Winemaker Notes
Crisp exotic spice, rich melon, honeysuckle, apricot, all held together with bright acidity, good structure and elegant balance.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In an irregular year for North Coast Chardonnay, Shafer's 2008 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch is a winner. Elegant notes of orange blossoms, nectarines, pears and honeysuckle jump from the glass of this crisp, medium-bodied, richly fruity wine. Fresh, lively and flavorful, this impressive Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next 2-3 years.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and spicy, delivering a mix of floral scents, with notes of taut pear and green apple. Full-bodied and graceful, ending with a pithy, leesy edge and a long, focused finish. Best from 2011 through 2016.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.