Buy 6 bottles of Shafer 2019 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay
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Your Price: $46.80/bottle

In 1988 John and Doug Shafer discovered a new home for Chardonnay in the Carneros region of Napa Valley and purchased the property, naming it Red Shoulder Ranch. Named for its Red-shouldered hawks who play an important role in Shafer’s natural farming practices, the vineyard lies within sight of the northern rim of San Francisco Bay.

The marine-influenced climate in Napa Valley’s southernmost growing area, Carneros, offers a long, cool growing season that’s ideal for developing Chardonnay’s spectrum of floral and tropical aromas and flavors as well as its natural acidity.

The Shafer team takes a largely hands-off approach for producing this wine. They only use the yeast that thrives naturally in the vineyard for fermentation and, in order to enjoy the variety’s true acidity, do not put the wine through malolactic fermentation. Instead they ferment the wine in individual barrels (14 months in 75% new French oak barrels and 25% in stainless steel barrels, and stir the lees once a week during its 14 months of aging to give the wine a creamy mouthfeel.

This is an impressive wine with lush aromatics of white flowers, lemon zest and honeysuckle. In the mouth, there is a rich balance of liveliness and density with abundant flavors of apricot, white melon, ripe pineapple, and a streak of minerality. The beautiful finish goes on and on!