The 2013 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch is gorgeous. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint and chamomile meld together in a layered, beautifully expressive Chardonnay endowed with real class and personality. A kick of acidity on the finish keeps the flavors bright and focused throughout. This is a fabulous effort from Shafer. Most of the attention at Shafer falls on the Cabernets, and perhaps rightly so, but the estate has done a commendable job with the Chardonnay in recent years. (AG)

Shafer’s Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnays will never be accused of being thin and wiry, and this latest bottling comes with all of the accustomed ripeness and fully-expressed fruit that we have come to expect. It is, however, far from being over the top and sports a good deal of brightness in counterpoint to its riper traits. While fairly long at the finish, it is also both slightly hot and a touch coarse just now, and twelve more months in the bottle will help iron out its minor wrinkles.

The Chardonnay program from Shafer includes the Red Shoulder Ranch, which is aged 14 months in 75% new French oak and 25% in stainless steel. The 2013 yields wonderfully crisp, rich white peach, honeysuckle and pineapple as well as some crushed rock and floral notes. Medium to full-bodied, it has great acidity and a nice integration of subtle oak. Drink it over the next several years. (RP)