 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch Carneros Kalifornien
RED SHOULDER RANCH CHARDONNAY
Absolute Spitzenklasse Kaliforniens, 14 Monate Barrique (50% neu), 91-93 Punkte Robert Parker, 14,9% Alk.
“… one of the best non-malolactic, barrel-fermented Chardonnays in California …” -- Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
On 70 acres near the northern tip of San Francisco Bay, Shafer harvests fruit for this classic single vineyard wine.
The Red Shoulder Ranch vineyard in the Carneros region offers a long, consistently cool growing season, which is ideal for retaining acidity in Chardonnay fruit. To focus on varietal flavors, Shafer uses only wild yeast for fermentation and does not put the wine through malolactic fermentation.
Shafer’s Carneros vineyard is home to countless gophers who love to feast on young vine roots. To contain this problem, Shafer has erected owl nesting boxes and hawk perches to encourage day and night rodent patrol.
“The Red Shouldered Hawks and other birds of prey do such an outstanding job, we named the vineyard in their honor,” says Doug Shafer.
Winemaker’s Notes
In 2003 we could tell at the crush pad that something special had happened out in the vineyard. The flavors are explosive and offer extraordinary length. This is what Chardonnay is all about — tropical fruit, apricots, green apple, and pineapple.
“… it is the 2003 Red Shoulder Ranch that wins all my accolades with its notes of marmalade, apricot, honeysuckle, and citrus oil in a classic, full-bodied style with good underlying acid.” -- Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate |
