First, let me address the elephant in the room. Shafer 1.5 Cabernet is not an oversized bottle of wine. It is Shafer’s estate bottled 750ml bottle of wine. The name of the wine came about in reference to Doug Shafer’s relationship with his father. “This wine honors the founding partnership of John and Doug Shafer, who said they’d worked together so long theirs wasn’t a second-generation story but a generation and a half.” I think instead, the wine should be called iconic and delicious, but they never asked me.

The road to success that Shafer Vineyards took was not what you would expect for one of the most heralded wineries in the world. John Shafer was a Chicago publishing executive who decided, at age 47, that he wanted to be a farmer. In late 1972, he paid $260,000 for a 209-acre hillside tract in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. For his first vintage in 1978, he accidentally invented his ripe, fruit-forward style of Napa Cabernet. That year John couldn’t get grape pickers during a heatwave because all the more established wineries grabbed the crews, so his grapes stayed on the vine and got much riper than California grapes did at the time. Shafer Vineyards eventually became one of the leading proponents of the ripe but balanced style of red wine in Napa. 

That first vintage of Shafer Vineyards Cabernet received 92 pts from Robert Parker, saying “It could easily be mistaken for a second or third-growth wine from the Pauillac/St.-Julien border given its sweet tannin, spice box, and loads of medium to full-bodied fruit.” The winery has earned six 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate. It’s Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the nine wines listed by Wine Spectator’s James Laube in a 2000 cover story on “California cult wines” that popularized the term. Shafer also annually makes one of the most sought-after wines at the Premiere Napa Valley barrel auction. Robert Parker, in 2003, wrote that Shafer was one of the “greatest wineries in the world.” Needless to say, anyone who has a wine collection wants Shafer Vineyard wines.

Elias Fernandez is the guarantee of producing excellent wines. Longtime head winemaker of the winery and a legend in the California wine industry. Elias is a walking encyclopedia of enology and is a recognized expert with undeniable talent. The proof is in the frequent aforementioned 100-point scores for Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, the winery’s flagship wine. The winemaking team, under his direction, cultivates more than 200 acres of vineyards to produce outstanding wines such as Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, TD-9, Relentless, Hillside Select, and One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the beginning, Shafer had produced two Cabernet Sauvignon wines since the early 1980s. Hillside Select originated from hillside vines surrounding the winery. Their Stags Leap District Cabernet was sourced from Shafer’s property and growers nearby. Sourcing enough fruit for that latter wine became problematic; they didn’t have enough from within the Stags Leap District AVA, so it became a general Napa Valley bottling. As luck would have it, a hayfield near the old Chimney Rock Golf Course, where Doug and his father had played many rounds, just inside the border of the Stags Leap line, became available. Due diligence turned up a need for an elaborate underground drainage system, close vine spacing, and cover crops, among a litany of other expensive developments for the vineyard dubbed “Borderline.”

2004 was the inaugural vintage of the new Shafer all-Stags-Leap wine (from a combo of Borderline and the home ranch) that needed a name. “There was a sea of Cab in Napa Valley then,” says Shafer. “It was hard to distinguish yourself. We felt like we needed a family image.” “Most family-owned businesses have their second-generation story – a first generation handing over the reins to a second,” says Doug. “Things happened differently here. Dad and I were in this together early on and learned the business side by side.” They figured that since John had started late and Doug had started early, the wine represented the efforts of a generation and a half: Shafer One Point Five Cabernet was born. A wine that represents the core of the iconic Stags Leap District brand’s production.

Sadly, John Shafer passed in March 2019 at the age of 94. The winery has long been managed by Doug Shafer, son and partner of John, the original founder. In fact, Doug has been sharing the workload at Shaffer since he was 14 years old. They always said they learned the wine business together, a father and son working side by side. With the loss of his dad and Doug turning 68, with no apparent family wanting to continue the legacy, change was in the air. In 2022, Doug took the major step of selling the winery (for $250 million) to his importer, Shinsegae, in South Korea. A condition of the deal was to maintain Elias Fernandez as head winemaker, keep the existing winemaking and vineyard staff, and preserve the quality of the wines produced. This left Doug free to focus on what he loved - working in the vineyards and representing the winery he helped build. The buyers are South Korea’s largest luxury store chain, along with resort hotels and resort golf courses. This purchase guarantees the buyer access to one of California’s premier, most sought-after wines. In honoring Shafer’s continuity and success, Shinsegae has taken a hands-off approach to running the business, looking for continued success in their investment.

Sourced from Shafer’s Hillside Estate vineyards and “Borderline” vineyard located in Stags Leap District and pristine, selected Napa Valley sites.

The 2021 One Point Five is distinguished by lush, intense aromas and flavors of black cherry, crème de cassis, black plum right from the tree, lavender, and savory herbs. This classic Cabernet Sauvignon displays equal measures of richness and balance while the wine’s seamlessly integrated tannins offer the kind of structure that promises decades of beauty to come.

Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Verdot, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec

Aged 20 months in 100% new French oak barrels

This sophisticated and concentrated wine wraps lovely dark plums, blueberries and cocoa flavors in velvety tannins that are well integrated and soothing, while still setting the wine up for a potentially long life. Subtle baking spices, espresso and cedar accents enhance the impressive fruit flavors. Wine Enthusiast 96 pts

More Cabernet-dominated, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five checks in as 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and a splash of Malbec. It has incredible purity in its cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and camphor on the nose and a concentrated, medium to full-bodied, layered style on the palate that stays tighter and more compact than the TD-9. Jeb Dunnuck 96 pts

Beautiful black and blue fruit on offer here with notes of violets, sea shell, iodine and graphite. Full-bodied, broad-shouldered and structured with super-fine and dense yet almost weightless tannins that push the depth of the wine, leading to a smooth, caressing finish. James Suckling 94 pts

An excellent wine, still arguably a decent value in the context of Napa Valley Cab, Shafer’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five features attractive aromas of ripe cherries, cedar and vanilla, plus hints of mocha and loam. Full-bodied, ripe and velvety, it offers more concentration, tannins and length than the winery’s TD-9. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 93 pts

Shaffer One Point Five Cabernet 2021

Needless to say, I did not have a problem finding a group to taste this wine. The bigger issue was finding a room in our store large enough for everyone to taste. The wine poured a very pure, deep, luminous garnet color. First aromas were dark cherry, cassis, cigar, and cigar box with some leather. The flavors continued in the mouth and were thick and rich on the palate, ripe fruit, orange, and clove with baking spices. Fruit, acid, oak, and tannins intertwined and balanced, like harmonies in a barbershop quartet. After we let it breathe for a while, flavor components of toasted bread, black fruit, grilled pineapple, and shortbread came out. A lush, long, dark cherry finish. A show stopper of wine that could only be described as WOW. Drinking great now but has enough acid and oak to age gracefully for years to come. Although Shafer wines will continue to reign as a top California producer, the partnership of dad and son together will be remembered in 2021 as the last that a Shafer had complete control over. 

Regular Price: $159.99

*There is no minimum on this wine

Wine is packed in a 12-bottle case

Limited Inventory

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—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

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