Shafer

At Shafer, grape growing and commercial winemaking on the property began in 1880. The property continued grape growing during Prohibition from 1919 to 1931 under Batista and Maria Scansi. John Shafer purchased the site in 1972 and planted the hillside estate to Cabernet Sauvignon in the mid-1970s, later beginning full-scale winemaking and making the winery's first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978.

Red Shoulder Ranch is Shafer's Chardonnay vineyard. Across the estate, drip irrigation was introduced in the late 1980s, and Shafer switched to solar power in 2004. Cover crops such as clover, vetch, oats, and bell beans are grown to control erosion and nourish the soil, while sheep mow between vine rows to eliminate herbicide use, and owls and hawks are used for natural rodent control to avoid poisons. Its wines include Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon.