Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2014

Professional Ratings

• 95 James Suckling
  Sliced green mango and lemon aromas, hints of flan and creme. Full body, very intense creamy texture and tangy acidity. Long and powerful finish. Electric. A great Napa chardonnay. Drink or hold
• 94 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  The Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is the standard-bearer of this grape variety in the Napa Valley and perhaps in the state of California. This wine has always been a consistent front-runner; 2014 is nothing short of outstanding. Bright with ripe apples, dried peaches and aromatic flowers in the aroma, this wine's long and persistent flavors following by its exceptionally long, crisp finish makes it a natural pairing with wild salmon sashimi. Drinks very well now. (Tasted: February 19, 2016, Napa, CA)
• 93 Wine Spectator
  Elegance and finesse define the pear, melon and honeysuckle flavors, which are lingering and persistent. The creamy texture features a touch of pithy citrus skin, adding to the nuance and complexity. Drink now through 2022.
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  First, their non-malolactic 2014 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch comes from a cool-climate vineyard in Carneros. This is aged in 75% oak casks and 25% stainless steel, which seems to be the perfect marriage for showcasing this wine’s rich fruit. The wine has loads of tangerine oil, citrus blossom, a hint of apples and orange marmalade. The oak is subtle, the wine medium to full-bodied, pure and rich. (This is the official tasting note, but I shared two bottles with some friends of mine at the casual Market restaurant in St. Helena, and it was a huge hit.)
• 93 Wine Enthusiast
  This marquee estate site supplies yet another gorgeous vintage of this powerful white, which opens with a crisp aroma of orange blossom. It follows in to the full-bodied palate, alongside layers of pear, pineapple and melon, all kept fresh by juicy acidity amid bites of oak and baking spice.
• 90 Connoisseurs' Guide
  Shafer's Red Shoulder Ranch bottlings are rarely if ever governed by cautious restraint and more typically aim, as this one so convincingly does, for ripeness, extravagant oak and fruity weight. It is a substantial, very broad, big-bodied wine, and it holds nothing back, and, while it gives ground to palpable heat at the finish, it is so uncompromisingly rich that it succeeds in spite of its inclinations to excess. We would definitely opt for lighter Chardonnay when delicate fare is on the evening menu, but this will make delicious drinking with the likes of game birds, tea-smoked duck or veal cutlets.