Blending 62% Merlot, 22% Malbec and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, winemaker Elias Fernandez shows his skill, producing a thick, earthy and spicy red with vibrant red fruit. Ripe firm tannins add weight and power to the full-bodied blockbuster, as toasted oak seals the finish.

Rich and full of dense and spicy dark plum, dried blackberry and mocha flavors. Dark chocolate and smoky notes show on the ripe finish, with dried savory herbal accents. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2023. 8,000 cases made.

Moving to the reds, the 2017 TD-9 Proprietary Red Blend is mostly Merlot yet includes 22% Malbec and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep purple-hued with sweet aromas of jammy blackberries, spiced cherries, herbes de Provence, and dried flowers, it is a wonderfully textured, medium to full-bodied, balanced red with sweet tannins and a great finish. It's going to evolve nicely for 10-12 years.

The 2017 Red Blend TD-9 is blended of 62% Merlot, 22% Malbec and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with bombastic baked cherries, plum preserves and fruitcake scents with hints of underbrush, garrigue, baking spices and rose hip tea. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with spicy blue and black fruit preserves framed with a chewy texture and finishing earthy.

The 2017 TD-9 is pretty, floral and nicely lifted, with more of an aromatic touch than the first vintages. On the palate, the wine is a bit light, though, and lacks the customary richness readers have come to expect from Shafer. This mid-weight, classy red has a lot to offer, but there is no getting around the wine's hollow mid-palate. The wine just feels empty.