Interested in Berserker thoughts on Shafer 1.5 vs TD9? Been on their Non-Hillside list for 15 years and regularly buy Red Shoulder Ranch Chard, Relentless, Merlot and One Point Five Cab, and now TD9 which replaced the Merlot and is about 50/50 Cab / Merlot. Initial thoughts about the 1.5 - tight, a little thin and slightly herbaceous, needed time to integrate (early years). The Merlot however was (my opinion) one of the purest forms of the varietal in the US. Was sad when Shafer decided to eliminate the Merlot in place of the TD9 blend. Bought a bunch of the Merlot for sentimental reason le and the wine continues to excel even though the last year was in 2014.
Anyway, to the topic question: which do you prefer and why, TD9 or 1.5? Personally, I love the TD9, even more so than the Merlot and 1.5. The 50/50 or so blend has the softness and roundness of the merlot, fruit and tannins from the Cabernet and have loved every vintage Shafer has produced. The 1.5 needs more time, had more stringent tannins, but suspect will reward aging.
Would love thoughts and tasting notes.
2 Likes
Per Elias they’re making merlot again and have it at the tasting room. Not on the list anymore but just finished my last Shafer merlot bottle. 1.5 definitely needs more time and it will reward.
2 Likes
I, too, was a big fan of the Merlot. Glad to hear they’re making it again, although I’m unlikely to get out to the tasting room to procure any in the near future.
I like the 1.5 but it definitely needs time in the cellar to show its best and the price point seems to keep going up. The TD-9 is fine but, to me, doesn’t seem to be on the same level as either the 1.5 or the previously made Merlot. Maybe it’s the Malbec in the blend (15-20%+ in most years, although lower in the 2019); I tend not to be super fond of that grape.
1 Like
I really liked the Firebreak (Napa Sangiovese) back in the day, but they replanted that part of the vineyard to cabernet because of the far higher price it fetches.
I think a substantial part of the reason Napa wineries blend their merlot and give it a proprietary name is so they can charge a lot more without the price limitations associated with labeling it merlot. Like consumers would only pay $50 for the merlot, but if you make an 80/20 merlot cab blend and call it some fancy proprietary name, now you can charge $90.
I think that’s the same reason us savvy wine geeks like the few wineries that still label their Napa merlot as merlot (eg Pahlmeyer, Switchback Ridge, Mayacamas) — it usually way overdelivers for the price relative to other Napa wines.
[note: while I think my comment about merlot pricing and merlot blend pricing is often true, I don’t think Shafer specifically raised the price much if at all when they changed it to a blend and called it TD9]
2 Likes
Agree - add Pride to that list and Duckhorns’ Three Palms. Would love to hear of others favorites.
Don’t know if they are still making it, but the Matthiasson Red Hen Vineyard Merlot is really good.
Keenan. Their “regular” Merlot and especially their Mailbox Vineyard Merlot.
I had a bottle of the 2016 TD-9 the other evening and was very pleasantly surprised.
SOLID wine for about $65 or so.
Above mentioned wines are all great. I’ll throw in Frog’s Leap Merlot as a really solid performer for the $$$.