1997 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 89 points

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  3/16/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 91 Points

  Golden yellow in color. Quite expressive nose of pear, apple, flowers overlaying a buttery richness that had a bare hint of not unpleasant at all oxidized elements. Rich mouthfeel finishing in uplifting acidity that is so typical of RSR. This was terrific with sole a la grenobloise.

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  6/3/2007 - Mark wrote: 83 Points

  Dark amber, clear noties of oxidzed, smokey, burnt butterscotch. It somehow seemed to improved after two hours, the burnt character seemed to have grown less severe. Still, it’s a intensly strong and badly over the hill chard. Even though, I found something appealing in it after three hours – but I’d say this wine resembles little of the clean chard character that it did early in it’s life. A bad example? Given that it's my last bottle, I'll never know.

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  10/7/2006 - winefool wrote: 91 Points

  Deep, rich, mouthful of a chardonnay. A little butter, but complexity and subtleness remain

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  7/22/2004 - Mark wrote: 88 Points

  I'm never cease to be impressed with the Shafer Red Shoulder. The wine has uncanny aging ability. At a tasting with Doug Shafer many years ago, he commented that the 95 has surpassed his expecatations on how long it can live. The 97 is getting into the golden age. The first 30 minutes were a disappointment, I thought the wine was dead beyond a doubt, but slowly, over time, the fruit, the buttery carmel candy characteristics intensived in teh glass, the finish (very harsh at first), rounded out. Citrus, lemon peel notes emerged, subtle oak. About the only thing that didn't change was the medium honey yellow color of the wine. The finish, although rounding out well over time, is not a fat and smooth as it used to be. To be sure, this wine has peaked, it's not getting nay better and has lost the intensity in fruit that it had in it's youth, but it's still unmistakablly Red shoulder in character, and will continue to drink well for a little bit longer.

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  8/26/2002 - dbg wrote:

  clear yellow/green, crisp nose with some bready and yeasty notes,
  hint of oxidation, good clean fruit, crisp acidity, medium finish,
  drink up

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