2020-05-31_Wine_Spectator

GRAPEVINE

NEWS FOOD & TRAVEL PEOPLE COLLECTING

BY JAMES MOLESWORTH

N

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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