03/25/2026
42 years ago today, Elias Fernandez began his work at Shafer Vineyards.
What makes that meaningful isn’t just the number—it’s what it represents: four decades of continuity.
The same hand, the same judgment, guiding the wines across changing vintages and evolving vineyards.
In a world where winemakers move, trends cycle, and the business changes, that kind of consistency is almost unheard of.
The wines haven’t been reinvented—they’ve been refined.
Decisions compound. Small adjustments, year after year, building toward something precise, enduring, and unmistakably Shafer.
You can’t shortcut that. You can’t replicate it quickly.
It’s the kind of commitment you more often associate with the great estates of Bordeaux—where a life’s work is measured in decades, not vintages.
As Elias often says, he lets the hillside vineyards speak.
After 42 years, that voice is unmistakable.
We’re incredibly grateful—for the discipline, the care, and the relentless pursuit of getting it right, year after year.
Congratulations, — here’s to many more.
