2017 Shafer Vineyards TD-9 Red Blend Napa Valley 750 ml

Our first sip came blind, and nearly knocked us over. A full-throttle yet elegant black-cored blockbuster that exudes first-class Napa Valley power, the wine had every last person at the table marveling at the richness—and guessing at a triple-digit price point.

It all came together when we saw the label of the 2017 Shafer TD-9, a blend of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon that fits right in with the winery’s marquee ($100-$300) bottles like Relentless and Hillside Select. But this wine’s an outlier: By showing what Robert Parker called Shafer’s “first-growth standards” at just $59, TD-9 makes it possible to put one of Napa Valley’s legendary wineries in your regular rotation.

In Napa Valley, magnificent wines are many, but icons are few—and Shafer is an icon. It’s a steakhouse staple that not only delights red wine lovers from coast to coast, but has taken home Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year title, and been served at the White House.

TD-9 is Shafer’s newest red blend, and it’s custom-built for anyone who loves power-packed Napa Valley reds (and Shafer’s inimitable Cabernets and Syrahs). Opening with warm and ripe cassis, blackberry, and black cherry, it’s backed up by a powerful palate anchored in compote-like fruit, and accented by vanilla seasoning from 20 months in 100% new French oak. The richness comes in waves, and only subsides after a long, lingering finish. 

This wine honors founder John Shafer, who in January 1973 (when he was in his late forties) moved his family from Chicago to Napa Valley so he could pursue his dream of growing grapes and making wine. Never mind that he’d never grown anything more than a few flowers in the front yard. 

It was a huge gamble. John put everything on the line for the chance to be his own boss and work outdoors, and that spirit was something the family wanted to honor with TD-9. They took the name of the wine from one detail of the family adventure, where in a space of a few months, John went from taking Chicago’s commuter train to driving an International Harvester TD-9 tractor on the Stags Leap hillsides. 

John Shafer passed away a year ago, but he was able to see the launch of TD-9, the no-rules blend whose name and style are a tribute to the risk-taking and adventurousness that not only built one of Napa Valley’s greats, but helped put Stags Leap District on the map. 

The 2017 consists of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, raised at Shafer’s vineyard sources in Stags Leap District, Yountville, and in the foothills of the Vaca Range just south of Stags Leap. The long, warm summer and early fall of 2017 allowed the grapes ideal conditions to develop beautiful ripeness, and a 20-month stint in 100% new Allier and Tronçais French oak barrels has wrapped that dark fruit core in layers of vanilla and woodsy spice. This is a powerhouse for any lover of Shafer wines, as well as any big, rich Napa Valley reds. It’s an incredible bottle that pays tribute to a remarkable life, and we’re proud to bring it to you.