I had just pulled into the Shafer parking lot as my tour group made it outside. I was late for destiny. It was windy and warm.

John Gretz (Shafer wine educator) greeted me and introduced me to three married couples visiting. He showed us the estate hillside vineyards and explained how the vines struggled to stay alive. Before picking, the berries will be tiny compared to other Cabernet grapes.

These vineyards, even being in the same enclosed area have different micro-climates. There is a wind tunnel that blows cool air from the San Francisco Bay. It wasn't windy at the two wineries I visited before Shafer. Interesting. Only the best grapes from the hillside vineyards will be used for Shafer's flagship wine, Hillside Select. It was a beautiful sight.

Doug Shafer sat down next to me as we were tasting through and was wearing shorts and sandles. His large dog followed him in. I loved it. John made his way down to the shop area, arm in a cast and talked to me about my work (retail) and wanted me to thank everyone for pushing his wines. (It doesn't take much.) He and Doug were humble and very laid back. They thanked me for coming to their winery. I was beside myself leaving Shafer. This was this single best wine experience I've had.

2006 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay:

I was not a fan of this wine. With food I think this would be fine. Lots of lemon and vanilla in the nose. In the mouth, puckering acidity, with key lime and spice notes. This did not go any malolactic fermentation and I feel it could have used some. C+/B-

2005 Napa Merlot:

I love this wine. I had it in Chicago and it smelled like Napa on a sunny day. This was my first experience with terrior. In Napa, nose of vanilla, plum and ripe berries. In the mouth, creamy and fruit forward. Medium to full bodied and a wonderfully balanced finish. A-

2005 One Point Five Cabernet:

A monster. Huge, ripe, heavy and young. Dark and extracted. I'm wondering if this was finished in a sherry cask, because the nose had this sherry note to it. It also had black cherry, warm dirt and vanilla. In the mouth, spicy and quite tight. If you're buying a bottle or two, keep your hands off it for 8-10 years. A-/A

2005 Relentless:

Unbelievable wine. Huge amounts of fruit, a good amount of acidity and young, fresh tannins. I can't wait to try this on its tenth b-day. B+/A-

2003 Hillside Select:
I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't think it was going to be the best red wine I've had. I smelled this for about five minutes before I tasted. Loads of creme di cassis, baking spice and ripe cherry. In the mouth, full bodied, silky tannins and a long (60+) finish. A+