Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay

vibrant, elegant aroma of kiwi, white peach and grapefruit; on the palate a light almond note and clear minerality and fresh acidity; exotic fruit on the finish

The family-owned winery Shafer Vineyards in the Napa Valley focuses exclusively on top-tier wines. To this day, wine critic Robert Parker rates Shafer wines exclusively as "excellent" or "outstanding" and describes the winery as "one of the world’s greatest wineries." John Shafer founded it in 1972 – after working as a publisher for 23 years. He began to renew the vines dating back to the 1920s and to terrace the steep and rocky vineyards. The first grapes were processed in 1978 – and this wine was already a top product. It won the renowned San Francisco Vintners Club Tasting and, ten years later, an international blind tasting in Germany against greats like Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Palmer. New vineyards in Oak Knoll, Stag’s Leap and Carneros were purchased; today's vineyard area covers over 80 hectares in prime locations. In 1978, 1,000 cases of wine were produced; today, it is already 32,000.

John's son Doug became winemaker in 1983 after completing his oenology studies at Davis University. A year later, Elias Fernandez followed as assistant winemaker. In 1994, Elias Fernandez took over the position of winemaker, while Doug Shafer holds the position of CEO.