Description

Shafer’s Red Shoulder Ranch is a single-vineyard Carneros Chardonnay, and the 2024 shows the ripe, generous side of the vintage while staying fresh. The nose is lemon confit, nectarine and honeysuckle, with a light tropical lift of pineapple and mango and a flinty, floral edge. The palate is medium-bodied and textural, with ripe orchard and tropical fruit kept in check by bright citrus acidity. It finishes crisp and clean with a slight phenolic grip. Malolactic fermentation is skipped entirely, which preserves the freshness and precision, so the oak adds a little spice and weight rather than a buttery note. Around nine months in French oak, roughly 40% of it new, with the rest of the wine in stainless steel, keeps the wood supporting rather than dominant.