Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2019 (75cl, 14.9%)

A 100% Chardonnay from Carneros, Napa Valley, produced by Shafer Vineyards and bottled at 14.9% ABV in a 750ml bottle. The wine is barrel fermented using 75% new French oak and 25% stainless steel, with indigenous wild yeast, and undergoes no malolactic fermentation. It is then aged for 14 months. The absence of malolactic fermentation preserves the grape's vibrant natural acidity, while the oak fermentation adds richness. The nose has ripe apricot, pineapple, green mango, honeysuckle, white flowers, candied ginger, brioche and almond. The palate is full-bodied with buttered lemon, tangerine, white melon, tropical fruit, grapefruit peel and Fuji apple. The finish is long and spiced, with toasted almond, clove and flinty minerality.