Description
*This item may have limited availability – please call ahead to have us check stock!*
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 our 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.
Wine Enthusiast
- we95
The winery’s proprietary blend of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Malbec is hugely impressive and memorable, with a smoky, toasted oak character. Plush flavors of blackberry and cherry jam meld with spice on the rich, round midpalate. It offers plenty of grip and concentration, finishing on a handful of dried herb.
Alexander Peartree
Wine Advocate
- wa94
The 2016 Red Blend TD-9 is blended of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Malbec. It has a very deep purple-black color and displays ready-for-biz, fragrant scents of warm plums, Black Forest cake and blueberry compote with touches of baking spices, bay leaves and potpourri. Full-bodied with a serious, firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins, the palate delivery loads of black fruit and spicy layers with bags of vivacity and panache.
Antonio Galloni
The Tasting Panel
- tp94
Our favorite “tractor” wine, this proprietary blend of 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Malbec was named for John Shafer’s transition from commuter train to farm vehicle. This is the second vintage, and we think it’s even better than the frst. Aromas of ripe strawberry and cinnamon rolls launch exuberantly from the glass as meaty notes and dry, dusty tannins emphasize favors of sassafras, spearmint, licorice, and plum. Lean acidity shows in the structured, upright body.
Anthony Dias Blue
Jeb Dunnuck
- jd93
Leading off the reds, the 2016 TD-9 checks in as 58% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Malbec and is a cuvée first made in 2015. Revealing considerable elegance and purity as well as medium to full-bodied richness, it offers up a terrific bouquet of black cherry and blackberry fruits, tobacco, lavender, and an alluring forest floor character. It’s already drinking beautifully yet will keep for upwards of a decade.
Wine Spectator
- ws93
Bright and juicy, with a fun burst of blackberry and boysenberry fruit laced with hints of sweet bay leaf, violet, singed apple wood and licorice root. Good brambly energy runs underneath, giving this a vibrant feel as well as ample structure for the cellar. Best from 2025 through 2038. 9,000 cases made.
Jonny McCormick, February 5, 2024
Vinous
- v91
The 2021 TD-9 is a very pretty wine. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, spice and white pepper are all nicely delineated. This mid- weight, vibrant red is full of appeal. The 2021 is the first vintage in which this wine is now a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend. It is done in an approachable, fresh style meant for near and medium-term drinking.
Antonio Galloni, December 2023
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.