Drank this Saturday at a local BYO. This is my first time with this wine, and it is definitely not your typical Sangiovese and definitely typical Shafer. The blend is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet, and is a full blown extracted typical Shafer wine at 14.9% alcohol. The color is a dark garnet not completely opaque. The aromas are of Cherries, cranberry and vanilla. This wine is smooth and rich with plenty of spicy cherry flavors and finishes long and smooth with an almost sweet cherry flavor with touches of oak. The tannins are supple and round and the wine was a winner to all four of us at dinner. I would give this wine 92 pts, it is definitely my style as a fruit driven big wine. And it represents typical Shafer style at quite a discount to his other red wines, I paid $28 and will be back to buy any left.

calcabs--

I had this the other night with pasta and a tomatoe-mushroom sauce. I was testing ojeffso's suggestion for this combination...

Anyway, the pairing didn't work real well, The acidity was there, but maybe I should have properly decanted it for a bit. It seemed to get better after I was done eating.

This is my first bottle of Shafer that I have actually consumed now, too. So I have no real point of reference.

I tend to agree with your comments about the cherries and maybe the cranberries, but I got no vanilla. Instead, I got the fruits I mentioned, plus thyme and dry brambe twigs (imagine walking through a denser forest in winter), giving way to osome chalkiness and lead. It was followed up with more cherries, some blackberries and so on. The tannins seemed to settle in a bit after the bottle was open for an hour (I'd splash decanted it and poured my glasses immediately).

I'd rate this about an 89 as it stood with my chosen food pairing. I'd like to ttry it again when I have something else.

I think I need to go get me some Italian Sangiovese and see what happens.

tj-next time try a good chianti classico, lamborghini trescone or di mago.

that is what i am planning on doing. Thanks for the tips

Tj- I didn't notice the forest flavors you mentioned. Ours was not decanted poured immediately after opening and finished about 30-45 minutes later. We had first with out food and then with appetizers (crab cakes with a fruit salsa, and some mozzarella stuffed with prosciuto and eggplant. It was drunk from smallish chardonnay type glasses at about 60-65 degrees. My initial impressions where similar to those I've had with Shafer 1999 Merlot and Cab, big fruit driven with lavish oak effects, but with a bigger dose of cherries. I definitely didn't sense the same kind of tomato cutting acidity in this wine as I would expect from a Chianti Classico.

FYI - I was having a discussion with a couple of the wine reps at the Wine Library grand tasting, and the subject of wine with red sauces came up. On of them suggested to my amazement that Sancerre was a good pairing, he said he didn't believe it either unitl he tried it. I don't know but I still haven't tried it either.

cc-- I think the acidity of the tomato sauce may have changed how this wine tasted to me as opposed to you. I'll have to get another bottle to try with some different food. I will think about the Sancerre idea. Then again, I really should try a chianti classico since the Italians are the folks who make the wine to go with their food, right?

TJ- probably safer to go with the Chianti, like I said the Sancerre thing is not something I can vouch for personally. I have thought of trying it with a NZ SB as the acid level is there it might work.

I personally also have had good luck with Cal. Merlots and Cal and Oregon Pinots. I don't know why it works, maybe because of the lesser tannins? Now I got myself thinking, I bet the Luna merlot would have worked nice with the added Sangiovese.