About Shafer Vineyards

More About Shafer Vineyards:
"One of Napa's most prominent and respected wineries, Shafer is a poster boy for remarkable and consistent quality across the board...With over 200-plus acres of estate holdings, and 55 surrounding their winery in Stags Leap, this is a winery that never seems to disappoint." 
-Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
 
"... one of the New World's most profound Cabernet Sauvignons ..." 
-Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
 
"Shafer, of course, has been one of Napa's most reliable wineries, routinely producing great wines, chief among them its Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet from Stags Leap." -James Laube, Wine Spectator
 
"This family-owned winery routinely fashions exceptional wines from their Stags Leap vineyards. Moreover, they have long been the reference point for what can be achieved in Stags Leap. My highest compliments to this great winery." -Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
 
Since 1972 John Shafer, his son Doug, and longtime employee Elias Fernandez have been producing wines that are lush and velvety, while retaining balance and finesse. Below are some of the major accolades this world-class winery has garnered:
 
  • Robert Parker rated the 2002 vintage of the Hillside Select a perfect score of 100 points, stating it was "One of the world's most extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons" and also that it was "one of the most profound California Cabernets [he has] ever tasted."
  • Parker also rated the 2001 vintage of the Hillside Select a perfect 100 points and described it as "a great, monumental Napa Cabernet Sauvignon"
  • Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated the 2004 vintage of the Hillside Select a perfect 100 point score.
  • In 2006, Wine Spectator declared Shafer Hillside Select #3 of Napa Valley's Top 50 Cabernets, beating out cult favorites such as Screaming Eagle, Colgin and Dalle Valle. Those Cabernets were chosen for consistent excellence across 14 years of reviews.
  • In 2018, the editors of Wine & Spirits selected Shafer Vineyards as a "Top 100 Winery of the Year." Shafer was featured in the magazine's November "Buying Guide" issue with a spotlight on 2004 Hillside Select, which is named a "Top 100" wine of the year. This is the 14th year since 1991 that Shafer Vineyards has been named a top winery of the year by Wine & Spirits. Only four other wineries in the world have been honored as frequently.
  • In November 2009, both of Shafer Vineyard's current Cabernet Sauvignons are named among "Year's Best Cabernet Sauvignon's" in the year-end issue of Wine & Spirits magazine.
  • In 2010, John and Doug Shafer were chosen to share the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional, which is the Food and Wine World's Equivalent of the Oscars. This prestigious honor had only been given to three Napa Valley recipients previously, including such luminaries as Robert Mondavi.
Robert Parker's 2014 Hillside Select Vertical Tasting:
This amazing tasting was historic due to the fact that one was able to track 35 vintages of a wine from the same vineyard that, while the winemaking and upbringing changed dramatically in 1989, the identical people and vineyard were still in play
 
"From the early nineties on, especially starting around 1994, the quality of the wines soared to first-growth standards, and have remained there for the last twenty plus years. In fact, one can argue that no wine produced in the world over that twenty plus year period of time has scored as consistently highly as the Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. Keep in mind, this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from their Stags Leap hillside vineyard that is aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, and from the early nineties on, most vintages have at least 25-50 years of aging potential."
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