Shafer Merlot 2010

84% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec from Stags Leap District, Yountville and a vineyard in the foothills just south of Stags Leap District, these come together during twenty months in 60 gallon French oak barrels (75% new; Vosges, Allier, and Tronçais). Fragrant and full right off the bat and more masculine and spiced than other 2010s, this is so chewy it just fits into your teeth. With an extracted and solid density, this is a good ripe Merlot with a compelling and fragrant finish.
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, May 2013

“The 2010 gives everything a Merlot should and more – lively, enticing red fruit with a core of deep, lush black fruit – red cherry and black cheery, red plum and black plum, spice and berry with hints of earth and smoke. This plush package is held together in a structure of fine, ripe tannins.” – Shafer winemaker Elias Fernandez.

Expert Review

“… possesses a darker flavor profile than the 2009, as well as more textural depth and sheer profile. Black cherries, menthol, licorice and spices are just some of the notes that take shape in the glass …”

93 Points - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, March 2013:
"There is nothing about this very juicy, many-layered Merlot to suggest that the 2010 vintage posed real problems for many in
achieving adequate ripeness, and, true to the Shafer style, it is a rich, fully-fleshed, deeply fruity wine with enormous savor and
depth. Its central themes of ripe cherries merge with elements of caramel, vanilla and toasted brioche, and its generous flavors
go on and on. In truth, there is plenty about this bottling that is sure to tempt early drinking, but it is far from fully evolved, and
as Shafer Merlots and Cabernets have proved over the years, being wholly delicious when young in no way precludes being even better with age."
— Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate

Food Pairings

Most any meat; really, lamb, beef, pork, chicken, duck. Has an affinity for tomatoes and mushrooms.