Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2018

Professional Ratings

• 95 Wine Enthusiast
  This robust, full-bodied white holds its weight and pedigree remarkably well, offering an intensely flavored, richly layered experience that seamlessly provides freshness along the way. Apple, cinnamon and nutmeg are complemented by toasted oak and lasting structure.
• 95 Jeb Dunnuck

  Tasted out of bottle, the 2018 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch is beautifully done, with a vibrant yet rich style carrying notes of buttered lemon, orange blossom, white flowers, and toasted bread. With bright acidity, terrific overall balance, and a great finish, this is classic Napa Valley Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years. I wouldn't be surprised to see it keep even longer as well.

• 94 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  COMMENTARY: I won't deny that I have an emotional connection with the Shafer wines, but I do. I was there when the winery launched its first Cabernet with the 1978 vintage. As the years went on, and my wine horizons grew, I drifted away from the Napa Valley from time to time. In recent years, I have re-discovered my early days and found myself back. The 2018 Shafer Red Shoulder Chardonnay is an outstanding effort. TASTING NOTES: This wine is focused, driven, and complete. Enjoy its beautiful aromas and flavors of core fruits and minerality with a plate of Dungeness crab and wild greens. (Tasted: February 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
• 91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2018 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch bursts from the glass with oak-laced apple pie, peach preserves and ripe pineapple scents plus hints of allspice, candied ginger and praline. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a gorgeous satiny texture and loads of stone fruit and tropical fruit layers, finishing on a lingering spicy note.