It was April 28 of this year. The moment was dinner with great friends at Amelia restaurant in New Hope. And the wine was a 2013 Shafer Merlot purchased in 2017 for $59.99, my 2023 Wine of The Year.
This amazing Merlot offered hints of cola and chocolate on the nose. On the palate, many wonderful things were happening; black cherry, blackberry and blueberry dominated, while strawberry, white pepper and an earthy bramble also contributed. The tannins were slight as expected in a 10-year-old Merlot. The texture was classically soft while strongly, beautifully structured, sharing the lushness made famous by Bordeaux’s Merlots. Absolutely outstanding.
The context of buying, and/or drinking a wine can affect one’s opinion, and I must be careful about this year’s WOTY choice. That’s because my wife and I had a fantastic visit to Shafer years ago, including meeting the late John Shafer, who founded and nurtured the winery into the Napa icon it is today. We also met Tucker Shafer, the only dog I’ve ever known with a business card. Tucker was wonderful.
I’ve separated my pleasurable experience at Shafer from my decision and have confidently proceeded with choosing this year’s WOTY. My most important consideration is simply how much I like the wine. Selfish and subjective yes, though selfish with visceral honesty. I also account for price (at $60, it’s remarkable) and availability (no trouble back in 2017; I found it at the Newtown state store). But …
Surprisingly, Shafer stopped bottling stand-alone Merlot in 2015 and there’s no definitive plan (at least publicly) to do it again. Perhaps it’s because Merlot is rather difficult to grow. It’s more susceptible than most grapes to frost and temperature spikes. It also ripens unevenly, with fruit at the top of a cluster ripening before that at the bottom of the same cluster. For an esteemed winery in pursuit of excellence like Shafer, this creates a lot of extra work at harvest, going through the vineyard several times over a few days, picking only the ripe fruit (and adding significant labor cost).
Shafer now offers a wine called “TD9.” It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant Bordeaux blend and includes 11% Merlot. We’ll have to wait to see what happens next with Shafer’s future Merlot plans.
Would love to know what’s your 2023 WOTY!
Ernest Valtri of Buckingham is a sculptor, painter, graphic designer, and a former member of the PLCB’s Wine Advisory Council. Please contact Erno at ObjectDesign@verizon.net.
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