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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95.3 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 118 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by shafer1994 on 4/8/2024 & rated 100 points: Unbelievable wine! Still young after 30 years! My fourth bottle, and the best: deep, deep dark color, supercomplex nose. On the palate an explosion of dark fruit accompanied by chocolate, vanilla, coffee, tobacco and an overlay of wonderful sweetness. And additional layers of cedar, sandalwood, exotic spices…. Depth and freshness plus power (14% alc only…) Very long, elegant and silky finish. A legend! Will enjoy winelovers for another decade! (87 views) | | | Tasted by Bimal on 8/13/2023 & rated 95 points: Phenomenal balance and structure. Holding like a first growth. Great nose, body, fruit, balance and finish. Lots of black fruit, very soft and mellow tannins, phenomenal balance and structure. Mental, still has that cedar wood but very subtle. Seems like it still has a decade in it, no sense of any cracking even on edges. (796 views) | | | Tasted by dpolzien on 6/28/2023 & rated 94 points: A revenge selection to make up for a cancelled flight, this was quite fun to drink. Held up great over 2 days. A bit of a musty nose at first, but opened up to show some dried floral notes. Still a bit of dark fruit on the palate with a hint of iodine. While this still has plenty of tannins and structure for longer aging, can't see this getting much better from here. Drink now with a couple hour decant. (887 views) | | | Tasted by shafer1994 on 4/8/2022 & rated 99 points: Via Coravin, no decant. Deep red color. Very complex nose. Not the same Superman show than 3 years ago: the wine developed more secondary notes and additional Bordeaux-like elegance, more deepness. On the palate a wonderful harmony of very present mostly dark fruit and very ripe and silky tannins creating an opulence and decent power that ends in an incredible long finish. Power, elegance and complexity in a marvelous balance. This is the stuff why wine drinkers like me love Californian Cabernet! World class! (2166 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 10/5/2021 & rated 94 points: Very good. (2693 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 6/23/2021 & rated 97 points: Small vertical of Hillside Select 1994/2002/2016. All wines showed great with unbelievably complex aroma profiles, laser-sharp precision, and an impeccable structure. They have the Napa fruit and ripeness but all is well dosed and with so much hillside minerality to balance it. The 1994 (97pts) was almost Bordeaux-esque and almost fully mature (the opposite of a very young bottle 2 years ago). The 2002 (96pts) is slowly getting there, shows incredibly complex but still has to lose some baby fat. The 2016 (97+pts) is of course very young but the most singular 2016 Napa I‘ve had to date (out of probably 30) and is a great promise for the future.
TN: Expressive, layered nose with herbs, mint, dark fruits, intense graphite aromas and some barnyard aromas. Superb precision and very inviting. Very fresh, full of tension with fine tannins and a light and creamy texture. Very complex aromatics with a fresh dark fruit core, earthy notes, old leather, tobacco which got more intense by the minute, herbs, mint, spices, coffee. Very intense and ever changing into a long and expanding finish. Easily 97+ points. For a higher score the wine would need a touch higher precision.
Decanting: Quickly double-decanted 7 hours before consumption, good from the go but got better by the minute in the glass.
Glass: Conterno Sensory (3493 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 4/24/2021 & rated 95 points: Tasted blind as part of a mini-vertical (1994, 2002, 2016). All 3 bottles were only double-decanted as no longer decant was needed. This being blind, it was hard to find the common denominator that would have given away a vertical with all three wines showing very distinct features. In terms of ranking #1 was 2002 followed by 2016 and 1994.
Tasting note
Leather and wet earth, dried tobacco, sour cherry and dark cherry. Menthol notes provide for a fresh touch. Also dried herbs and only hints of sweet spices. A distinctly mineral complexity with lots of slate. Some fleshy traits. Fresh with a great, tangible yet soft texture. Juicy. sumptuous, becoming fresher and sweeter with a brighter fruit over time (red currant). Deep, full bodied, with big bag of aging aromas on the palate. Finish goes on and on. Maybe lacks the tension and precision for a higher score, but clearly in a fantastic spot right now. (2997 views) | | | Tasted by RoccoSydney on 4/24/2021 & rated 97 points: Spectacular! At the perfect point for a high-end Cabernet. Minimal tannins, but still fruity for those who like mature wines. The nose the amazing wet leaves. Taste is of dried cherries, the slightest tint of tabacco, with the smoothest of finishes. (2489 views) | | | Tasted by Escalus on 4/21/2020 & rated 96 points: Very good but definitely ready to drink now rather than waiting a few more years. (2816 views) | | | Tasted by Lord of the Bottles on 12/16/2019 & rated 93 points: 1994 California Cabernet Blind Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel, New York): Fruit forward nose. High acidity. Youthful. Really enjoyed this but not sure worth the price tag. 93+ (3092 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 12/2/2019 & rated 93 points: Deep red center and light red rims, I have wanted to taste this for a while. The medium intensity nose showed anise, black cherries, red dust, and a slight green note. The longer the wine aired, the less I noticed the green.
In the mouth, this was rich and ripe with great balance and length. It really need air to show its best.
Cellar or give extended aeration. (2416 views) | | | Tasted by Marc on 11/9/2019 & rated 95 points: Gorgeous, aged Napa Cab, that feels vibrant, balanced, complex, and refined. Essence of Napa style, but with a layered depth that has transformed with time. This does not come across as monolithic in the slightest, but rather fully expressive and transparent. It shows opulence, but has enough structure and herbal and mineral elements to bring focus. In no way would this be confused for Bordeaux, but it has a similar level of complexity. (2287 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 11/8/2019 & rated 95 points: Napa Cult CabSav 1994 dinner (Singapore): Expressive nose of oak, vanilla, ripe fruit, earth, spices, black forest cake. There is very good acidity here, not as sweetish as the younger vintages. Stays in check overall. Very good, but did not have the complexity for points beyond 95 (3345 views) | | | Tasted by shafer1994 on 9/11/2019 & rated 99 points: A Super, Full bodied wine! 100% Cabernet, endless Black fruit, supersweet tannin! Super, big, full body, superlong finish of 1 minute+. Easily 20 more years of aging potential! A blockbuster wine. (1906 views) | | | Tasted by salil on 5/24/2019 & rated 90 points: I had this 9 years ago and thought it was a good, not great wine; rather monolithic, ripe, and oaky. Tasty, but without the depth or finesse I would expect given the reputation. My impressions haven't changed. (2263 views) | | | Tasted by DrinkBordeaux on 5/4/2019 & rated 93 points: I'm surprised that some found this to be at peak maturity. I found this wine to be showing very young and almost primary. Don't get me wrong; it is a very well made wine with excellent potential, but it needed 3 hours to smooth out. Blackberry, blueberry, tobacco, fresh herbs, and dark chocolate on the nose. Very powerful, with tannins left to resolve. Really nice acidity creating a fresh finish with excellent length. For my palate, I would save this for at least 3-5 more years. (2071 views) | | | Tasted by WinoRick on 3/13/2019 & rated 96 points: Purchased on release for $64. Only slight browning, and all tannins resolved to yield a silky, complex California style cab. Tasted vs some other big name cabs and this was the oldest and smoothest. My style. One friend thought it was in the Drink Up phase of its life. (1963 views) | | | Tasted by sirpat00 on 10/27/2018 & rated 97 points: Wine & Dine Vol XI (Florhof (Zurich)): No material decant I think. For me easily faced off the Dominus and Mondavie from the same vintage. Very good flavour precision still despite almost 25 years of bottle age. Light strawberry fruit perfectly framed by earthy leather and lots of mint and herbs. Overall fine, delicate and nuanced with additional complexity provided by vanilla and nutmeg.
Ripe velvety or even silky tannins but still there in the background providing for a solid structure and full texture. Medium+ length finish. (2882 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 10/26/2018 & rated 97 points: Wine & Dine Vol. XI (Zürich): This is a mint monster. At the age of 24 this is still young and fresh like a baby. I enjoyed this very much but there is certainly a lot more to come. While the 1994 Dominus drank alongside is at its peak or slightly past, this Hillside is at least 10 or even 20 years away from its peak. I suspect this could become a perfect wine someday. I was always wondering how the legendary Heitz Martha’s Vineyard mint bombs from the 70s (74, 78) taste. I guess, this Shafer HS is on a path to join these legends. Even if the wine might never fully get there, this thought is very exciting and part of the experience and I guess that’s why my score is probably one or two points higher than what the pure drinking pleasure that day would have deserved.
TN: Highly intense nose full of sweet cassis and blackberries with only slight hints of tertiary development and subtle smoke notes. The palate is dominated by the mint/menthol aroma in a magnitude I’ve rarely experienced before. Underneath lots of cassis and blackberries, some wet forest floor hints, minerality scents. Overall rather monolithic at this young stage (mint/cassis) but that doesn’t bother me as what is there is so intriguing and perfect. Fine-grained, ripe but still noticable tannins (needed some air to smoothen), lots of freshness keeping the other components in balance. Very long fruit and mint driven finish.
Decanting: No harm in giving it a long decant (2-6h) but I will wait at least 5 years before opening the next bottle. (2898 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 6/2/2018 & rated 95 points: Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago - Burgs, old Bordeauxs, Cult Cabs and SQN (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Intense black fruit, cassis, caramel, lead pencil and cedar. Excellent concentration, packed black fruit, silky, good acidity and mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a long sweet black fruit driven finish. My guess is Bryant. This seems even more ripe than the previous wine. (3916 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 6/2/2018 & rated 93 points: Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Single blind. Black cherry with both sweet and savory spice. Slightly firm still, but long and very good harmony. Most restraint of the three big wines in this flight. Most others disagreed, but it was my favorite of the flight. (3530 views) | | | Tasted by rieslinghoarder on 4/16/2018 & rated 96 points: PnP at a friend's house. Wonderful nose of blackberry, black currant, dried blueberries, cedar, eucalyptus, and tobacco that keeps intensifying with time in the glass. Full body with fully-integrated tannins and a long complex finish that fluctuates between black fruits, organic earth, and eucalyptus. Everything about this wine is in perfect harmony right now but it still has plenty of life left. (3208 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 12/30/2017 & rated 99 points: Xmas eve dinner w tenderloin. No decant, drank over 4 hours.
1994 Shafer HSS: absolutely gorgeous, all components in harmony, mature fruit but not over the hill. Long finish. One of the best ever.
1994 Dunn HM: also gorgeous, but in comparison to HSS obviously less fruit but more elegant nuances almost burgundian. This was a knockout wine as wel, just a different style.
Bravo to both. (2993 views) | | | Tasted by CHarder on 12/18/2017 & rated 100 points: What can I say. Fantastic. Perfect. Still vibrant and fresh. (2975 views) | | | Tasted by Collector1855 on 11/1/2017 & rated 99 points: The Judgement of Paris - reloaded: Expressive nose. More dark fruit, eucalyptus, earthy notes, clearly Napa from the Eucalyptus note it has. Most impressive palate combining the richness of California with freshness and structure. For me ne of the WOTN and the best USA wine tonight. A great showing against an equally impressive Angelus. What an awesome flight this was. (4499 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vertical Tasting of Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (Jul 2016) (7/1/2016)
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Horizontal Tasting of Napa Valley’s 1994 Cabernets (Jul 2015) (3/1/2015)
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/2/2003)
(Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 1998, IWC Issue #78
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/9/2012)
(Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select) Opaque red violet color; ripe black fruit, black olive, black plum nose; tart black plum, black olive, mineral, light herb palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points 93 points | By Lyle Fass
Rockss and Fruit (9/19/2005)
(Shafer Hillside Select) This was pretty thin and closed. Nothing special. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/25/2003)
(Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select) 1994 Cali Cabs Blindtasted (Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Bryant, Araujo, Abreu, Shafer HS) (Skirball Center, Los Angeles, California): Reticent, warm berry nose; nice entry, medium-bodied, cassis palate with resolved tannins; short-medium finish 92+ pts. 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and RJonWine.com and Rockss and Fruit. (manage subscription channels) |
| Shafer Producer website
John Shafer and his family founded Shafer Vineyards, located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, in 1979. From the Shafers' first wine, a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon,
their wines have won much acclaim. Today, the Shafers farm 200 acres of vineyard in the Stags Leap District, Carneros and Oak Knoll regions. Their flagship wine, Hillside Select,
is produced from selected blocks of the family's hillside vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. They also produce Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Merlot, One Point Five
(Cabernet Sauvignon) and Relentless (a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend), which was named #1 wine of the year by Wine Spectator's "Top 100" of 2012.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Stags Leap District Stags Leap District |
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