2012 Eighty Four Wines Malbec

This is a relatively new project from two famous names in Napa Valley: Doug Shafer and his long-time assistant and winemaker at Shafer Vineyards in Stags Leap, Elias Fernandez. The name comes from the fact that they’ve been working together since 1984. The two offerings I tasted include the 2012 Malbec which is soft, fruity, with black fruits, spice box, earth, medium body, soft tannin and a rather up-front, precocious appeal. It’s not terribly concentrated, or complex, but pleasant and straightforward. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.