2011 Red Shoulder Ranch® Chardonnay
Release date: March 1, 2013
Suggested California retail: $50
“…one of the best non-malolactic, barrel-fermented Chardonnays in California …”
– Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
On 68 acres near the northern tip of San Francisco Bay, Shafer harvests fruit for this classic single vineyard wine.
“The cooler vintage has produced lively, elegant aromas and flavors of kiwi, pineapple, lime, papaya, apricot and citrus zest on an underlying richness of caramelized fruit tart and crème brûlée. The abundance of exotic fruit gives way to a long, delicious mouth-coating finish that lingers on and on.” says Shafer Winemaker Elias Fernandez.
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.
"… similar aromatic and flavor profile as the 2010 with more textural richness and oiliness … highly intriguing.”
– Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate
2011 Red Shoulder
Ranch Chardonnay Fact Sheet |
Shafer Brochure Finding Our Wines Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, December 2012 |
2011 Red Shoulder Ranch® Chardonnay – Reviews
"… similar aromatic and flavor profile as the 2010 with more textural richness and oiliness … highly intriguing.”
— Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate
“A complex chardonnay, full-bodied and ripe. Aromas and flavors of nectarine, honeysuckle and smoky oak. Lingering finish.”
— Peg Melnik, Santa Rosa Press Democrat
“Subtle hint of oak, complex, shifting aromas and flavors of ripe tropical fruits and citrus, flan-like opulence, crisp, tart finish.”
— Fred Tasker, Miami Herald
“… very attractive, intense, buttery aroma with notes of citrus, baked apple, apricot, and pineapple; medium-full body; forward, rich, intense, fleshy, citrus, apple and tropical fruit flavors with good depth, bright acidity, and a smooth, silky mouthfeel; lingering aftertaste. Shows very good depth and some complexity as it opened and developed with airing in the glass. Very highly recommended.”
— California Grapevine
Click here to read reviews on CellarTracker.com
2011 Red Shoulder Ranch® Chardonnay Downloads
Shafer Brochure
2012 Current Releases
Red Shoulder Ranch® Story
2011 Red Shoulder
Ranch Chardonnay Fact Sheet
Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, December 2012
Elegant Chardonnay
In the early 1990s Shafer discovered a bounty of rich, exotic fruit aromas and flavors in its Red Shoulder Ranch, a rolling vineyard within sight of San Francisco Bay.
