Shafer Napa Valley Merlot (375ML half-bottle) 2008

  • 93 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
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Shafer Napa Valley Merlot (375ML half-bottle) 2008 Front Label
Shafer Napa Valley Merlot (375ML half-bottle) 2008 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2008

Size
375ML

ABV
15.3%

Features
Boutique

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The lengthy spring and summer offered seemingly endless stretches of warm, sunny days and cool nights. A gentle heat spell warmed up our vineyards in early September at exactly the right time to usher in the harvest of gorgeous fruit.

2008 Merlot has a lively, perfumy nose that begins the moment the bottle is opened – delicious aromas of red cherry, raspberry, red plum, cherry kirsch. In the mouth are rich, juicy, palate-enveloping flavors of pure red and black fruit, red licorice, and hints of mint and toasted almonds. The tannins are round and smooth and part of the long, pleasing finish.

Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon

Professional Ratings

  • 93
    A huge, fruit-packed wine, made in the Shafer style of mass and potency. With 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and lots of new oak, it’s explosive in black cherry, cherry liqueur and cedar flavors, with a spicy, salty umami taste, like pepperoni. Give it a decant of several hours.
  • 92
    Elegant and focused, with black cherry and toasty oak aromas that lead to supple red currant, spice and herb notes. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins. Drink now through 2016. 7,200 cases made.

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Shafer

Shafer Vineyards

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Shafer Vineyards, California
Shafer Vineyards  Winery Video

Shafer Vineyards has produced classic Napa Valley wines for more than 40 years.  

Shafer’s wines, including its signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Select, are found in collectors’ cellars and on wine lists in top luxury hotels and restaurants throughout the world. 

The vineyard and cellar teams, led by winemaker Elias Fernandez, cultivate more than 200 acres of Shafer-owned vineyards, sources for the winery's celebrated Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, TD-9, One Point Five, Relentless, and Hillside Select. 

The winery has a decades-long commitment to sustainability. Beginning in the 1980s Shafer embraced farming techniques that eliminate insecticides and herbicides, and carefully conserve water resources. In 2004 Shafer became the first winery in the U.S. to go 100% solar. 

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As Napa Valley’s third most planted grape, Napa Valley Merlot shows time and time again its potential to produce exceptional results. Napa’s vaunted combination of climate, soil and the human factor of winemaking expertise lead to big, ripe, cellar-worthy and world-class versions.

Whether made by itself in single varietal bottlings or as an important role in Bordeaux Blends, Merlot continues a prominent role in this famous region. While Cabernet typically takes the lead role, Merlot’s contribution—even at 10% to 20% or so—is significant indeed. Often described as “the flesh on Cabernet’s bones,” Merlot lends a soft, round and plush character that beautifully complements Cabernet’s linear, full-throttle structure. Its flavors of plums plus subtle herbs and mint also dovetail nicely with Cabernet’s blackberry and cassis.

HNYSVSMET08B_2008 Item# 109867

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