Tasted blind, this wine had a deep purple center with a touch of red at the rims. It looked like a 5-10 year old wine! The medium intensity nose generated blackberry, wax, mineral, menthol, and some leesy notes.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich and yet light on its feet. It displayed rounded tannin, firm acidity, and excellent length. It was ripe enough that it had a "jammy" texture but it did not come off as heavy.
This bottle still seemed quite young and would have showed exciting potential. However, the leesy note in the nose was troubling as this suggested a wine-making flaw that will probably not dissipate. Thus, I don't see upside here based on just this one bottle.
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Bottle and cork seemed in quite good condition. However, this wine seemed tired and lacking fruit. Dried red fruit, cigar, pepper and beans. I was not a fan of the vegetal element and pyrazines as Shafer is usually a fruit and oak driven cab. I had a much better bottle about 8 years ago. This wine is past peak and I advise drinking up. It came 8 of 12 in a lineup of comparable Napa Cabernet based wines.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red/purple center with red rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth blackberries, cherries, soil, and anise.
I do not know how long this wine was open but it did not seem to change much during the tasting. It was rich and ripe with mild taninns, solid acidity, and good length.
While not particularly complex, this was a well made wine. The color argues that more complexity might be revealed with additional age. However, based on just this one data point, I would not be inclined to bet on it.
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Slightly vegetal nose, forest floor and tobacco A nice blast of black raspberry with a gamey note at the end. A little disappointing. Better when young
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Wow. Drank this at Capital Grille Naples. What a great wine. very soft and smooth. Loads of blueberries and black berries with out being sweet in any way. Spectacular!
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From memory; 1/2 hr decant; still dark ruby with no brick, dark cherry with some leather & a touch of tobacco, soft/mod. tannins, long finish; outstanding & one of the wines of the night of a very upscale tasting; drink or hold, loved it!!
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An interesting wine; cassis, gravel, a lick of mint, oak. Just a touch vegetal. Certainly the classic Californian phenotype pre-1998 or so. However, not quite the profundity you might expect from Hillside Select from a good vintage. A bit of a let-down; I'm not sure if there are better bottles out there or if this is just sliding down the slope. This particular bottle would have been better 5 years ago.
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Nose: plum, sweet black cherry, ginger snap, baking spice and fig. Also shows some stewed or fall leaves and earth notes at times. Plalate: Dense and ripe but well balanced with blackberry, cherry, toasted pecan, ginger and molasses notes. Fudge at times. The spice/sweet is well balanced with acidity and a smooth palate feel. Finish: good long finish that grows quite green with pepper and a weedy note that detracts from the ripe berry fruit.
This balanced out in the decanter over 5 hours and showed best late in the night 94+/-, i recommend drinking in the next 2-4 years. Holding well.
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Shafer Hillside (12 & 91), Guigal La Turque, Bedrock, Fonseca ++ (Our Home): Chris purchased this on release on cellared it over the years in various places. The bottle was opened a hour or so ahead of time and allowed to breathe. The cork did break on opening and came out in two pieces. Purple in color. The nose is stinky. It does blow off mostly after an hour or so. Barnyard followed by cassis, dried fruits, plumes, spice and dust. On the palate, this gets better all night. It starts of old and tired and while perhaps past prime, not that much. Nice complex layers of earth, fruit with slight wispy tannins. Nice finish. Very pretty more elegant wine and a real treat.
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I had been warned that there was not much fruit left in this vintage, an opportunity emerged last night to share with it with a friend and was pleaseantly surprised. The wine was accessible upon opening and evolved very slowly over the next hour and a half that it was consumed. I found the fruit well integrated into a great nose and wonder if a long decant would have hurt the experience. This is the second of older California's that I have tasted in recent months and have to say, that they seem to be holding up really well over time.
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Picked up 3 more bottles after the last one was perhaps one of the best wines I have had and so far 2 of the 3 have not lived up to the first one. These 2 had much softer corks that broke apart as we tried to remove them as the other one we drank earlier in the month had an extremely solid cork. These 2 didn't quite have the explosive Blueberry Pie A la mode nose as the other one I reviewed. These 2 had a much older nose, a little dusk, funk, still some blueberry, but much more like an old bordeaux . This had much less power behind it and much thinner. It was still good it just wasn't spectacular or very memorable. We did decant and there was a lot of sediment. We were disappointed.
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This was stored perfect and the cork was as firm as any 2010 wine you would open. I was shocked. Nose literally smelled like Blueberry pie. Smooth and still powerful. Huge flavor of blueberry pie, with some spices, a hint of cedar, and a touch of coffee. It did have a touch of musty funk that blew off within a couple minutes.
This was popped and poured and was the WOTN!!! I wish I had more
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Drank out of 6L. Decanted for 3 hrs. This is at it's peak right now. Not your typical Hillside select. A little lighter and very balanced. Fruit and the acid and tannin very resolved. Older Bordeaux-esque.
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Pop and Pour....Cork was brutally dry and crumbly..but already beautiful mature cab truffle, herbs, blackberry, cigar Box, wintergreen. Hour 2- Graphite, Mint a little tightening Hour 3- Cherries hour 4-a little cream, just beautiful depth... cigar box, currants and dried pommegrante, eucalyptus... no real greeness Dark Choclate undertones
Crimson to black no bricking...Very Bordeuex like in depth drinking Beautifully tannins resolved but proabably will Plateau at this level for the next 8-10 years.
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Dinner in Normandale (Normandale, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand): Clear aromas of sauteed green bell peppers combine with blackcurrants and classy cedar and oak character. A touch of dusty complexity and also a hint of oxidation that suggests the wine is slightly past its peak. The palate has outstanding definition and a long and rich finish, with slightly elevated acids. In no way is the wine drying out. Compared to the two great 1990 bordeaux wines that preceded it, this felt stylistically in the middle of the two wines, sharing a hint of the extravagant opulence of the Montrose and also some of the classic poise of the La Mission Haut Brion. Certainly the most developed of the trio. The dualism of both ripe and unripe fruit quality marks this as a wine that may not have achieved complete physiological ripeness in the vineyard. I liked this wine very much but it was well and truly outclassed by the two superstars drunk in the same flight.
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The 1991 Hillside Select is surprisingly reminiscent of a rustic 1982 Bordeaux, although a certain inner sweetness identifies it as Californian on the palate. Aromas of cedar, herbs and briary fruits emerge from the glass, and the wine seems to grow with air, gaining richness and completeness on the palate to put in a very creditable showing. Doug Shafer recollects that this wine was opaque and viscous in its youth, but it has evolved into quite a civilized beast, albeit with a slightly more rustic character than one finds in subsequent vintages.
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Wine with Steak and Morels (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Tasted double blind. Lots of black fruit aromas and flavors at a feet attractive point in its evolutionary development. Well supported with good spice and structure. Very pleasurable today, but this has the stuffing to continue to age well.
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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Well the 1991 is a whole different caliber than the 1990. Garnet red. Cherries and dark berries in the nose. The wine has a wonderful sweetness is very smooth and elegant. Lots of dark fruit and chocolate. Just wonderful. Drink - 2020.
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Just a beautiful wine- grace and elegance in the bottle. It no is the behemoth that is was 10 years ago. It has mellowed and the fruit has really come into its own. The finish lasted for minutes. Sad it was my last '91.
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Dinner with Friends (Inovasi - Lake Bluff IL): Black fruit and subtle spice aromas, then completely identical on palate. Very good balance. Perhaps a little less interesting overall vs. another bottle from earlier this year with showed a little more cigarbox aromas and acidic edge.
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Tasted at the Vintner's Club in SF. Tasted along with the 91' Dalla Valle. This tasted and smelled like lightly stewed red fruit. Fully resolved tannins but slightly out of my flavor realm. This came so late in the evening that I couldn't fully appreciate.
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Medium red color, with light bricking at the edge of the glass. Beautiful nose of mature Cabernet fruit, leafy earth, cigar box, and spice. In the mouth, elegant and impeccably balanced, with tasty cool black fruit and a dried fruit note, along with prominent secondary notes from the earthy, spice, and cigar notes. Smooth mouthfeel throughout, with a long, pretty finish. This is a complete, beautiful example of mature Cabernet. A
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Cassis and black currant aromas with tobacco, cigar box and dark chocolate. Very balanced palate of black currant and black cherry, good spice and some emerging earthy flavors. Tannins and acid provide excellent support towards long finish. This is a wonderful "old fashioned" California Cabernet that comes across as less ripe, lower alcohol than vintages from the past decade.
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Decanted for an hour..evolved nicely in the glass...very complex and drinkable...Worth every year of waiting. Enjoyed at my son's 21st birthday dinner...1991 for 1991.
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Finishing up Saturday's remnants. Deep color. Notes of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, licorice, blue fruit and violets. Perfect balance, with a terrific velvety texture and flavors of black and red fruit and herbal qualities. Superb.
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4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Our house): Dark color. A little mushroomy to start; then black currants, violets and graphite aromas. Very well-balanced, with flavors of dark fruit, plum and florals, with good acidity and a long finish. Velvety texture.
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Enjoyed during celebration of our anniversary weekend ... and an interesting contrast to a 91 Dominus had the night before. The HSS had very powerful dark fruits on the nose. Flavors were of dark fruits with still strong tanins and nice acidity. Long finish. Very powerful wine and still drinking incredibly young at this point. Delicious wine that my wife and i definitely enjoyed, though we slightly preferred the Dominus. If blind would have thought this was from 2001 or later. This could easily go for another 10-20 years, and if you are considering drinking and are certain of provenance, I would definitely hold for at a few years at least.
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Beautiful rich garnet color. Nose of tobacco and chocolate. Beautiful dark fruit on the palate along with the tobacco and chocolate-tannins present but soft. The finish is long enough to satisfy. This wine tasted amazingly fresh to me given the fruit, and likely has many more years ahead of it. 94-95
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Sunday Evening (My House, Denver, CO): Decanted 3 hours. Deep violet with bare red tinge. Nose of dark berries, earth, graphite. Fruit is deep and dark and penetrates well. Tannins well integrated, but present as is a refreshing acidity. Not much sense of complexity beyond dark fruit and some pepper. Good sense of balance. Enhanced experience with Wagyu ribeyes -- Patrick was exhilarated.
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Dark red color. Aromas of tobacco, cassis, cedar, and some sweet herb. On the palate, a very masculine profile of cassis and tobacco. This was initial impression after decanting. Illness prevented me from watching this evolve with air and food. Appeared to be well received, but nobody swooned. Tannins were well integrated, but not fully resolved. Preferred the '91 Monte Bello of earlier this month to this by a fair margin, but this is a nice wine with continued upside potential from further cellaring.
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very nice when iinitially opened , first glass had the most fruit . after that though the fruit didnt dominate and the wine was only one dimentional . while very good , it was slightly disappointing .92/93 rating
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A big old nose of deep musty rich floral bouqet with copious amounts of dark fruit, barnyard,leather and licorice. Really dark brooding fruit mixed with cedar, smoke,tobacco and pepper on the palate. Really soft but with a nice sturdy tannic backbone that makes me believe this wine still has some age on it. Really complex and complete wine, everything mixed well with each other and exposed itself at the opportune times to keep you coming back.
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Still dark red. Fabolous nose of red and blue berries, pencil shavings, smoke and black tea. In the mouth this is perfectly round and mature with almost no tannin grip. Yet the fruit is extremely healthy and upfront. Very seducing and one of the best examples of mature wine that I have ever had.
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1990s Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (The Cellar Master's Lair (Somers, CT)): Medium-ruby red in color. Sweet, smoky oak with black currant, pepper notes. At first approach, somewhat short and angular, but with a few minutes in the glass - wow, really sexy with perfectly integrated tannins balanced with still ripe black fruit flavors. Drinking exceptionally now, but probably 10-15 years of life remaining. [Group placement 2/8]
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Lovely deep ruby color. Glorious nose of deep fruits mixed with earth and a hint of coffee and leather. OHHHH so complex. The palate is full and long – simply stunning wine. This would do beautifully in a mature Bordeaux tasting. Easily the class of the night in my opinion (both style and execution) and one of the better bottles of US wine I have ever had. (98)
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A crowd pleaser and w/ suprising complexity. Dark fruit, tobacco, hint of brush (not green). Medium tannin - balanced. Finish a little short. Did not decant but opened several hours before serving.
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The Once In A Lifetime Dinner (Raleigh, NC): So does California Cab age? It does when it's from one of the state's true First Growths! Still a somewhat opaque purple in color, this wine started off a bit slow but really opened with time in the glass. Nice depth to the fruit and good richness, though not nearly as much as the '86 Lafite this glass sat next to during the meat course. Very elegant and refined, particularly for a New World wine. 50+12+13+8+8 = 91
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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Dinner (1989-2002) (California Club, Los Angeles, CA): My favorite of the flight, as people noticed by pointing out my empty glass. It was the only one of the flight that I finished. Silky and refined, with plush notes of currant, tobacco, and orange peel. Drinking extremely well now, with no need to hold any longer.
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We decided to serve this with the other early 90s wines instead of with the younger Hillside Selects and I think it was a good call. As good as the Beringer was showing, I think the Shafer edged it out for WOTF. Full opaque black/red. Forward aroma of black fruit and cassis. Mmmn. Really rich sweet black fruit on the palate. This bottle was drinking noticeable better than that last time I had it and it was among my favorite wines of the evening (just behind the 01 HSS and the Colgin). eBob tasting. ? pts. 6/06
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A totally different wine that modern-day HSS - reminds me more of a classic Napa Diamond Creek or Mayacaymas. Rich and youthful cabernet fruit with an unexpected herbal and pencil-lead character. Framed by ultra-fine tannins and clearly capable of lasting and improvement.
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We ordered the Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet at Tribecca Grill after the American Grafitti California wine tasting. We requested the sommelier not decant it--b/c that is how we prefer our wine. Unfortunately, she decided to decant it, anyway (b/c a couple of pieces of cork had fallen into the bottle, and she couldn't figure out how to otherwise remove them). This was very unfortunate, from the perspective of tasting the wine, as virtually all of the nose was gone, and the deep, concentrated fruit flavors and tannins (which we could detect from the small amount in the bottle, not decanted) were reduced. The wine was still nice, w/ age herb flavors, but it wasn't what it should be. Certainly not worth $225 retail ($180 discounted for the night). Needless to say, I was disappointed at the poor wine service there. I suspect if the bottle had not been decanted, the wine would have been fabulous.
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Although closed at first, after a while in the glass it started to open. Much stronger fruit than any in this flight, with a smooth finish and velvety texture. I was very impressed with this one and for some at the table, this was their WOTN.
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Drank at Trevor's 40th birthday party with Young and Jane Kim, Lorenzo and Nathalie Gaggini, Paul and Jane Nunes, Dewey and Mee Satterfield, Oisin and Lynda Murray. Beautifully ripe dark fruit but still young in magnum with tannis still evolving.
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outstanding! still dark red, plums & black fruits on nose, great depth, very full body, excellent balance, still moderately tannic, long finish with tannins but not drying, tons of fruit there, will probably get even better over the next year or two
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10/16/2021 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep purple center with a touch of red at the rims. It looked like a 5-10 year old wine! The medium intensity nose generated blackberry, wax, mineral, menthol, and some leesy notes.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich and yet light on its feet. It displayed rounded tannin, firm acidity, and excellent length. It was ripe enough that it had a "jammy" texture but it did not come off as heavy.
This bottle still seemed quite young and would have showed exciting potential. However, the leesy note in the nose was troubling as this suggested a wine-making flaw that will probably not dissipate. Thus, I don't see upside here based on just this one bottle.
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1/20/2020 - Bordeaux_Jon wrote: 91 Points
Bottle and cork seemed in quite good condition. However, this wine seemed tired and lacking fruit. Dried red fruit, cigar, pepper and beans. I was not a fan of the vegetal element and pyrazines as Shafer is usually a fruit and oak driven cab. I had a much better bottle about 8 years ago. This wine is past peak and I advise drinking up. It came 8 of 12 in a lineup of comparable Napa Cabernet based wines.
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10/22/2019 - mattiasjansson wrote: 96 Points
Shafer Hillside Select in Boston - Take II (Boston): Soft tannins and medium fruit. Mature. Beautifully balanced with excellent finish. Probably at peak now.
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5/13/2019 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened 2-3 hours prior to serving into Galateo Burgundy glass (“No” day): Medium ruby with very slightly bricking rims.
Pronounced green bell peppery notes with darker red and black fruits. Delicate white spices.
Nicely acidic and mineral. A little woody that seems a little “sweet” on the finish.
92 points.
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2/9/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind Cabernet (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Corked.
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2/3/2019 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red/purple center with red rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth blackberries, cherries, soil, and anise.
I do not know how long this wine was open but it did not seem to change much during the tasting. It was rich and ripe with mild taninns, solid acidity, and good length.
While not particularly complex, this was a well made wine. The color argues that more complexity might be revealed with additional age. However, based on just this one data point, I would not be inclined to bet on it.
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11/24/2018 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slightly vegetal nose, forest floor and tobacco
A nice blast of black raspberry with a gamey note at the end.
A little disappointing. Better when young
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9/23/2018 - floridawinedrkr wrote: 95 Points
Wow. Drank this at Capital Grille Naples. What a great wine. very soft and smooth. Loads of blueberries and black berries with out being sweet in any way. Spectacular!
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8/25/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Similar to prior notes after an hour decant, outstanding & ready to drink. Classic, old style CA cab!
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5/27/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Similar to prior note after decanting for an hour then back in the bottle to SO for a few more; delicious, drink or hold
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10/16/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
From memory; 1/2 hr decant; still dark ruby with no brick, dark cherry with some leather & a touch of tobacco, soft/mod. tannins, long finish; outstanding & one of the wines of the night of a very upscale tasting; drink or hold, loved it!!
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3/4/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
An interesting wine; cassis, gravel, a lick of mint, oak. Just a touch vegetal. Certainly the classic Californian phenotype pre-1998 or so. However, not quite the profundity you might expect from Hillside Select from a good vintage. A bit of a let-down; I'm not sure if there are better bottles out there or if this is just sliding down the slope. This particular bottle would have been better 5 years ago.
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3/3/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: plum, sweet black cherry, ginger snap, baking spice and fig. Also shows some stewed or fall leaves and earth notes at times. Plalate: Dense and ripe but well balanced with blackberry, cherry, toasted pecan, ginger and molasses notes. Fudge at times. The spice/sweet is well balanced with acidity and a smooth palate feel. Finish: good long finish that grows quite green with pepper and a weedy note that detracts from the ripe berry fruit.
This balanced out in the decanter over 5 hours and showed best late in the night 94+/-, i recommend drinking in the next 2-4 years. Holding well.
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1/22/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Shafer Hillside (12 & 91), Guigal La Turque, Bedrock, Fonseca ++ (Our Home): Chris purchased this on release on cellared it over the years in various places. The bottle was opened a hour or so ahead of time and allowed to breathe. The cork did break on opening and came out in two pieces. Purple in color. The nose is stinky. It does blow off mostly after an hour or so. Barnyard followed by cassis, dried fruits, plumes, spice and dust. On the palate, this gets better all night. It starts of old and tired and while perhaps past prime, not that much. Nice complex layers of earth, fruit with slight wispy tannins. Nice finish. Very pretty more elegant wine and a real treat.
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12/20/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
1991 California Cabernet Retrospective @ The Milling Room (New York City): The wine of the night. Loads of rich, lush, youthful, plummy fruit. A hint of smoke and vanilla. The tannins were just about right - evident, but fine grained and smooth.
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9/12/2015 - RyanJames Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the downhill, but undeniable greatness. super-second growth meets CA.
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5/22/2015 - philweird Likes this wine: 92 Points
I had been warned that there was not much fruit left in this vintage, an opportunity emerged last night to share with it with a friend and was pleaseantly surprised. The wine was accessible upon opening and evolved very slowly over the next hour and a half that it was consumed. I found the fruit well integrated into a great nose and wonder if a long decant would have hurt the experience. This is the second of older California's that I have tasted in recent months and have to say, that they seem to be holding up really well over time.
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3/24/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Picked up 3 more bottles after the last one was perhaps one of the best wines I have had and so far 2 of the 3 have not lived up to the first one. These 2 had much softer corks that broke apart as we tried to remove them as the other one we drank earlier in the month had an extremely solid cork. These 2 didn't quite have the explosive Blueberry Pie A la mode nose as the other one I reviewed. These 2 had a much older nose, a little dusk, funk, still some blueberry, but much more like an old bordeaux . This had much less power behind it and much thinner. It was still good it just wasn't spectacular or very memorable. We did decant and there was a lot of sediment. We were disappointed.
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3/21/2015 - GTFreek wrote:
Gorgeous, Bordeaux style, yet fading. Probably had more power a few years ago. Still very, very good, structure excellent with acidity and balance.
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3/14/2015 - ttriant Likes this wine: 94 Points
Overall excellent, sweet tannins. Drink now to 2020.
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3/7/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 98 Points
This was stored perfect and the cork was as firm as any 2010 wine you would open. I was shocked. Nose literally smelled like Blueberry pie. Smooth and still powerful. Huge flavor of blueberry pie, with some spices, a hint of cedar, and a touch of coffee. It did have a touch of musty funk that blew off within a couple minutes.
This was popped and poured and was the WOTN!!! I wish I had more
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12/30/2014 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 95 Points
Killer cab. Incredible in every way. Enjoy, but would think about popping a few with the new year.
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12/20/2014 - jsebiri wrote:
crumbled cork , nice cab , missing at least one dimension , nice , but probably a few years late
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12/19/2014 - Naplesgolfer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank out of 6L. Decanted for 3 hrs. This is at it's peak right now. Not your typical Hillside select. A little lighter and very balanced. Fruit and the acid and tannin very resolved. Older Bordeaux-esque.
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11/7/2014 - JoeDwine wrote: 94 Points
Pop and Pour....Cork was brutally dry and crumbly..but already beautiful mature cab truffle, herbs, blackberry, cigar Box, wintergreen.
Hour 2- Graphite, Mint a little tightening
Hour 3- Cherries
hour 4-a little cream, just beautiful depth... cigar box, currants and dried pommegrante, eucalyptus... no real greeness Dark Choclate undertones
Crimson to black no bricking...Very Bordeuex like in depth drinking Beautifully tannins resolved but proabably will Plateau at this level for the next 8-10 years.
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8/10/2014 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Dinner in Normandale (Normandale, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand): Clear aromas of sauteed green bell peppers combine with blackcurrants and classy cedar and oak character. A touch of dusty complexity and also a hint of oxidation that suggests the wine is slightly past its peak. The palate has outstanding definition and a long and rich finish, with slightly elevated acids. In no way is the wine drying out. Compared to the two great 1990 bordeaux wines that preceded it, this felt stylistically in the middle of the two wines, sharing a hint of the extravagant opulence of the Montrose and also some of the classic poise of the La Mission Haut Brion. Certainly the most developed of the trio. The dualism of both ripe and unripe fruit quality marks this as a wine that may not have achieved complete physiological ripeness in the vineyard. I liked this wine very much but it was well and truly outclassed by the two superstars drunk in the same flight.
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5/8/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine:
The 1991 Hillside Select is surprisingly reminiscent of a rustic 1982 Bordeaux, although a certain inner sweetness identifies it as Californian on the palate. Aromas of cedar, herbs and briary fruits emerge from the glass, and the wine seems to grow with air, gaining richness and completeness on the palate to put in a very creditable showing. Doug Shafer recollects that this wine was opaque and viscous in its youth, but it has evolved into quite a civilized beast, albeit with a slightly more rustic character than one finds in subsequent vintages.
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5/3/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wine with Steak and Morels (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Tasted double blind. Lots of black fruit aromas and flavors at a feet attractive point in its evolutionary development. Well supported with good spice and structure. Very pleasurable today, but this has the stuffing to continue to age well.
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8/26/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Birthday Celebration (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): Brief note. Black currant aromas, same flavors with some cherry, overall very good balance. Well textured, good length and finesse.
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7/1/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Well the 1991 is a whole different caliber than the 1990. Garnet red. Cherries and dark berries in the nose. The wine has a wonderful sweetness is very smooth and elegant. Lots of dark fruit and chocolate. Just wonderful. Drink - 2020.
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1/18/2013 - closdupapes wrote: 95 Points
Just a beautiful wine- grace and elegance in the bottle. It no is the behemoth that is was 10 years ago. It has mellowed and the fruit has really come into its own. The finish lasted for minutes. Sad it was my last '91.
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9/14/2012 - Didman wrote: 90 Points
This seemed quite closed at first, but as the evening wore on became quite delicious with aged cabernet aromas becoming more evident.
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9/4/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Friends (Inovasi - Lake Bluff IL): Black fruit and subtle spice aromas, then completely identical on palate. Very good balance. Perhaps a little less interesting overall vs. another bottle from earlier this year with showed a little more cigarbox aromas and acidic edge.
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8/26/2012 - fdub wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at the Vintner's Club in SF. Tasted along with the 91' Dalla Valle. This tasted and smelled like lightly stewed red fruit. Fully resolved tannins but slightly out of my flavor realm. This came so late in the evening that I couldn't fully appreciate.
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6/7/2012 - gutt22 wrote:
Medium red color, with light bricking at the edge of the glass. Beautiful nose of mature Cabernet fruit, leafy earth, cigar box, and spice. In the mouth, elegant and impeccably balanced, with tasty cool black fruit and a dried fruit note, along with prominent secondary notes from the earthy, spice, and cigar notes. Smooth mouthfeel throughout, with a long, pretty finish. This is a complete, beautiful example of mature Cabernet. A
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4/8/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Cassis and black currant aromas with tobacco, cigar box and dark chocolate. Very balanced palate of black currant and black cherry, good spice and some emerging earthy flavors. Tannins and acid provide excellent support towards long finish. This is a wonderful "old fashioned" California Cabernet that comes across as less ripe, lower alcohol than vintages from the past decade.
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4/7/2012 - 1961Vintage wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour..evolved nicely in the glass...very complex and drinkable...Worth every year of waiting. Enjoyed at my son's 21st birthday dinner...1991 for 1991.
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9/28/2011 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Finishing up Saturday's remnants. Deep color. Notes of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, licorice, blue fruit and violets. Perfect balance, with a terrific velvety texture and flavors of black and red fruit and herbal qualities. Superb.
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9/24/2011 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
4th Saturday Group brown bagger (Our house): Dark color. A little mushroomy to start; then black currants, violets and graphite aromas. Very well-balanced, with flavors of dark fruit, plum and florals, with good acidity and a long finish. Velvety texture.
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7/31/2011 - agbailey Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed during celebration of our anniversary weekend ... and an interesting contrast to a 91 Dominus had the night before. The HSS had very powerful dark fruits on the nose. Flavors were of dark fruits with still strong tanins and nice acidity. Long finish. Very powerful wine and still drinking incredibly young at this point. Delicious wine that my wife and i definitely enjoyed, though we slightly preferred the Dominus. If blind would have thought this was from 2001 or later. This could easily go for another 10-20 years, and if you are considering drinking and are certain of provenance, I would definitely hold for at a few years at least.
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12/29/2010 - winopops3 wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful rich garnet color. Nose of tobacco and chocolate. Beautiful dark fruit on the palate along with the tobacco and chocolate-tannins present but soft. The finish is long enough to satisfy. This wine tasted amazingly fresh to me given the fruit, and likely has many more years ahead of it. 94-95
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10/16/2010 - tahoe1231 wrote:
Drank for dad and tracys bday
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10/10/2010 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Sunday Evening (My House, Denver, CO): Decanted 3 hours. Deep violet with bare red tinge. Nose of dark berries, earth, graphite. Fruit is deep and dark and penetrates well. Tannins well integrated, but present as is a refreshing acidity. Not much sense of complexity beyond dark fruit and some pepper. Good sense of balance. Enhanced experience with Wagyu ribeyes -- Patrick was exhilarated.
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6/10/2010 - salil wrote: flawed
Vinegary. Dead. Sigh. (From a leaking bottle, so not a shock, but still disappointing.)
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1/25/2010 - fredb wrote:
Dark red color. Aromas of tobacco, cassis, cedar, and some sweet herb. On the palate, a very masculine profile of cassis and tobacco. This was initial impression after decanting. Illness prevented me from watching this evolve with air and food. Appeared to be well received, but nobody swooned. Tannins were well integrated, but not fully resolved. Preferred the '91 Monte Bello of earlier this month to this by a fair margin, but this is a nice wine with continued upside potential from further cellaring.
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4/5/2009 - jsebiri wrote:
very nice when iinitially opened , first glass had the most fruit . after that though the fruit didnt dominate and the wine was only one dimentional . while very good , it was slightly disappointing .92/93 rating
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12/1/2008 - clayfu wrote: 93 Points
A big old nose of deep musty rich floral bouqet with copious amounts of dark fruit, barnyard,leather and licorice. Really dark brooding fruit mixed with cedar, smoke,tobacco and pepper on the palate. Really soft but with a nice sturdy tannic backbone that makes me believe this wine still has some age on it. Really complex and complete wine, everything mixed well with each other and exposed itself at the opportune times to keep you coming back.
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7/5/2008 - gorm wrote: 97 Points
Still dark red. Fabolous nose of red and blue berries, pencil shavings, smoke and black tea. In the mouth this is perfectly round and mature with almost no tannin grip. Yet the fruit is extremely healthy and upfront. Very seducing and one of the best examples of mature wine that I have ever had.
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1/17/2008 - ERoss wrote: 93 Points
1990s Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (The Cellar Master's Lair (Somers, CT)): Medium-ruby red in color. Sweet, smoky oak with black currant, pepper notes. At first approach, somewhat short and angular, but with a few minutes in the glass - wow, really sexy with perfectly integrated tannins balanced with still ripe black fruit flavors. Drinking exceptionally now, but probably 10-15 years of life remaining. [Group placement 2/8]
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11/4/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 98 Points
Lovely deep ruby color. Glorious nose of deep fruits mixed with earth and a hint of coffee and leather. OHHHH so complex. The palate is full and long – simply stunning wine. This would do beautifully in a mature Bordeaux tasting. Easily the class of the night in my opinion (both style and execution) and one of the better bottles of US wine I have ever had. (98)
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7/16/2007 - SeaBud wrote: 96 Points
A crowd pleaser and w/ suprising complexity. Dark fruit, tobacco, hint of brush (not green). Medium tannin - balanced. Finish a little short. Did not decant but opened several hours before serving.
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6/23/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 91 Points
The Once In A Lifetime Dinner (Raleigh, NC): So does California Cab age? It does when it's from one of the state's true First Growths! Still a somewhat opaque purple in color, this wine started off a bit slow but really opened with time in the glass. Nice depth to the fruit and good richness, though not nearly as much as the '86 Lafite this glass sat next to during the meat course. Very elegant and refined, particularly for a New World wine. 50+12+13+8+8 = 91
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6/2/2007 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
The Wine Summit: Shafer Hillside Select - Saturday, June 2, 2007 - 10:45 A.M. (The Post Hotel in Lake Louise, AB): Dense, dark ruby – medium rim; on th nose an attractive mix of herbs, olives, roasted nuts and sweet black currant jam; acids and tannins provide a firm structure – a nice frame to display and focus on the concentrated black currant fruit – powerful and deep – black currant fruit carries through a long finish.
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4/28/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Dinner (1989-2002) (California Club, Los Angeles, CA): My favorite of the flight, as people noticed by pointing out my empty glass. It was the only one of the flight that I finished. Silky and refined, with plush notes of currant, tobacco, and orange peel. Drinking extremely well now, with no need to hold any longer.
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8/26/2006 - d7jersey wrote: 93 Points
Wow lovely wine must have been a perfect time to drink.
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6/1/2006 - winefool wrote:
We decided to serve this with the other early 90s wines instead of with the younger Hillside Selects and I think it was a good call. As good as the Beringer was showing, I think the Shafer edged it out for WOTF. Full opaque black/red. Forward aroma of black fruit and cassis. Mmmn. Really rich sweet black fruit on the palate. This bottle was drinking noticeable better than that last time I had it and it was among my favorite wines of the evening (just behind the 01 HSS and the Colgin). eBob tasting. ? pts. 6/06
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3/18/2006 - psmith wrote: 91 Points
A totally different wine that modern-day HSS - reminds me more of a classic Napa Diamond Creek or Mayacaymas. Rich and youthful cabernet fruit with an unexpected herbal and pencil-lead character. Framed by ultra-fine tannins and clearly capable of lasting and improvement.
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2/21/2006 - TashNYC wrote: 86 Points
We ordered the Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet at Tribecca Grill after the American Grafitti California wine tasting. We requested the sommelier not decant it--b/c that is how we prefer our wine. Unfortunately, she decided to decant it, anyway (b/c a couple of pieces of cork had fallen into the bottle, and she couldn't figure out how to otherwise remove them). This was very unfortunate, from the perspective of tasting the wine, as virtually all of the nose was gone, and the deep, concentrated fruit flavors and tannins (which we could detect from the small amount in the bottle, not decanted) were reduced. The wine was still nice, w/ age herb flavors, but it wasn't what it should be. Certainly not worth $225 retail ($180 discounted for the night). Needless to say, I was disappointed at the poor wine service there. I suspect if the bottle had not been decanted, the wine would have been fabulous.
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12/7/2005 - jwgauthier wrote: 95 Points
Although closed at first, after a while in the glass it started to open. Much stronger fruit than any in this flight, with a smooth finish and velvety texture. I was very impressed with this one and for some at the table, this was their WOTN.
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4/8/2005 - dbg wrote:
outstanding!
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4/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
From memory - a nice rich cab, but not as special as I would have expected. 4/05
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9/1/2003 - Chateaunewf wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Trevor's 40th birthday party with Young and Jane Kim, Lorenzo and Nathalie Gaggini, Paul and Jane Nunes, Dewey and Mee Satterfield, Oisin and Lynda Murray. Beautifully ripe dark fruit but still young in magnum with tannis still evolving.
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3/31/2001 - dbg wrote:
outstanding! still dark red, plums & black fruits on nose, great
depth, very full body, excellent balance, still moderately tannic,
long finish with tannins but not drying, tons of fruit there, will
probably get even better over the next year or two
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