Shafer Vineyards has crafted wines in Napa Valley's Stags Leap District for nearly 50 years, farming 240 acres of estate vineyards. TD-9 is their newest Cabernet Sauvignon expression, named in tribute to the D-9 Cat tractor that founder John Shafer taught himself to drive in 1973 when establishing the winery. The wine draws from estate vineyards in Napa Valley's Southern Foothills just south of Stags Leap District and select Napa Valley sites.

Winemaker Elias Fernandez crafted this as a rich Bordeaux-style blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec. The wine was aged for 20 months in 60-gallon French oak barrels using 100% new Allier and Tronçais cooperage, reaching 15.3% alcohol. It fills the glass with aromas of fresh black cherries, black currant, red plum, thyme, rose petal, and cocoa, with beautifully integrated tannins delivering a lush, mouth-filling texture and complexity suited for long cellaring.

Critics rated the 2021 vintage 95 points by Wine Enthusiast ("shows an amazing clarity of dark fruit... beautifully integrated tannins lend a posh texture that's still bracing enough to help the wine age and improve") and 93 points by James Suckling. Best enjoyed from 2026 through 2036.