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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95.2 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 338 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by salil on 3/7/2024 & rated 91 points: WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): Spectacular aromatics here - an array of dark chocolate, violets, black fruit, and more low toned smoky and earthy savouriness. A lovely wine to just sit and smell, though the palate doesn't quite live up - there's plenty of ripe, luscious fruit here, but also a tinge of heat on the finish. (681 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 3/7/2024 & rated 97 points: WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] The muted nose of black currants slowly opens up to brighter fruit and flowers. Young, but so rich and complex. Very long finish. Easily the WOTN for me and the group. (595 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 12/25/2023 & rated 94 points: 2 hrs slow ox, not decanted. Right out of the bottle there was a bit of raisin/prune out of both standard and Somm stems, however, this could be the result of several moves (have had issues with several other pre-move HSS bottles) but has largely blown off.
Still ample dark fruit and a lovely, balanced satiny coating across the entire palate. For me this is in a great place and unlikely to improve. Pleased that this is my final, but again, there may have been some transit damage that has shortened the life of this in my cellar. (901 views) | | | Tasted by jedwilson on 8/30/2023 & rated 98 points: Drank a bottle in 2013 with friends and rated it 98 then: "Wow! What a wine! From a vintage that some have "taken to task," this excellent cabernet has multi-layered characteristics, wonderful integration, smooth tannins, rich taste and long finish. Don't let anyone make you think this wine is anything short of amazing! Drink now through 2024."
Drinking a bottle in 2023 (10 years later) and I would say the same as then. I don't believe cellaring from here will significantly enhance - enjoy! (1811 views) | | | Tasted by signotim on 7/19/2023 flawed bottle: Corked. Bummer (1684 views) | | | Tasted by Richard P Howden on 7/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Excellent exemplar, very powerful, but seems a bit out of balance - hot where it should be deep. Don’t see this as 100 pointer but a fine rich Napa cab. (1511 views) | | | Tasted by skurtz on 3/8/2023 & rated 95 points: Amazing! Decanted at Piero’s in Vegas. Huge perfumy nose, great fruit, mineral, smooth classy and balanced. Milk chocolate. Long finish. (2332 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 11/2/2022 & rated 96 points: I had this with my wine group at a NYC Steakhouse. Usually I am disappointed in the HS at restaurants. Probably because they never get a decent chance to breathe and develop in a restaurant setting. So for this bottle, I opened it at home, and decanted half the bottle for an hour, before pouring it back into the bottle and recorking it. What a difference. While at first it seemed oxidized, once it was poured out, that was gone and what was left was a fruity nose (think red plum jam), a full bodied mouth feel and a very long finish. Not a lot of tannin left, so no idea how it will age going forward. But right now, it was treat! The other reds of the evening were: 2001 Araujo Eisele Vineyard , 2009 Scarecrow, and the 2009 Harlan. They were all different and after a sip of each, I think I could have ID'd them blind. And while the Shafer was my favorite, if I had to rate them, I would give them all the same numerical score. (2645 views) | | | Tasted by j@$0n p€++y on 10/9/2022 & rated 89 points: Out of mag, 24 hr splash decant back in bottle re-corked over night. Pruny, grapey, cigar box, drying tannins, med-weight, one-dimensional, short. Looking for nuance and tertiary notes at this stage, nothing. That drying tannin scares me for those that want more age. (1897 views) | | | Tasted by Nontaco on 8/13/2022 & rated 95 points: This embodies the Stags Leap stereotype of iron fist in velvet glove. Tannins muted, almost sweet. It’s the elder of a Napa berry bomb, aged well, but ultimately it stops after a few notes, doesn’t have more to say beyond first impressions. Very good but definitely not great. (1988 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 6/12/2022 & rated 99 points: Wow! A great classic Calif Cab. Intoxicating and captivating mouth feel. full bodied, deep and long concentration of pure fresh black fruit, cassis, blackcurrants, earthy wet forest aroma, supple tannins, great depth. A really special wine.
PnP, drank 2 glasses, stored half in a split and refrigerated for next day. It was exactly the same. I saved a 4 oz pour for tonight (day 3) just to savor another experience.
Purchased from Shafer on release, this wine has journeyed to 3 homes across thousands of miles and always properly stored. Thankfully I have another! (2268 views) | | | Tasted by rexmerlot on 5/28/2022 & rated 91 points: Dark purple in color. Notes of blackberry and dark chocolate. Very smooth tannins. Still in peak drinking window. Nice wine (1795 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 4/17/2022 & rated 96 points: Cork broke but showed no seepage. Not decanted but even after an hour this would do just fine w a 60-90 min decant. Primal nose that’s jammy w blackberry and a hint of raspberry. The palate is equally primal and extraordinary dark, with fatty, smoked meat dominating and crushed stone on the finish.
Wine gently softened as it continued to open.This still shows incredible youth for its age however I’ll drink my remaining bottle by 2025-27 to ensure its condition. (1805 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 4/5/2022 & rated 91 points: Very popular among the Hollywood Wine Society group of twelve. Juicy, slightly sweet, red fruity. Easy to understand . Very good for the style, but after a sip or two, you get all it has to say. (1858 views) | | | Tasted by CHarder on 1/8/2022 & rated 98 points: This is close to perfection. Fruity, full, fresh, light and remains cool in character. Gave it 1hr decant and it improved in glass. Drink with decant now-10yrs. (2019 views) | | | Tasted by norsktorsk on 12/31/2021 & rated 96 points: wow. needs some air (1709 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 12/17/2021: Holiday Champagne Gala (Park Ridge Country Club): Small glass, brief note. An absolutely massive wine, and while I understand why some people enjoy this style, it just comes across as top-heavy and so unbalanced to me. (2641 views) | | | Tasted by starkravingmad on 11/25/2021 & rated 95 points: rich, fruity (1705 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 10/16/2021 & rated 94 points: Plush, ripe, floral, elegant and still incredibly young.
Barely saw any signs of age. Similar to last notes. Maybe a bit more open though.
Classic HSS elements - plums, cassis, violets, tons of mocha. Long long finish.
Absolutely mouth coating. Still got some of that heat I noticed last time around but not nearly as intrusive.
Overall very nice. (2034 views) | | | Tasted by merlotsmile on 8/28/2021 & rated 96 points: Makalöst bra vin
Fantastisk stor och djup doft av mörka bär, mörk choklad, lakrits, rostade toner, körsbär i likör, tobak, mynta, läder, caramel
I smaken superbalanserat. Tanninerna är sammetslena, stor voluptious kropp, oerhört fräsh och ren, kraftfull, komplex, lager på lager, koncentrerad, lång finish. (1937 views) | | | Tasted by EM_MB on 8/20/2021 & rated 95 points: Gorgeous wine. 8 hour slow ox and the juice was singing. Can easily go another 10 years. Crushed a ‘02 Insignia in head to head. (1715 views) | | | Tasted by NuTricks on 4/30/2021 & rated 98 points: Holy sh*t!! What a beautiful wine! Ruby on the edge and opaque ruby purple after that. It’s tremendous in cassis, black currant and mocha flavors, and the 100% new French oak provides perfect additions of smoke and caramel. It’s perfectly balanced between the smooth velvety tannins and almost sweet acidity. Yes, it’s an iron fist in a velvet glove. Full bodied at 14.9 ABV. Wonderful long finish. I’ve got one more bottle that I’m going to find it hard to keep my paws off of. Honestly, it truly can just be sipped on it’s own. It does not need food. Just a slight amount of fine sediment that the Nuance finer caught. And it truly sang in the Riedel 🍷 Wings CS stem. Simply luscious! (2489 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 4/9/2021 & rated 94 points: Friday evening at Bishan. Significant air-time in decanter already. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of deep earth, red dust (somewhat like Rutherford dust although this is Stags Leap district AVA), mocha, coffeebean, blackberries, blackcurrant essence. Developed.
On the palate, dry, nice high acidity, high alcohol (14.9%), smooth integrated but very high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of highly focused blackfruit - essence of blackcurrant, blackberries, black cherries, black plums, then followed by mocha, coffeebean and dark earth and dust ?ash. Long finish.
Very good quality. Very fine excellent Cabernet Sauvignon example. Great drink. Whether it is worth the asking price is another thing altogether. (2531 views) | | | Tasted by gteran76 on 3/11/2021 & rated 95 points: Drank alongside a 2010 VHR during our anniversary dinner.
The nose is delicate but persistent, flowers and earth. Big body, massive attach of tannins and good acidity. Everything is in good harmony. This may be at its peak but don't be afraid of holding for many more years if you which to do so... (2387 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 2/22/2021 & rated 97 points: First of 3 (about $210 each, but this and the '05 undoubtedly more expensive than the '06) from a '04-06 vertical bought at auction just under 2 years ago. On the nose and palate, mixed dark berry compote, cassis, black cherries, smoke, dust, coffee, minerality, some floral notes, and lesser notes of anise and dark chocolate in a very tight package. Purplish black, full-bodied, giant legs. Wall of tannins, medium+ acidity, no heat. Medium++ complexity, extraordinary intensity and persistence. This came out of the bottle as if it had just gone into the bottle, with a cork that was rock solid and looked a day old, and even the vibrant fruit was eclipsed by enormous tannins. After 3 and a half hours of air, the fruit nosed in front of the tannins, and this became a memorable drink. I'm at a moment in my life when it's desirable to cull my cellar a bit of older/better/more expensive wine, and this wine, with its '05 sib, were near the head of the class. The HSS is a consistent winner, vintage in and vintage out, and this didn't disappoint, showing massively, powerfully yet with impressive balance, between the fruit and the formidable structure (distinguishing it, IMO, from many of the more modern cabs, with their outstanding fruit but often wanting in structure), between the savory and the sweet, continuing to improve over the 3 nights it's been opened (interestingly, though, it tightened back up at the start of night 2, needing half an hour of air and vigorous swirling to let go of its charms), shining as a standalone and as an accompaniment with rack of lamb, spaghetti and meatballs and chocolate. I rank this wine as a peer of the best TRB wines, both of which were ranked higher by the pros and CT--the '14 Maybach Materium and the '14 Outpost True--the '14 Barnett Rattlesnake and the '04 Dominus; awesome company, to be sure, yet just below my HoF Cab/Bordeaux pantheon of the '12 Ovid, the '16 Spotteswood, the '90 Montrose, the '10 Abreu Thor and the '06 Verite Joie. What those wines had, which this superlative one does not brings to mind a conversation I had with the ever wise beyond his years A_M as we sipped that wonderful Vajra Bricco on Saturday, when, discussing a '10 of this bottling (infanticide, I say!) said he thought that the wine was perfectly made and delicious yet boring. While that's not a term I'd use for this, I know what he means, as that prior group of wines, to me, had a sexiness I'm not sure I find here, a sexiness borne of the dialectic of the powerful and the subtle, the intense and the lithe, the persistent and the lifted. The '04 HSS is all baritone--beautiful baritone, but still the baritone of the all black fruit--no soprano, all full orchestra, no solo flute interludes. I'm glad that the people reading this are likely just as much wine geeks as I am, as this absence, to anyone else in the realm of $300+ wines, would just see this so much as a plutocrat lighting his Cohiba with a $100 note, but for the CT cogniscenti, perhaps this is the difference between an outstanding wine and a truly extraordinary one. Very early drinking window--could certainly ascend toward or even into said pantheon--but in no danger of dropping off any time soon. Great stuff, and wouldn't take an arm twist to get me to splurge on another bottle, all of the above notwithstanding. 97++ (2891 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 2004 Cabernets (Jun 2015) (3/1/2015)
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2013, Issue #45, Recently Tasted Old School and Neo-Classical American Wines
(Shafer “Hillside Select” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/21/2013)
(Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2007, IWC Issue #132
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com. (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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