Shafer Vineyards has purchased a 22-acre vineyard in rolling woods off Silverado Trail in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the winery confirmed Aug. 5.
The vineyard is located south of Yountville Cross Road on the Silverado Trail. It is part of a $35 million overall purchase of 114 acres that closed Aug. 1 with seller Arlie Jean Phillips, Napa County confirmed. Phillips is known as the founder of the Screaming Eagle Winery in Oakville.
The newly purchased property, labeled Wildfoote Vineyard, has Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes growing on the grounds.
Winery spokesman Andy Demsky said the acquisition secures a “key source of fruit” for Shafer winemaker Elias Fernandez.
The winery thrived in the cooler southeast corridor of Napa Valley. Its vineyards are the source of Chardonnays Shafer’s Red Shoulder Ranch, TD-9, One Point Five, Relentless and Hillside Select.
“We have known for years that the fruit of this property is very special. The real winner is the consumer, as it gives our winemaking team the ability to choose the best possible fruit in a given vintage,” President Doug Shafer said in a statement. Shafer’s late parents, John and Bett Shafer, founded the winery in 1972.
The early ’70s were considered an era of rebirth for Napa Valley winemakers, led by Shafer Vineyards, Stag’s Leap and Chateau Montelena – who put America’s wine country on the map with the judgment of Paris. The 1976 competition pitted French and American whites and reds against each other during a blind tasting.
Fast forward to 2022, Shafer Vineyards was bought last February for $250.3 million by a real estate development division of a South Korean retail conglomerate under the name Shinsegae, as reported by the Korea Herald and reported in the North Bay Business Journal on February 16.
Susan Wood covers law, cannabis, manufacturing, technology, energy, transportation, agriculture, and banking and finance. For 27 years, Susan worked for various publications, including the North County Times, Tahoe Daily Tribune and Lake Tahoe News. Contact her at 530-545-8662 or [email protected].
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