Shafer TD-9 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley, California

TD-9 is a proprietary blend that celebrates a bold move. In 1973, in the space of a few months, John Shafer went from riding morning commuter trains in Chicago to teaching himself to drive a TD-9 tractor in his Napa Valley vineyard. He’d never grown grapes or made wine in his life. That spirit of risk-taking and adventure still guides Shafer today and inspired the creation of this new wine. Vineyard locations: Stags Leap District, Yountville, and a vineyard in the foothills of the Vaca Mountains just south of Stags Leap District. 2019 vintage – 33% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot. Aged 20 months in 60-gallon French oak barrels (100% new). “This vintage ofTD-9, with more than 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, fills the glass with vivid aromas and flavors of summer berries, black tea, rose petal, lavender, and black cherry. All this juicy radiance is knit together with ripe Napa Valley tannins, offering abundant enjoyment today while promising even more beauty with time in your cellar.” – Elias Fernandez, Winemaker