2005 Chardonnay Carneros Red Shoulder Ranch
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Tasting notes
The non-malolactic, full-scale Chardonnay, the 2005 Red Shoulder Ranch (around 5,300 cases) reveals beautiful acidity and slightly less wood. (A good percentage of the wine is now aged in steel barrels and then blended back with that percentage which is barrel-fermented and aged in wood.) Medium to full-bodied with notes of honeysuckle and tropical fruit, the wine is crisp, fresh, pure, and best drunk over the next several years. One of Napa’s most prominent and respected wineries, Shafer is a poster boy for remarkable and consistent quality across the board. All of this is the work of the brilliant father and son team of John and Doug Shafer as well as their long-term winemaker and vineyard manager, Elias Fernandez. With over 200-plus acres of estate holdings, and 55 surrounding their winery in Stags Leap, this is a winery that never seems to disappoint. Previously recommended: 2003 Relentless (93), 2004 Merlot (88), 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (100). Tel. (707) 944-2877; Fax (707) 944-9454
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good bright yellow. Spicy yellow peach and ripe pineapple on the nose. Youthfully tart and rather dry for this wine, with a flavor of pineapple and brisk grapefruity acidity. I find this a bit edgy. Not a great showing for this wine, which spends 15 months on its lees. Twenty percent of the wine is aged in stainless steel barrels, which winemaker Fernandez believes gives "more delicate and high-toned fruit" to the blend.
About the producer
The site of Shafer has been around since 1880, and grapes continued to be grown here, even during prohibition. It is said that some wine was made here during that time. In 1972, John Shafer bought the property in the Stag’s Leap district, he immediately began planting the Cabernet on the hillside.