Sign In

2015 Shafer Vineyards One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

March 17, 2024 - $82

Estimate

RATINGS

93Wine Spectator

Strikingly complex and engaging, offering tiers of flavor, including dark berry, cedar, graphite and oak, presented in a style that lets the elements speak through the tannins.

93Vinous / IWC

Super-ripe red cherry, pomegranate, mint, rose petal and spice infuse this voluptuous, racy Cabernet Sauvignon.

91The Wine Advocate

...tar and charcuterie over crème de cassis and baked plums plus a hint of licorice. Very big, full-bodied and packed with black fruit preserves in the mouth, it has a chewy backbone and lively lift to the earthy/savory finish.

17Jancis Robinson

Attractively toasty (not oaky) and mellow on the nose. Lots of sweetness on palate entry – search perhaps in vain for the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon – but no excess alcohol.

PRODUCER

Shafer Vineyards

Located in the Stags Leap district of Napa Valley, Shafer Vineyards is one of the valley’s most enduring success stories. Founded in 1972 by John Shafer – who left a corporate life in Chicago to grow grapes in Napa Valley – the winery was run by John with help from his son Doug for many years. The winery’s first Cabernet Sauvignons were made in 1978, and in 1994 Doug Shafer took over as president. Elias Fernandez, now one of the valley’s most admired winemakers, joined Shafer as an assistant winemaker in 1984 and became head winemaker 10 years later. The partnership between the Shafers and Fernandez is one of the oldest in the valley, and is generally thought to be one of the keys to Shafer’s success. Today the winery produces 32,000 cases of wine from its 54 acres of vineyards. Shafer Hillside Select is the signature Cab, though the company also makes Merlot and Syrah.

REGION

United States, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

Stags Leap District AVA in southern Napa Valley has a storied history. It is home to Stag’s Leap Cellars, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Judgment of Paris blind tasting that included several of Bordeaux’s most exalted First Growths. Vineyards were started in area in the late 19th century, but the district’s rise in prestige started in the late 1960s when Nathan Fay planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Fay later sold his estate to Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Cellars. The district was given its own AVA designation in 1989, and today there are 1,400 vineyard acres. The AVA is especially notable because it was the first in the U.S. to be granted AVA status based on terroir. Its distinctive soils is a mix of volcanic soils, river sediment and loamy clay-like soil. Because the soils don’t retain water well, vineyards in Stag’s Leap tend to grow fruit with great intensity and flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 95% of the grapes planted in Stags Leap.

TYPE

Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.