October 15, 2023 - Enjoyed overlooking Sedona and this bottle unfurled with noted of blackberry and dark fruit, not over ripe, hint of wet stone and still a fair amount of life left but it’s in a good place now.
December 17, 2022 - Good shape, very ripe, big, gooey. BB xmas party
November 19, 2022 - Sweet and rich. Bigger than I remembered it.
August 24, 2022 - Still very well done. , nose and sweet richness. 10 days later was drinking even better , not even sure why the wine was vac'd up on my bar but it was , lucky i guess.
February 1, 2022 - Drinking great.
January 2, 2022 - Big Cali cab , some spine , rich nose. Well done.
October 18, 2021 - Decanted 1 hour. Not up to normal HSS standards. Still good but I expect great from Shafer HSS.
September 14, 2021 - Decanted for an hour then stelarted consuming for the next 3 hours. It improved over time.
This was my last bottle of this vintage. Would recomend decanting for 3-4 hours prior.
The nose was great. Mouth was full body ripe fruit with a long finish.
I do believe this vintage is towards the end of the drink window.
Enjoy
July 14, 2021 - I think most people enjoyed this wine the most. No official vote but praise seemed to be heaped on this bottle. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful ripe fruit, balance and acid. Clean long finish. First bottle I’ve opened in a long time.
July 10, 2021 - Served blind. Bid and bold, but everything in balance. Still seems rather youthful with a core fo dark black fruits, flint, and smoke. Just the faintest hint of heat. I was pretty sure this was a Montebello as I felt I got a hint of dill mixed with the black fruit and it was still quite tannic. I haven't had HSS in years--and this was quite impressive. Don't see it getting better but it certainly isn't fading anytime soon.