Shafer has long been one of my favorite California wineries, and Shafer Merlot is consistently one of the Shafer wines I prefer the most. It's not nearly as dense, concentrated and powerful as the admirable Hillside Select Cabernet, which most regard as the finest wine in the Shafer stable, but to me, especially in recent vintages, its beauty is more appealing than the Cabernet's brawn.
The 2003 vintage marks the 20th anniversary of Shafer Merlot. The Shafers decapitated Zinfandel vines that were planted in the 1920s in order to graft them over to Merlot, and released their first Merlot wine, the 1983, in 1985. Merlot was a gamble in those days, but by the early 1990s the grape had won the hearts of many wine drinkers. Shafer Merlot wasn't the first--that distinction goes to the Sterling and Louis Martini wineries, which were way ahead of their time in making a varietal Merlot in 1968. But I like to think that Shafer's Merlot was pivotal in establishing Merlot as a legitimate fine wine in California. It was for me.
Over the years, Shafer Merlot has changed, becoming bigger and richer. My tasting notes indicate that the 1990 was only 12.8 percent alcohol, and the 1996 was 13.5 percent. The 1998 weighed in at 14.2 and this 2003 has 14.9 percent alcohol. (Fortunately, I didn't notice that fact before tasting the wine. I am no fan of huge alcohol, and that number just might have influenced my opinion of the wine.) But in the context of Shafer's other wines--and in the context of California wine in general--even this beefier Merlot retains is position as a comparably gentle, refined wine.
The 2003 Merlot contains 10 percent Cabernet Franc ("for hints of perfume and violets," according to winemaker Elias Fernandez) and 8 percent Cabernet Sauvignon ("for added ageability"). In spirit, it is all Merlot: deep in color; medium-intense aromas and flavors of very ripe plum and chocolate; full body; and a texture somewhere between silk and velvet, except for the yet-to-resolve oak tannins on the rear palate. This wine is so well balanced that its claim to nearly 15 percent alcohol would seem to be an exaggeration.
Just for fun, I popped the cork on the 1998 Shafer Merlot. It's showing a pale garnet rim to the eye and leathery notes on the nose--both indicating some development. Its fairly concentrated flavors are smoky and earthy, with faded plum, but its texture is loosely knit. "Graceful and totally drinkable, of a piece," I noted. This 2003 in comparison is far fruitier, oakier and more youthful--but it is similarly of a piece and, in its own way, totally drinkable. In seven years, it will be fresher than the 1998 is now. I believe it will drink well for ten years or more.
Parker calls this wine "muscular and powerful," which means he likes it. I call it graceful--which means that I like it.
Outstanding: 92
