One Point Five 2019

Shafer Estate One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon expresses the classic flavors of the terroir of Stags Leap, California, where the Shafer family has lived and worked for decades. The name on the bottle evokes the family partnership at the heart of Shafer Vineyards. John Shafer started his dream of making wine in 1978 and his son Doug joined him as winemaker in 1983. This vintage owes its name to the fact that most wineries or family businesses have their 2nd generation history: a 1st generation which gives the reins to a second. At the Shafer house things were different, John and Doug were together from the beginning and learned business side by side. They coined the term “one point five” to differentiate themselves. All the grapes are picked by hand then hand-sorted. Fermentation takes place under the action of native yeasts. the wine then ages for 20 months in new French oak barrels . This wine presents itself with seductive aromas of red and black fruits, red plum , black cherry, wild herbs , blackcurrant , black pepper , smoke and heather , violet , lavender , wet stone and cinnamon . On the palate, the promise of this complexity is fulfilled with a racy Cabernet Sauvignon full of juicy flavors coupled with a lingering, spicy finish.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...). In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.