{"product_id":"shafer-merlot-napa-valley-2005-750ml","title":"Shafer - Merlot Napa Valley 2005 (750ml)","description":"\u003cp\u003eProfessional Reviews\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e91 points Connoisseurs Guide, Review Date: 03\/2008\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a good many years, we have been taken with this winery's ways with this grape, and once again Shafer's preoccupations with richness find perfect expression in this juicy and fruit-laden Merlot. Deep and defined and brimming with cherries and very sweet oak, this working is uncannily refined for the ripe wine that it is, and it sports a sense of sophistication than transcends its similarly big-bodied mates. It is so plump and fleshy that it can be enjoyed now, but there is no soft underbelly here, and it will improve over the mid-term.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e91 points Wine Enthusiast, Review Date: 03\/2008\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShafer’s Cabernet is so dominant, it’s sometimes forgotten how good their Merlot can be. The wines are dependably dry, rich and balanced, as the excellent ’05 demonstrates. It’s soft and drinkable now, but rich and sweet in tannins that frame cherry, currant, cola, licorice and vanilla flavors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e89-91 points Int'l Wine Cellar, Review Date: 06\/2007\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGood ruby-red. Spicy red fruits and cocoa powder on the nose. Supple and silky on the palate, with fresh, nicely delineated flavors of redcurrant, flowers, spices and tobacco. Very nicely balanced wine, finishing with rather suave tannins and some lingering oakiness. (ST)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e90 points Wine Advocate, Review Date: 06\/2015\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2005 Merlot (14.9% alcohol) is a blend of 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc aged 20 months in French oak. By Napa pricing standards, it’s an absolute bargain at $52.00. Succulent and sexy blue, red and black fruits, a touch of spice from oak, and flowers jump from the glass of this medium to full-bodied, opulent, juicy, round wine. It is drinking beautifully at age ten, but there’s certainly no rush to consume it, as it’s clearly capable of lasting another decade as well.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Logan, Shafer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51942068814048,"sku":"131832","price":389.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0649\/9713\/0464\/files\/shafer-merlot-napa-valley.gif?v=1776807383","url":"https:\/\/yianniswinery.com\/products\/shafer-merlot-napa-valley-2005-750ml","provider":"Yiannis Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}