AMERICAN WINE

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - "Extracted and supple, offering ripe currant, loamy earth, green olive, savory herb and cedary oak flavors that fall comfortably into place. Ends with a long, graceful finish. Best from 2018 through 2030."

ROBERT PARKER 91 POINTS - "The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which has 8% Petit Verdot added, has a dense ruby/purple color, beautiful blackcurrant fruit, plum, spice box and earth. It is medium to full-bodied, with supple tannins and seems classic and very much 2014 in style with its front-end-loaded fruit, lushness and irresistibility. This charming and complex wine should drink nicely for the next 10-15 years."

Let's be honest, when you have such notables as Randy Dunn, Helen Turley, Erin Green, and Michel Rolland having worked for a winery, you know great things are afoot! Jayson Pahlmeyer and his crew have worked hard for 30 years to produce the best Cabernets, Merlots, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays they possibly could, and they have succeeded year after year! The Pahlmeyer wines are highly sought after, receive lofty scores, and are coveted by consumers and collectors alike.

This year, it is their Napa Valley Chardonnay garnering the spotlight! Coming from Pahlmeyer's estate high on Atlas Peak, the vineyard ranges in elevation from 1,500 to 2,100 feet. The vineyard was planted by Davis Abreu, whose skilled hand has also worked with Screaming Eagle, Staglin, and Harlan. This site is rocky and desolate, with low vigor and good drainage; perfect for grapes!

This is the latest release for an exciting Bordeaux-style blend from Shafer Vineyards; one of the most prized wineries in all of the Napa Valley! TD-9 is a proprietary blend that celebrates a bold move. In 1973, in the space of a few months, John Shafer went from riding morning commuter trains in Chicago to teaching himself to drive a TD-9 tractor in his Napa Valley vineyard. He'd never grown grapes or made wine in his life. That spirit of risk-taking and adventure still guides Shafer today and inspired the creation of this new wine.

JEB DUNNUCK 93 POINTS - "The 2018 TD-9 Proprietary Red Blend is based on 56% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec. It's another balanced, charming, and impeccably made wine from this estate that has lively red and blue fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and licorice aromas and flavors as well as a medium to full-bodied, elegant style on the palate. It shows the more streamlined, focused style of the 2018 vintage and is going to evolve for 10-12 years."

ANTONIO GALLONI 90-92 POINTS - "Tasted from barrel, 2018 TD-9 is a pliant, creamy and beautifully textured wine done in the classic Shafer style. Sweet red cherry, red plum, cedar and sweet spice all meld together in this super-expressive, radiant wine. In 2018, the blend is 58% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Malbec."

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "Shows precision and expression, with refined black cherry and blueberry flavors accented by crushed stone and dark spice notes, building complexity toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2024. 412 cases made. "