Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2021

Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2021

 

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Shafer
Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2021
  • Vintage : 2021
  • Country : USA
  • Region : California
  • Subregion Napa
  • Type : White
  • Style Creamy Full Bodied White
  • Format : 75cl
  • Alcohol : 14,9°
  • Grappes : 100% Chardonnay

Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay by Shafer Vineyards is a quintessential expression of Carneros, Napa Valley terroir, reflecting the unique characteristics and quality of the region. This wine stands as a testament to the meticulous care and passion that Shafer Vineyards dedicates to its craft.

Experts Score Vintage
WE Wine Enthusiast 95 2021
JD Jeb Dunnuck 94 2021
WS Wine Spectator 93 2021
RP Robert Parker 93 2021
VN Vinous (Antonio Galloni) 92 2021
W&S Wines & Spirits 91 2019
More information on wine critics and ratings

Situated in the Carneros region of Napa Valley, the Red Shoulder Ranch vineyard benefits from the cool maritime breezes and fog that roll in from the San Pablo Bay, providing an ideal climate for Chardonnay grapes. This microclimate ensures a longer growing season, enabling the grapes to develop full flavor maturity while maintaining their vital acidity.

The wine is crafted with a commitment to showcasing the varietal's purity and terroir, emphasizing minimal intervention. This vintage is fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel to achieve a balance between the richness of oak and the crispness afforded by steel, without undergoing malolactic fermentation. This technique preserves the wine's natural acidity and freshness, ensuring a lively and clean profile.

Tasting Notes:

  • Color: This Chardonnay presents a radiant hue, capturing the light with its clarity and brightness.
  • Aroma: The nose is greeted with elegant aromas of melon, honeysuckle, apricot, and pineapple, complemented by a subtle flintiness, creating a complex and inviting olfactory experience.
  • Palate: On the palate, the wine is full-bodied yet beautifully balanced, with a lively mouthfeel. Energized fruit acidity underscores vivid flavors of green apple and lemon zest, leading to a snappy finish. The subtle use of oak adds depth without overshadowing the wine's natural vibrancy and fruit character.

Wine-Pairing Ideas: This Chardonnay is versatile and food-friendly, pairing wonderfully with a range of dishes. Consider serving it with seafood, like grilled salmon or scallops, creamy pasta dishes, or poultry for a delightful culinary experience.

(VV)

Wine Enthusiast (WE) : 95 Points (2021)
This full-bodied and beautifully balanced wine is powered by energized fruit acidity. Vivid green-apple and lemon zest flavors, and a snappy finish. Subtle oak notes remain secondary. Fermented in both oak barrels and stainless steel, and matured without maloactic conversion, the wine is superrefreshing, clean and mouthwatering.

Jeb Dunnuck (JD) : 94 Points (2021)
The 2021 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch is another winner that has a slightly fresh, more vibrant style in its lemon and citrus fruits as well as honeyed minerality and spice. Medium-bodied, balanced, and elegant, it’s going to put on weight with a year or two of bottle age and should keep through 2031.

Wine Spectator (WS) : 93 Points (2021)
Impressive, this white starts off broad, with a generous mix of salted ripe melon, citrus and stone fruit flavors, but then focuses on a sleek, juicy core, revealing snappy acidity and crushed rock on the finish.

Robert Parker (RP) : 93 Points (2021)
Always an impressive bottling, the 2021 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch was barrel fermented in a 75% new French oak and 25% stainless steel. Boasting fabulous aromas of lemon curd, apple, pear and pencil shavings, this non-malolactic Chardonnay is full-bodied, round and generous on the palate, then crisp and refreshing on the finish. If it's not as complex or rich as the very best Chardonnays California has to offer, it's not that far behind. Best After 2023.

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) (VN) : 92 Points (2021)
The 2021 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch is brisk, fresh and finely cut, with plenty of citrus and floral character. Bright acids drive the profile in this vibrant, steely Red Shoulder Ranch. The 2021 was bottled with a bit less time in oak than normal to compensate for the lack of 2020, an approach that turned out quite well. (AG) (2/2023)

Wines & Spirits (W&S) : 91 Points (2019)
A citrusy vintage of Shafer’s chardonnay, this wine’s orange-blossom scents set the tone for the sweet fruit, even as the wine remains tight, with youthful energy to spare. Decant it while you grill swordfish with lemon and fresh dill.

Shafer One Point Five 2019
Shafer One Point Five 2019
Shafer
One Point Five 2019
JS
95
JD
96
W&S
94
“In your glass the wine introduces itself with enticing aromas of red and black fruit, baking spice, dark violets, lavender, wet stone, and cinnamon. The promise of all that delicious complexity…
139,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Shafer Hillside Select 2017
Shafer Hillside Select 2017
Shafer
Hillside Select 2017
RP
98
JS
98
JD
98
Hillside Select is a classic, balanced, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from our rugged hillside vineyards in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District.
399,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Shafer TD-9 2018
Shafer TD-9 2018
Shafer
TD-9 2018
RP
91
JR
90
WE
92
Shafer TD-9 2019, a captivating red blend from the prestigious Napa Valley, California, offers an exquisite tasting experience. This wine stands out for its harmonious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, delivering a rich and structured profile.
82,90 €
Quantity : moins plus
Shafer Relentless 2017
Shafer Relentless 2017
Shafer
Relentless 2017
RP
92
WE
92
WS
94
This wine honors long-time Shafer Winemaker Elias Fernandez and his relentless pursuit of quality. Sourced from a single ridgetop vineyard adjacent to the southern border of Stags Leap District, the grapes for Relentless are a proprietary blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah
132,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Wine regions guide
89,00 €
Quantity : Moins     Plus
 
 
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Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2021 Reviewed by Wine Enthusiast 24-07-2023 . Score: 5