Winemaker Notes
Vibrant, complex aromas of ripe red and black fruit, lavender, and herbs fill the glass followed by pure, energetic flavors of dried cherry, blackberry, strawberry, licorice, and cocoa all pulled together with wet slate minerality, clean acidity, and the ripe, seamless tannins that are the hallmarks of this vintage.
56% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
While the TD-9 refers to the tractor that transformed John Shafer's train-riding commuter life to one of vinous adventure, this elegant liquid is far frim mechanical. Aged for 20 months in French oak and at a seemingly high ABV of 15.3%, this is a charming balancing act of Stags Leap-ian quality. Plush tannins are finely grained in this blend of 56$% Merlot 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Malbec. Notes of lavender, mocha cappuccino, black raspberry, and saddle leather combine with an animal core-savory and dark, The finish is a hint of dark chocolate-covered orange peel.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A wine of elegance and richness, the well-designed 2015 Shafer TD9 Red Wine plays smooth and layered on the palate, even with its 15.3% alcohol. The wine's flavors of black fruits, earth, and chalk are complex and intricate. Pair it with a Chateaubriand. (Tasted: September 8, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Powerful and finely textured, with concentrated dried cherry, dark currant and roasted plum flavors that are filled with lively minerality. Richly spiced, showing dried herbal notes on the chiseled finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2022.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.