, deep cherry and plum flavors that leaves a smile on ones face. Absolutely delicious.
Served with a goat cheese, pesto and sun dried tomato quiche. (1331 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoffalstaff on 2/11/2018 & rated 92 points: Bob NC puts it well. This was great value for money sadly the price is catching up. Dark intense colour, rich cherry nose and you can almost fell the vanilla that rounds both the nose and the mouthfeel. Lovely long complex and well balanced. (2355 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 2/9/2018 & rated 91 points: Surprise 2009 Napa Merlot tasting after the Pahlmeyer tasting.
Deep purplish ruby red. Lovely nose with notes of gunpowder, tobacco, dark berries, lavender, lilac and a touch of gravel. Medium tannins (7/10) and medium plus body. Lots of dark berries, sweet spices and woody. Long finish. Drink till 2022. (2173 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 2/8/2018 & rated 92 points: Light fruity nose - tasted back to back with the Pahlmeyer - fruitier and surprisingly the Pahlmeyer was not as acidic by comparison as I thought. (2111 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 1/1/2018 & rated 90 points: Medium to deep purplish red. Lovely nose with notes of black currants, light sweet spices, perfume, and even a touch blue. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and balanced acidity. Medium bodied with notes of cassis, gravel, spices, cinnamon and light blue fruits. Long finish. Drink till 2022. (2093 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 10/3/2017 & rated 93 points: Deep ruby red. Layered nose with cassis, blueberries, spices and a bit of minerality. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and full bodied. In a beautiful spot right now with tons of blue fruits, spices, cinnamon, anise and a touch herbal on the palate. Long finish and no reason to wait on this. Drink till 2023. (2161 views) | | | Tasted by jimyeni on 8/27/2017 & rated 90 points: Starting to mellow out with age. there is a bit more acidity than I would expect from a Napa merlot. Enjoyed on this beautiful Sunday evening. Didn't blow me away though. (1754 views) | | | Tasted by Bob in NC on 7/20/2017 & rated 93 points: This is a Cab lover Merlot. Red velvet smooth with red, blue and black fruits, threads of cedar and a pinch of baking spices. Finish is ethereal. (1696 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 7/5/2017 & rated 93 points: Fourth red wine and second ringer, difficult to tell the difference except that it did not seem like a Cabernet at all.
Deep ruby core with medium edges. Very interesting nose with olives, iron, cassis, blueberries, some funk and steely too. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Definitely young and packs a punch. Layers of black fruits on the palate, blue too, some mint and herbal undertones. Long and lingering finish. Very interesting with the difference between the palate and the nose. Drink till 2025. (1843 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 7/5/2017 & rated 93 points: Blind wine #4
Cherry and cassis nose. Full bodied and moderately heavy bodied. steely nose.
Nose 6 Heavy 6 Fruit 6 Dryness 5 Tannins 7 Finish 8 (1722 views) | | | Tasted by DJFIII on 6/3/2017: Debbie liked it smooth not a lot of. Gannon on finish (1484 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 1/13/2017 & rated 94 points: Unbelievable fruit and texture. (1740 views) | | | Tasted by Ceo on 8/26/2016 & rated 94 points: Great wine (2094 views) | | | Tasted by Bob in NC on 7/17/2016 & rated 92 points: The blueberry fruit flavor in this smooth drinking Merlot went incredibly well with the grilled duck and three berry glaze. (2121 views) | | | Tasted by EvanRose on 6/10/2016 & rated 93 points: Don't change one thing in the process! Just a great, rich full bodied merlot. Opens up and just fills you mouth with joy - and good fruit! (2241 views) | | | Tasted by folsomarndt on 6/4/2016 & rated 93 points: Wonderful Merlot, drinking beautifully at this point! (1305 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Michael Godel
WineAlign (5/31/2016)
(Shafer Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (6/9/2012)
(Shafer Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (6/6/2012)
(Shafer Merlot, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley (Dec 2011)
(Shafer Vineyards Merlot Napa) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/24/2012)
(Shafer Merlot) Medium dark ruby color; lavender, berry nose; tasty, lavender, berry, tart black fruit palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points (92% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec; 20 mos. in French oak, 75% new; 15.1% alcohol) 92 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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