Shafer Vineyards
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
"Sunspot Vineyard"
Stags Leap District AVA
Auction 20 | Lot No. 154
Vintage: 2014
Shafer Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon
Stags Leap District
5 cases produced
Highlights
- Sourced from just one of our 14 hillside vineyard blocks, Sunspot
- With its eastern and southeastern face, Sunspot resembles the Alta, Utah ski run for which it is named
- A quintessential vineyard block with a dry, rugged face and soils only 18 to 24 inches in depth
- Produces small clusters with grapes the size of blueberries, offering concentrated color and flavors
Description
This rare expression of Napa Valley winemaking is one of only 60 bottles that will ever be made. Think of it as a bit of Napa Valley history in your cellar and celebrated in a glass with friends and family.
Your Premiere Napa Valley wine is sourced from just one of Shafer’s 14 hillside vineyard blocks, Sunspot. With its eastern and southeastern face, Sunspot resembles the Alta, Utah ski run for which it is named and where John Shafer taught his children to ski. A quintessential vineyard block with a dry, rugged face and soils only 18 to 24 inches in depth, it produces small clusters with grapes the size of blueberries, offering concentrated color and flavors. Sunspot forms the backbone of Shafer's Hillside Select, but in this wine it stars solo in a barrel lot from the 2014 vintage.
Wine Facts
- Single vineyard wine
- Sustainably produced
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
Elias Fernandez
Winemaker, Shafer Vineyards
Elias Fernandez has been making wine at Shafer Vineyards for 40 years, forging a style of boldness, elegance, and balance that has been embraced by wine lovers throughout the world. Elias earned his success in part because he knows Napa Valley vineyards from the roots up. He knows first-hand what it’s like to work in 100-degree heat among dusty vine rows as well as the difficulties of pruning vines in the freezing winter pre-dawn light.
Elias’ father came to the U.S. from Michoacan, Mexico and worked in the San Joaquin Valley as a farm laborer. His mother was born in Napa Valley where her father was a laborer who helped build the rail line that runs through Yountville. Both parents picked prunes and walnuts in the days before wine grapes became the predominant crop in the Valley. Some of Elias’ earliest memories are in these orchards.
In junior high, Elias started working in vineyards with his father where he learned to drive tractors, train and prune grapevines and from both parents he learned the value of hard work and self reliance. "When I graduated from UC Davis, I knew I wanted to work for a smaller winery that would give me the chance to be a "hands-on" winemaker, getting involved in all aspects of running a cellar. I had a lot of excitement getting into this career and that excitement has stayed with me."
Country born: United States
Education: B.S. in Fermentation Science from U.C. Davis
Years in the wine industry: 30+ years
Honors / Awards:
"Winemaker of the Year" - Food & Wine magazine and Wine & Spirits magazine; inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund's Hispanic Hall of Fame at The White House
Winemaking Philosophy:
Coming into this 40 years ago, I thought that winemaking happened underneath the roof of the cellar. Today who I am as a winemaker has umbrellaed in a big way. Winemaking starts in January with pruning and continues throughout the year. I'm not just selecting the best fruit, I'm selecting the best corks, the right barrel staves, ensuring that the bottling line is working at top efficiency. What I've also learned is to let the land dictate the best grape variety and the style of the wine that ends up in the bottle.
Zoes Restaurant
713 19th Street
Virginia Beach VA 23451
757-437-3636
Other Premiere Napa Valley Wines available from Zoes Restaurant:
| Winery | Vintage | Variety | Appellation | Fanciful | Auction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Brave | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Mount Veeder | 25 (2021) | |
| Tamber Bey | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | Oakville Estate | 25 (2021) |
| Viader Vineyards & Winery | 2019 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Block B7 | 25 (2021) |
| AXR Winery | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Sleeping Pritchard | 22 (2018) |
| The Debate | 2016 | Cabernet Franc | Napa Valley | 22 (2018) | |
| Tierra Roja Vineyards | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | Ames Straight | 22 (2018) |
| Trefethen Family Vineyards | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley | Celebrating 50 Years! | 22 (2018) |
| Gandona Estate | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 21 (2017) | |
| HALL | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Rutherford | Sacrashe | 21 (2017) |
| La Jota Vineyard Co. | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Howell Mountain | 21 (2017) | |
| Mt. Brave | 2015 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Mount Veeder | 21 (2017) | |
| Alpha Omega | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | Dr. To Kalon | 20 (2016) |
| Gandona Estate | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 20 (2016) | |
| Matthiasson | 2014 | Red Wine | Napa Valley | Three Sisters | 20 (2016) |
| Shafer Vineyards | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stags Leap District | Sunspot Vineyard | 20 (2016) |
| Tierra Roja Vineyards | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oakville | Collaboration | 20 (2016) |
| Trefethen Family Vineyards | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley | Perfect Timing | 20 (2016) |
| Hess Collection Winery | 2013 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Mount Veeder | 19 (2015) | |
| Trefethen Family Vineyards | 2013 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley | Lost & Found | 19 (2015) |
| Bello Family Vineyards | 2012 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Napa Valley | 18 (2014) | |
| Shafer Vineyards | 2012 | Cabernet Sauvignon | Stags Leap District | Sunspot Vineyard | 18 (2014) |
| Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery | 2012 | Cabernet Sauvignon | St. Helena | 18 (2014) |
Winery Distribution
Shafer Vineyards is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Domestic:
- Alabama (International Wines & Craft Beer)
- Alaska (Columbia/Young's Market)
- Arizona (Quail Distributing)
- Arkansas (Moon Distributors)
- California (Winebow - North/South)
- California (Winebow - North)
- California (Winebow - South)
- Colorado (Grand Vin)
- Connecticut (Worldwide Wines c/o Brescome Barton)
- Delaware (Vintage Import)
- Florida (BreakThru Beverage)
- Florida (Augustan Wine Imports)
- Georgia (Winebow)
- Hawaii (Chambers & Chambers)
- Idaho (Craig Stein Beverage - Sun Valley/East)
- Idaho (Idaho Wine Merchants - Western)
- Illinois (Maverick Wine Co)
- Indiana (Carroll Co)
- Iowa (Okoboji Wines)
- Kansas (LDF Sales and Dist. Inc.)
- Kentucky (Heidelberg Distributing)
- Louisiana (Wines Unlimited)
- Maine (South Portland Wine Company)
- Maryland (Bacchus Importers Ltd)
- Massachusetts (Carolina Wine Co/Martignetti)
- Michigan (Great Lakes Wine & Spirits)
- Minnesota (The Wine Company)
- Mississippi (International Wines, Inc.)
- Missouri (Glazer's Midwest-Kansas City)
- Montana (George's Distributing Wine)
- Nebraska (Quail Distributing)
- Nevada (Vin Sauvage, LLC)
- New Hampshire (Martignetti Companies of NH)
- New Jersey (Winebow Inc)
- New Mexico (Bacchus Wine Patrol / SWS NM)
- New York (Winebow Inc)
- North Carolina (RNDC Company, LLC )
- North Carolina (Advintage of NC)
- North Dakota (RNDC Company, LLC )
- Ohio (Wine Trends)
- Oklahoma (Thirst Wine Merchant)
- Oregon (Galaxy Wine Company)
- Pennsylvania (Vintage Imports)
- Rhode Island (Mancini Beverage / Rhode Island Distributing)
- South Carolina (Advintage Distributing)
- Tennessee (Best Brands Inc - NASHVILLE & CHATTANOGA)
- Tennessee (D & V Distributing - KNOXVILLE)
- Tennessee (Southern (Glazer's) - MEMPHIS)
- Texas (RNDC- Schertz)
- Texas (RNDC- Grand Prairie)
- Texas (RNDC- Houston)
- Utah (Utah Liquor Control)
- Virginia (Winebow)
- Virginia (Select Wines- North VA)
- Washington (Winebow)
- Wisconsin (Prestige Wines Wisconsin)
- Wisconsin (Prestige Wines Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
- Wisconsin (Prestige Wines Wisconsin- Madison)
- Wyoming (Wyoming Liquor Commission)
International:
- Austria (TransGourmet)
- Belgium (Vinesse)
- Bermuda (Barrows Lightbourn)
- Canada (Rogers/International)
- Caribbean (Webb Banks)
- China (ASC)
- Costa Rica (Vinum Aura)
- Denmark (Bergman Fine Wines)
- France (Valade et Transadine)
- Germany (Freund)
- Hong Kong (Ponti)
- Ireland (James Nicholson)
- Japan (Hottei)
- Liechtenstein (Ritter)
- Luxembourg (Vimowa)
- Mexico (Great Fine Wines)
- Netherlands (Bart)
- Philippines (Transcontinental)
- Singapore (Excaliber)
- South Korea (Nara)
- Spain (Vila Vinteca)
- Sweden (VinUnic)
- Switzerland (Martell)
- Taiwan (Atherton)
- Thailand (California Pacific Wines)
- United Kingdom (Thorman Hunt)