not blind Perfect stored bottle, in great shape, the alcohol is perfectly integrated, still some black currant and some discreet tertiary aromas. At his peak, no hurry. The other guests guessed Bordeaux. 96-97
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This bottle had a little more reticent nose than the last. The palate was much more alive though, with fresher dark plum & blackberry, plus a little more white peppery spice. The leather and tobacco notes were still there, just pushed further to the background by the superb fruit and spice. There was about the same sediment as my last bottle, and barely noticeable tannin left on the finish only detectable as slight astringency. Given all this, I'm upping the score by a point over my last note. There are 2 more bottles of this, and 1 from 1993 - and I have no desire to share this with anyone! (I could be persuaded by the promise of an equally excellent bottle in return by any dining companions though.) I don't think perfection is ever possible in anything made by humans so I doubt you'll ever see a 100 score from me.... however, perfection is boring - it's the small imperfections that make things interesting.
I believe it's time to drink up any 1995 Domestic Cabs you have. I simply can't see how it gets better than right now although I've said that before and been wrong.
Nose of dark plum and blackberry is initially hidden behind leather and tobacco, but moved to the forefront in 15 minutes or so. Little spice on the nose or palate, and completely resolved. A teaspoon of coffee ground sized sediment left in the decanter. Very nice dark & red fruit still kicking with a little sweetness. Absolutely no astringency from tannin or heat from alcohol noticeable on the finish. It's surprisingly clean, fruity, and refreshing. Most 20+ year old Cabs lose a bit of their fruit as the secondary notes start taking over, but no so with this one. My God, this is excellent! This is one of the rare bottles that make me wish there was an option for "I love it!" on CT. It's time to drink this up if you have it because this wine simply can't get better than where it's at currently. If you have any, do NOT pair it with any food and ruin the experience - enjoy it solo.
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Used ah-so to open since cork was very soft. Decanted for 1 hour before tasting. Original taste was very soft with brick color starting - very little fruit or acid apparent. Medium amount of funk upon opening. After 2 hours, the wine changed and showed a deeper garnet color with flavors of dark cherries, cola and spice. Had soft tannins and good fruit/acid balance. Still a little funk left until bottle was finished. A very good bottle still - after 21 years in the cellar.
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Omg! Our cork crumbled as well. Seemed defective although no leakage. Wine opened up big quickly. A bit green on the initial nose but good bacon, tobacco and truffle palate leading to a slightly chalky high alcohol finish. Drink now and let it evolve in the glass directly from the bottle.
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Definitely beyond its age of drinking. The first pour out of the bottle was very flat. Bot much on the nose, acid level was low, and most of the fruit was gone. But I did notice a hint of tannic structure on the finish so I let it sit for about an hour. What a difference! Although the unwinding wasn't spectacular, it certainly opened to some fruit, a nice mid palate, and a velvety finish. Reminded me of an old Bordeaux with dark stewed fruits, a hint of leather, some oak, and black currant. I bet this was phenomenal 5-10 years ago.
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Decanted off its sediment & rebottled. Faded crimson red color with aromas of mint, black currants, leather, violets and other florals. Balanced and nicely integrated, featuring flavors of red fruit, florals and sandalwood. 92+ pts.
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Opened by Allred at Adelle's with CWM and steve8. Lovely black fruits and fine tannins. This is drinking well, but felt younger that it was. I don't see any hurry here.
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We caught this bottle in its prime. In start dominantly fruity but with airing it developed it secondary notes of leather and slight musky sent. Great mature bottle went well with the prime beef serves at Harris.
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A terrific beautifully aged wine. Definite cabernet arome with a substantial bouquet of cassis, dark fruit and a bit of earthyness and spice. Medium weight on palette, perfectly balanced with a spicy and long finish. Our last bottle but a memorable one.
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was fun to drink since I had the 1994 the night before. Really good fruit and a nice tannic structure. fading a bit but still had ripe dark berries and a touch of vanilla
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Opened into decanter 30 minutes before consumption...still a young wine given it is 12 years old from CA...fruit has taken a back seat and secondary flavors are prominent with some greaty gritty tannins on the finish. Had this with the Phelps 95...which has aged much quicker being more subtle and taking on the old cab flavors. Like the Shafer a bit more than the Phelps...more rustic and more complex.
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Decanted 1 hour. Good dark ruby color. Decent but restrained nose with both red & black fruit, subtle oak and a wiff of v/a. Medium bodied, pretty good persistance but certainly not much excitment in this bottle.
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Exactly one year since by previous tasting. Similar to my previous tasting, but I found it rounder and more balanced, but a little more diminished. Still a very good cab at it’s peak, with a medium length finish and good balance, but just significantly toned down from what it tasted like on release.
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Purple, almost black color. Cork was soft, and we had to cut it and filter decant the bottle. Refined, pencil, plum nose. Fresh nose -- no hint of age. Cherry with hint of black licorice on nose. Rich cabernet fruit perfume. Subtle, cabernet, rich palate. Nice finish. No bitterness. Smooth -- perfumed pencil lead, muted, chocolate finish. I agree with the U-shaped review below -- wonderful perfumed nose -- slightly flat middle -- but wonderfully rich finish. The nose was probably its best feature -- I think I could sniff all night -- like fantastic sweet bud in the 70s. Chocolate, cabernet, musty, slightly moldy perfume. Lingers on the nose. Initial taste is a tinge flat, but then quickly turns to pencil lead, tight tannins balanced by acid, and rich concentrated fruit finish. Very bordeaux like. No orange -- no real signs of age, except the exquisite perfume. This is so wonderful to sit and smell. One of the few wines where the nose really makes you think twice about finishing the wine -- why waste the bouquet? Round, full, complex -- this was truly a very wonderful and full experience. Perfect to share with my parents on a cold, late fall/early winter night with the kids in full bloom, the parents in retro-spective, and the rest of us comfortable in our mid-muddled-experience.
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Red violet with no bricking. Not decanted; merely popped and poured. Huge nose of black current, earth, tarry-licorice, espresso and foresty earth (killer nose). Bright chewy fruit with good depth and expession of secondary flavors. Finishes slightly on the acidic side, which was fine with dinner, with morphing flavors long after swallowing. Probably the best regular Shafer cab experience I've had to date.
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This Shafer ready to go pretty well from the cork opening. It’s come along very well, nose of dry crushed fruit, cocoa and a distant syrupy element hidden in the back. A little light in the mouth, but builds to a full flavored finish. Almost U shaped, good nose, good finish and ending, but light in the middle. I found it a little acidic in profile as well, but this seems to go away over time. A very good cab at it’s peak. I would caution from decanting too much.
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4/23/2023 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
not blind
Perfect stored bottle, in great shape, the alcohol is perfectly integrated, still some black currant and some discreet tertiary aromas. At his peak, no hurry. The other guests guessed Bordeaux. 96-97
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9/19/2017 - CranBurgundy Likes this wine: 97 Points
This bottle had a little more reticent nose than the last. The palate was much more alive though, with fresher dark plum & blackberry, plus a little more white peppery spice. The leather and tobacco notes were still there, just pushed further to the background by the superb fruit and spice. There was about the same sediment as my last bottle, and barely noticeable tannin left on the finish only detectable as slight astringency. Given all this, I'm upping the score by a point over my last note. There are 2 more bottles of this, and 1 from 1993 - and I have no desire to share this with anyone! (I could be persuaded by the promise of an equally excellent bottle in return by any dining companions though.) I don't think perfection is ever possible in anything made by humans so I doubt you'll ever see a 100 score from me.... however, perfection is boring - it's the small imperfections that make things interesting.
I believe it's time to drink up any 1995 Domestic Cabs you have. I simply can't see how it gets better than right now although I've said that before and been wrong.
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1/14/2017 - CranBurgundy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of dark plum and blackberry is initially hidden behind leather and tobacco, but moved to the forefront in 15 minutes or so. Little spice on the nose or palate, and completely resolved. A teaspoon of coffee ground sized sediment left in the decanter. Very nice dark & red fruit still kicking with a little sweetness. Absolutely no astringency from tannin or heat from alcohol noticeable on the finish. It's surprisingly clean, fruity, and refreshing. Most 20+ year old Cabs lose a bit of their fruit as the secondary notes start taking over, but no so with this one. My God, this is excellent! This is one of the rare bottles that make me wish there was an option for "I love it!" on CT. It's time to drink this up if you have it because this wine simply can't get better than where it's at currently. If you have any, do NOT pair it with any food and ruin the experience - enjoy it solo.
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4/30/2016 - Desertcyclist Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dumb! Found this hiding in the back of the wine cellar. Decanted 1hour helped but definitely past its peak.
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4/3/2016 - hawkvin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Used ah-so to open since cork was very soft. Decanted for 1 hour before tasting. Original taste was very soft with brick color starting - very little fruit or acid apparent. Medium amount of funk upon opening. After 2 hours, the wine changed and showed a deeper garnet color with flavors of dark cherries, cola and spice. Had soft tannins and good fruit/acid balance. Still a little funk left until bottle was finished. A very good bottle still - after 21 years in the cellar.
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10/25/2015 - beej Likes this wine:
Omg! Our cork crumbled as well. Seemed defective although no leakage.
Wine opened up big quickly.
A bit green on the initial nose but good bacon, tobacco and truffle palate leading to a slightly chalky high alcohol finish.
Drink now and let it evolve in the glass directly from the bottle.
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8/19/2015 - ghouser wrote: 91 Points
Classic Napa Cabernet. Decanted for 1 hour. Cork crumbled and might have been 93+ had it been intact.
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1/1/2015 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just terrific. Wish I had more.
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11/16/2014 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Phenomenal. Needs 20-30 minutes to open up, and then it's wonderful...wow.
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1/25/2014 - BrianDevany Likes this wine: 88 Points
Definitely beyond its age of drinking. The first pour out of the bottle was very flat. Bot much on the nose, acid level was low, and most of the fruit was gone. But I did notice a hint of tannic structure on the finish so I let it sit for about an hour.
What a difference! Although the unwinding wasn't spectacular, it certainly opened to some fruit, a nice mid palate, and a velvety finish. Reminded me of an old Bordeaux with dark stewed fruits, a hint of leather, some oak, and black currant. I bet this was phenomenal 5-10 years ago.
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2/5/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Decanted off its sediment & rebottled. Faded crimson red color with aromas of mint, black currants, leather, violets and other florals. Balanced and nicely integrated, featuring flavors of red fruit, florals and sandalwood. 92+ pts.
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2/5/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Allred at Adelle's with CWM and steve8. Lovely black fruits and fine tannins. This is drinking well, but felt younger that it was. I don't see any hurry here.
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10/27/2012 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Notes of leather, cassis and black fruit. Medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins and flavors of dark fruit and leather. Nice length on the finish.
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1/21/2012 - tbvl wrote: 91 Points
We caught this bottle in its prime. In start dominantly fruity but with airing it developed it secondary notes of leather and slight musky sent. Great mature bottle went well with the prime beef serves at Harris.
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9/10/2010 - Schwarzer Hund wrote:
A terrific beautifully aged wine. Definite cabernet arome with a substantial bouquet of cassis, dark fruit and a bit of earthyness and spice. Medium weight on palette, perfectly balanced with a spicy and long finish. Our last bottle but a memorable one.
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4/3/2010 - keithgg wrote: 87 Points
Poor showing; little fruit remaining.
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2/15/2009 - zimmy07 wrote: 89 Points
was fun to drink since I had the 1994 the night before. Really good fruit and a nice tannic structure. fading a bit but still had ripe dark berries and a touch of vanilla
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3/13/2008 - djs wrote: 92 Points
Terrific balance. Drink in the next 3-4 years.
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12/9/2007 - JBVino wrote:
Opened into decanter 30 minutes before consumption...still a young wine given it is 12 years old from CA...fruit has taken a back seat and secondary flavors are prominent with some greaty gritty tannins on the finish. Had this with the Phelps 95...which has aged much quicker being more subtle and taking on the old cab flavors. Like the Shafer a bit more than the Phelps...more rustic and more complex.
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10/23/2007 - djs wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Good dark ruby color. Decent but restrained nose with both red & black fruit, subtle oak and a wiff of v/a. Medium bodied, pretty good persistance but certainly not much excitment in this bottle.
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4/6/2007 - Mark wrote: 90 Points
Exactly one year since by previous tasting. Similar to my previous tasting, but I found it rounder and more balanced, but a little more diminished. Still a very good cab at it’s peak, with a medium length finish and good balance, but just significantly toned down from what it tasted like on release.
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11/12/2006 - A&C wrote: 93 Points
Purple, almost black color. Cork was soft, and we had to cut it and filter decant the bottle. Refined, pencil, plum nose. Fresh nose -- no hint of age. Cherry with hint of black licorice on nose. Rich cabernet fruit perfume. Subtle, cabernet, rich palate. Nice finish. No bitterness. Smooth -- perfumed pencil lead, muted, chocolate finish. I agree with the U-shaped review below -- wonderful perfumed nose -- slightly flat middle -- but wonderfully rich finish. The nose was probably its best feature -- I think I could sniff all night -- like fantastic sweet bud in the 70s. Chocolate, cabernet, musty, slightly moldy perfume. Lingers on the nose. Initial taste is a tinge flat, but then quickly turns to pencil lead, tight tannins balanced by acid, and rich concentrated fruit finish. Very bordeaux like. No orange -- no real signs of age, except the exquisite perfume. This is so wonderful to sit and smell. One of the few wines where the nose really makes you think twice about finishing the wine -- why waste the bouquet? Round, full, complex -- this was truly a very wonderful and full experience. Perfect to share with my parents on a cold, late fall/early winter night with the kids in full bloom, the parents in retro-spective, and the rest of us comfortable in our mid-muddled-experience.
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10/10/2006 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Red violet with no bricking. Not decanted; merely popped and poured. Huge nose of black current, earth, tarry-licorice, espresso and foresty earth (killer nose). Bright chewy fruit with good depth and expession of secondary flavors. Finishes slightly on the acidic side, which was fine with dinner, with morphing flavors long after swallowing. Probably the best regular Shafer cab experience I've had to date.
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4/9/2006 - Mark wrote: 90 Points
This Shafer ready to go pretty well from the cork opening. It’s come along very well, nose of dry crushed fruit, cocoa and a distant syrupy element hidden in the back. A little light in the mouth, but builds to a full flavored finish. Almost U shaped, good nose, good finish and ending, but light in the middle. I found it a little acidic in profile as well, but this seems to go away over time. A very good cab at it’s peak. I would caution from decanting too much.
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1/5/2005 - VinoRosso wrote: 91 Points
Needed a lot of time to open up. Overall a good wine with a good blend of fruit and tannins.
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1/6/2001 - JeffGMorris wrote:
Very good but way too young. Maybe a little greeness in this wine, but may go away with age.
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