2020-05-31_Wine_Spectator

(Jacob Rumans) #1

GRAPEVINE


NEWS FOOD & TRAVEL PEOPLE COLLECTING


BY JAMES MOLESWORTH


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apa Valley, home to more than 24,500 acres of Cabernet
Sauvignon, has become synonymous with the grape. But that
wasn’t always the case. The bond between Napa and Caber-
net truly flourished in the past five decades, forged by pio-
neering producers who invested in the region when it was
less well-known. Their vision and tenacity could offer a lesson in these
anxious times for the appellation, and the wine world as a whole.
When John Shafer moved his family from Chicago to 209 acres in
the valley in 1972, the land was planted to a mix of Zinfandel, Cari-
gnane, Barbera, Sauvignon Vert and Chasselas. He began replanting.
Doug Shafer, his son, was in high school. Today, Doug is 64 and the
longtime president of the winery his dad started. Shafer has persisted
for decades by producing unabashed Napa Cabernet.
“We had fun making mistakes in the ’80s,” says Doug on a recent day
in Napa. “We tried everything. We were making Sangiovese at one
point. And then I went over to Tuscany and drank Antinori’s wines
and, well ... ” He trails off before putting his palm over his face in mock
resignation. “But that’s how we learned. We made some funky stuff.”
With him along the way has been Elias Fernandez, who joined in 1984
fresh out of U.C. Davis. The year before, Doug had teamed up with
John, who had spent a decade in the vineyard planting Cabernet Sau-
vignon, plus some Merlot.
As he began to take the reins in the cellar, Doug realized he was in
over his head. In addition to hiring Fernandez, he brought in Tony Soter,
who was handling Etude and consulting on numerous Napa Cabs, in-
cluding Spottswoode and Chappellet. “I called Tony in a panic and said,
‘Help me!’ ” Doug recounts. “Tony said, ‘Chill out.’ He came over and
worked with us a little. He agreed to help clean up the mess we had.
We started in the vineyard and he taught us to work with our senses
and throw the schoolbook out the window.” Doug feels he and Fernan-
dez hit their stride in 1991, just as Napa Cabernet began to boom.
Today, Shafer owns 225 acres of vines spread over four ranches, planted

MAY 31, 2020 • WINE SPECTATOR 15

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Staying the Cabernet Course in Napa


1965
Robert Mondavi Winery
opens. Napa Valley is
home to 25 wineries.

2019
Napa is home to
nearly 500 wineries,
1 , 000 + wine brands
and 24 , 500 + acres
of Cabernet.

1972
John Shafer purchases a 209 -
acre Napa Valley property. He
begins replanting with a focus
on Cabernet Sauvignon.

1978
Shafer makes his first commercial
wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. During
the 1970 s, Napa’s Cabernet plant-
ings rise from 2 , 000 acres to 5 , 000.

1981
Napa Valley counts
100 wineries.

1983
John’s son Doug joins the
company as winemaker. Elias
Fernandez is hired as assistant
winemaker one year later.

1994
Doug becomes winery president and
Fernandez becomes winemaker. Pro-
duction peaks at 33 , 000 cases per year.

2019
John dies
at age 94.

2012
The 2008 vintage of
Relentless is named
Wine Spectator’s
Wine of the Year.

mostly to Cabernet, along with Chardonnay and a few other grapes.
Output has been holding steady at 33,000 cases annually for 25 years,
with 85% of the production drawn from estate fruit.
It’s not easy to differentiate oneself in a place completely awash in
Cabernet bottlings, but Shafer has done just that. “It’s Cabernet land
out here for sure,” says Doug. “And it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’ve
got growers who ask me what to plant. I say I’d love some Merlot or Pe-
tit Verdot. But to be honest, for the return on the land value, you have
to plant Cabernet.” But what about an impending threat of a glut? “Oh,
the glut is already here,” he says matter-of-factly. “The market for Cab
is shrinking. The days of doubling your price for Cab are gone. Which
is why it’s all the more important now to do that one thing and do it
well, rather than chase trends.”
As U.S. wine sales slow, some family-owned wineries are selling.
Others are changing course to attract new consumers. Though innova-
tion is often welcome and necessary, it can sometimes go too far. Shafer
and Fernandez have a keen sense of hindsight, and understand how they
got to where they are today. They’re doing what they do best.

From left: John Shafer, Elias Fernandez and Doug Shafer

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