Wine Each Week ~ Shafer 2018 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay

For a quarter of a century one of the quintessential Chardonnays of the Napa Valley has been Shafer’s Red Shoulder Ranch, located on 68 prime acres near San Pablo Bay and named for the red shouldered hawks that claim the spot as home. The area here is cool, sometimes downright cold, and often breezy, at times utterly windy. Perfect for Chardonnay. Like other vintages before this one, the 2018 shows a beautiful viscosity, with notes of lemon verbena, lime kefir, vanilla, papaya, butterscotch, hints of sandalwood and a mild acidity. The creaminess comes from lees aging, since there is no malo-lactic fermentation. It was then aged in both French Oak and stainless steel. In the early 1990s when Shafer was first making Chardonnay, they used American oak, and they also grew the Chard in the Stag’s Leap District, way too hot for Chardonnay. They have perfected their Carneros Chardonnay and what’s in the bottle is truly an ideal wine, one that celebrates the clarity of California Chardonnay.

ORIGIN: Carneros, California.

ALCOHOL: 14.9%

PRICE: $52 (750ML)

SCORE: 91 POINTS

SHAFER