2005 MERLOT

2005 Gave Us the Best-of-the-Best

Accepted vineyard wisdom tells us that a big grape crop can deliver good but not great quality. The 2005 vintage defied that idea at every turn.

Early in 2005 we knew we were headed for a large crop of Merlot fruit. After flower set in May we were seeing a tremendous number of clusters crowded with berries.

“We were fortunate that the growing season was tailored for a crop of this size,” says Doug Shafer. “It was a longer-than-usual and a cooler-than-typical summer, which allowed us to leave the fruit out there until it achieved true physiological ripeness.”

The size of the harvest allowed Shafer to keep the top tier of the wines we made and to sell more than usual to the bulk wine market.

“This Merlot comes with big scoops of red and black fruit aromas and flavors,” says Shafer Winemaker Elias Fernandez. “I get fresh plums, sweet black cherries, currants, red licorice, a little pepper, and pleasing doses of fragrant earth, smoke, and minerality.”

2005 Merlot is released with a suggested California retail price of $46.

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Shafer Vineyards is a 34,000 case winery in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District managed by the father and son team of John and Doug Shafer. The Shafer family owns and farms 200 acres of vineyards, sources for Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah