93 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2017 Artist Series Schafer from Schafer checks in as 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc that spent a full two years in 40% new French oak. Deep ruby-colored with a meaty, spicy style in its red and black fruits, tobacco, dried spice, and loamy soil aromas and flavors, it gains freshness and purity with time in the glass and is a seamless, medium to full-bodied, gorgeously textured effort. It's a terrific value to enjoy over the coming decade or more."
2016 vintage notes
Gorgeous Washington red wine. What we particularly love about the Artist Series blends and now, in the Paterson, is their purity of fruit and essence of balance, not covered up by excessive oak or tannin, or anything. Paterson combines the plump richness of 2014 (Mason) with the lovely fresh buoyancy of the 2015 (Morris). Velvety-rich already, a quick decant will give you art in a glass.
While aMaurice's Artist Series are named for the artists who grace the front labels, an equal degree of art is in the bottle. Winemaker Anna Schafer creates some of our favorite Washington red blends, works of art in their own right that we highly, highly recommend.
93+ point Jeb Dunnuck: The 2016 Artist Series Paterson Blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Merlot coming from the Columbia Valley and aged two years in 40% new oak. It offers more cherry and dark strawberry fruits, medium to full body, a juicy, lively texture, and a great finish. It shows the pretty, juicy, forward style of the vintage beautifully and will keep for 15+ years.