Very deep, opaque purple. This will likely border on heresy but I'm not sure I have ever really understood Hillside Select. It tastes a lot like One Point Five, costs about three times as much and rarely seems to deliver three times the wine. On the nose this vintage offers appealing sweet aromas of fresh blackberries, black cherry jam, jelly doughnuts, crème de mûre, strawberry bubblegum, violets, French toast, and tons of oak spice. On the palate it is full bodied with notably diminished acidity, fine tannins and pervasive alcoholic heat. The texture here is seamless and the sweet fruit flavors nice, but the idea of spending $325 on this... I don't know. It will make a lot of people happy, that much is sure.
Deep garnet. Nose with hint of volitility, black fruits. Taste was closer to typical Hillside Select. One thing I noticed was use of a composite cork with a thin maroon disk on the wine end. Like most Champagne corks. I have not noticed this before
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During a merchant tasting, not detailed notes. Nose of dark fruit, cassis, some spices. Very young. I like the fact that this feels much less sweet and overdone like usual, a cooler vintage can sometimes help with balance. No aromas of the forest fire perceptible either. A success. 94-95
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This was a fantastic wine. However, I would recommend waiting on these or at least a very long decant at this point. Drank alongside a '17 Pott Actaeon made from fruit right next door from the Quixote vineyard. Both had the great Stags Leap profile (that I love). But the HS won the night. This wine is very nuanced with multiple layers. All dark fruits with some minerality. What always makes HS to me though is the silky tannin profile and the velvety smooth long finish. I have only had one Napa 2017 that was better than this one to date (Carter BS OG). My only complaint is the price of entry :-) Excellent wine!
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6/15/2023 - wino_tim wrote: 88 Points
Very deep, opaque purple. This will likely border on heresy but I'm not sure I have ever really understood Hillside Select. It tastes a lot like One Point Five, costs about three times as much and rarely seems to deliver three times the wine. On the nose this vintage offers appealing sweet aromas of fresh blackberries, black cherry jam, jelly doughnuts, crème de mûre, strawberry bubblegum, violets, French toast, and tons of oak spice. On the palate it is full bodied with notably diminished acidity, fine tannins and pervasive alcoholic heat. The texture here is seamless and the sweet fruit flavors nice, but the idea of spending $325 on this... I don't know. It will make a lot of people happy, that much is sure.
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5/13/2023 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet. Nose with hint of volitility, black fruits. Taste was closer to typical Hillside Select. One thing I noticed was use of a composite cork with a thin maroon disk on the wine end. Like most Champagne corks. I have not noticed this before
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3/27/2023 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 94 Points
Deep garnet. Nose of dark chocolate, black fruits. Missing is that Hillside sweetness I usually get. Mouth like the nose. Medium weight. Very good.
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3/14/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
During a merchant tasting, not detailed notes. Nose of dark fruit, cassis, some spices. Very young. I like the fact that this feels much less sweet and overdone like usual, a cooler vintage can sometimes help with balance. No aromas of the forest fire perceptible either. A success. 94-95
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9/28/2022 - RichD2 wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing! Showing little fruit but plenty of coarse tannins. Too young to drink, perhaps, but even the next day, it did not open up.
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8/19/2022 - CarguyGM wrote: 98 Points
Great wine needs to mature a bit more !
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1/15/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 90 Points
Nice nose; highly expressive dark fruit aromatics at this point. Full bodied dark fruits and coffee notes. A tad bit of heat on the finish.
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12/2/2021 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a fantastic wine. However, I would recommend waiting on these or at least a very long decant at this point. Drank alongside a '17 Pott Actaeon made from fruit right next door from the Quixote vineyard. Both had the great Stags Leap profile (that I love). But the HS won the night. This wine is very nuanced with multiple layers. All dark fruits with some minerality. What always makes HS to me though is the silky tannin profile and the velvety smooth long finish. I have only had one Napa 2017 that was better than this one to date (Carter BS OG). My only complaint is the price of entry :-) Excellent wine!
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