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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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I was concerned about this when I opened the bottle, but this gained structure and weight over 2.5 hours. Still softer than expected, but this particular bottle may not have been handled properly. Will monitor the next bottle closely.
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Similar to prior note after a 2.5 hour double decant; outstanding & again continued to improve throughout an outstanding meal at Buccan ( went beautifully with the black truffle tagliatelle), my experience with these 2 bottles is that this will still improve (need to get more!)
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Double decanted for 2.5 hrs, deep ruby with no brick, black cherry with a touch of vanilla, med. tannins, very long finish; outstanding & loved by the BB group, drink with good decant or hold
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Had taken a hiatus from Hillside Select so thought I would try a younger, not-spectacular vintage to hopefully renew my interest. Mission accomplished! Gorgeous wine, still plenty of baby-fat but a class act in every way. Velvety texture and beautiful balance, long finish - nose of all the classic Hillside Select tasting notes. The more decanting the better.
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Opened but not decanted as part of a Shafer night at a NYC Steakhouse with my wine group. It probably sat for 90 minutes before we poured it. We had it alongside the 2013 One Point Five. For 7 out of 8 of us, this was the WOTN. It has developed some nice secondary flavors and it is tasting very refined. The fruit has died down so that now it plays a supporting role. Long long finish. A real treat.
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Decanted two hours and drank with Christmas dinner prime rib and Yorkshire puddings. Deep purple with little bricking at the edges. Delicious peppery and youthful nose, but all mouth-coating cassis on the palate. This was a huge wine, but yet seemed balanced. I dare say it improved over the three hours that I drank it, and I bumped it a point from the 94 when I first sipped. The finish lasted almost a minute.
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Tasted blind and most definitely a cult Cabernet. The group was all over the place... Pride Reserve, Bond, Maiden, Schrader, Spottswoode. But in fact... Hillside Select. If drinking now, pair with a prime ribeye. As for me, I will let mine cellar for a while longer.
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Pre Arthur Buck Concert Dinner (Butcher and the Boar, Mpls): Deep purple color. Slow ox for about 3 hours. Drank 1+ glass over an hour plus. This was impressive out of the gate. The nose oozes fresh cut fuzzy cedar, creme de cassis, graphite, dark berries, oak and spice. The palate is quite concentrated, pretty black fruits, satiny textures, pencil, tobacco and oak with a long finish. This also seems to fall off considerably over an hour to show m9re oak and a little heat that was not apparent previously. This too suffered from our limited pairing options.
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This 2003 was displaying a core of black and red berry fruit notes. There was an undercurrent of cedar, subtle earth, and plum on the front end, with a slight twiggy menthol component that surfaced on the finish. A solid mid-palate weight-wise, with a medium-bodied finish and a little bitterness on the back end.
Not as giving or “modern” as the 2004, which was displaying much more upfront blackberry core fruit and less old-world characteristics (earth/cedar). In fact, I thought the 2004 was drinking more like a 2012 Napa Cabernet. The 2003 seems truer to its 15 years of age. Still a lot of energy, if not a little misguided at this juncture in terms of its seamlessness. Something to hold on to for another year or so in hopes it smooths out? With air, it improved considerably. From .750, this might be good to drink now. From magnum, it seems to need just a little more short-term cellaring. 93+ points for now.
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My third vintage of HS, previously 2005 and 2012. The 2005 was too sweet for me, while the 2012 was very good, alas quite "big". The 2003 vintage is more Bordeaux-like, not as big as the 2012 and certainly not as sweet as the 2005. Still quite Californian with alcohol (heat) and quite tasty. Decant ca 2 hours, or even better: Wait 2-3 years.
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Big, powerful and dense, with layers of ripe, dark berries, licorice, chocolate, smoke and vanilla tinged fruit. Lusciously textured, rich and ripe, this will continue delivering the goods for at least a decade and probably longer.
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Drank from magnum at boys birthday dinner at Nach's. Opened and decanted for a couple hours before consuming. Lived up to expectations, rich fruit, deep long flavors and great finish. Drink anytime, but still could get better.
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A cedar-heavy nose also offers some plum and cassis. Cedar and blue & red fruit on the palate lead to a slight medicinal finish. The 2003 Hillside Select feels a bit disjoint, perhaps from unripe grapes. (From magnum)
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Last of the blind red wines at this quarter's S&E Wine Club, which for red was either Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot from either Rutherford or Stags Leap District. Thanks Dad!
Deep and dark ruby red. Tons of sweet spices and black fruits on the nose, so rich. Heavy tannins (7.6/10) and literally melts in your mouth. Well rounded and integrated throughout. Tons of blackberries, cinnamon, and vanilla on the palate, some cigar box too. Full bodied and long finish. Stunning wine as always. Drink till 2030.
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Dense purple core color, mild rim seraration. Nose of blackberry, plum, graphite. Plate showing dark berries, cassis, savory notes. Secondary notes of cedar and dark chocolate... Rich mouthfeel and texture, long and layered finish.
This seems to be in it's prime drinking zone, I would say fully mature with the legs to go another 7-10 years. Spectacular cab (as expected from SHS). My WOTN...
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Salon, Hillside Select Vertical, ZH, Bernabeleva (Our home): This was probably the closest to maturity of any of the wines in the flight. Purple with a ruby rim. The nose has cassis and some cedar. Also a bit of roasted meats. Some found a bit of raisin but I did not. Very deep. On the palate, this is well balanced. Great texture. It is sweeter than the rest but I think it is fruit and not residual sugar. Long finish. Pretty close to mature but plenty of time left.
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Nearly 6 years ago we purchased what we thought would be our "Forever Home", only to have our Company (rightfully) pull out all stakes in CA and relo 4k+ people to Plano Texas. Opened to celebrate the memories we've made here before the movers begin packing tomorrow.
Opened but not decanted, kept in cellar while following over 4 hours. Still a bit tight upon opening but releasing black cherry, mellow aged oak, spiced tobacco aromas 90 mins later. Nicely balanced, this leaves a faint dry finish across the palate. Strikes me that this is in the back half of its drinking window though still doing just fine. An elegantly aged calicab
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Had this alongside a 2004 Harlan Estate. This was opened, but not decanted for 2 hours before we poured it. Great wine, full bodied, with a long finish. Notes of black cherry, some vanilla, and lite, but still present tanins. A good contrast to the Harlan which had more blueberry notes.
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This is a big boy. Needs at least 3 hours to settle the heat down a little. Its best day 2. But massive flavors of berries, cola, cedar, and mocha. It does have some warmth that needs a decant to mellow. But this is an awesome wine if you like big in your face cabs. Not overly rich, heavy or sweet.
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I have always enjoyed the style of Shafer HS; for me, they are not over-the-top but perhaps lack some interest at times. This was one of the interesting ones and was easy to like. Yes, the oak was evident, but not overbearing. The nose showed blackberry, blueberry, herbs, vanilla, and coconut. Full-bodied and mouth-filling, with firm, round tannins. Could have used a bit more freshness, as might be expected.
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A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Youthful appearance, starting to evolve at the edges; rich nose of smoky bacon, deep, cassis and spices; slightly alcoholic palate, medicinal, rich tannins, mouthfilling, cocoa, big and full, powerful but ripe tannins, very good length, cocoa and coffee, plummy fruit.
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Cherry Secret, cinnamon, cassis, currants ripe raspberry and a good amount of oak. Very good, but not worth the money, strange how Parker had this as a 95 then 100 then 95... Seems odd to me.
Domestic Red Wine Dinner - 94 & 95 Harlan, 05 Bionic, Selosse Le Bout du Clos and etc. (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner): Expressive nose displaying creme de cassis, dry cherries, licorice, bitter chocolate, dark spices and earth. Incredible concentration, intense jammy dark fruits, bright acidity, slightly coarse tannins and very long finish with a slightly bitter end. This bottles seems to show even more concentration than the last bottle. This is a monster with strong structure. A hint of bitterness is present.
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As most reviews show this is still big and hot. Like the 2001-2004 these need lots of air to settle down. I recommend drinking this the second day after a 4-6 hour decant. Full bodied, rich, elegant, sexy. Loads of red fruits, cherry cola, charcoal, and dark chocolate. Its hot upon opening so it will need time.
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RJ's birthday gathering - perfect 09 VCC and 01 Yquem (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner): Expressive Napa cult cab nose displaying cassis, licorice, cedar and dark spices. Excellent concentration, unctuous yet silky palate, cassis driven palate impression and very long finish with cassis and cedar as the end notes. My mind plays trick trying to related to the ripeness of the 03 Bordeaux. Obviously no roasted flavor here. If you like HSS, this will really make you happy.
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Zachys Power of Packaging - Jan 2016 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): This is a beautiful wine and definitely needs another 10 or so years to really grow into itself. The fruit is just a bit more overly powerful right now - both red and black currant. There's some nice black pepper. Was tasty enough that I considered bidding on some HSS lots during the auction although none hit the right price point. Glad we've maintained our allocation, but have most enjoyed this around 20 years of age so have some waiting to do for the ones in our cellar.
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Fantastic wine! Gorgeous nose of blackcurrant fruit, graphite, star anise and creamy oak. Full bodied and suave with a huge structure upon which hangs the dense fruit. Top level California Cab. always a joy to drink.
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Very dark almost opaq. Expressive, almost explosive nose of dark plums, dark chocolate, anise, currants, blackberries and coffee. Full-bodied, dense, with noticeable heat, firm tannins, multi-layered fruit, balancing acidity and great length. This could age for more than 10 years. Great Napa cab.
Wonderful the power and structure of this wine is not unparrelled often. This did not disappoint on the last and second bottle we had. A consistent favorite for our anniversary. Will look forward to the 2010 we have just laid down. No specific tasting notes offered on this jewel other than drinking briallintly and will for another 5-10 years.
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Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (R&D's): One last double blind bottle before moving on to the Sauternes. Deep color. Notes of vanilla, currants and florals- complex and while deep and somewhat brooding/powerful, there's a sense of elegance here too. This is full-bodied and tannins are present but very fine. Flavors of black currants, cherry, plum, vanilla and blue fruit. Lingers on the palate; seamless from start to finish. Guessed 2005 Napa Cab.
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Hillside never dissapoints. Even this 03 is full of dark, inviting fruit framed by lots of savory notes of herbs and meats. Lovely nose of cassis and hickory? These wines are always so compelling.
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We shared with Kevin and Missy at their lake house after wonderful charcuterie paired with a brilliant 1996 Chateau Montelana cab. What a treat to open and share among good friends. The 2003 HS continues to impress. Dense and full-bodied with strong blackberry and cassis flavors. Tannins show up on the finish, but all gorgeously in sync.
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I decanted tonight, but it didn't take long for this vintage to resound in almost every way as I shared this bottle with a first-timer. It is a gorgeous, elegant, and powerful wine with flavors and aromatics that, to me, were at times almost breathtaking, and my friend Polly was blown away. Wine: 95+. Sharing a Hillside Select for the first time with a lifelong friend: 100!
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Took to a blind tasting science test. No formal notes, but this was the top wine of the tasting, disproving the thesis that price has no relation to quality. 94 informal points.
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drank in a vertical tasting, 99-03. 2003 did not match up. 99 was a surprise hit. 2001 and 2002 were the clear winners with the 01 being slightly better
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Birthday Party (River Bend Golf and Country Club): I am not totally sure what the difference is between 100 points and 99. This was clearly my WOTN straight from the bottle even before decanting. Ultimately it was decanted for 6 hours.
Light cassis fruit on the nose and a totally balanced wine on the palate. Smooth yet not a thick velvet. Still powerfully bodied with a number of years to go. I may go for a 12 hour decanting next time. Tannins are still 7/10 without overpowering (after the decanting)
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Blackberry, currant, dark cheery, light tobaco with cedar and vanilla notes and with firm edgy tannins. Opened this bottle for a 30th anniversary at Etch in Nashville TN. The other bottle we had five years for a 25 anniversary. This wine was more expressive and the five years of additional aging only allowed for a more complex and longer finish. We decanted the wine and this one will age another 10 years. Too bad no more anniversary wine left.
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Nice darh rich blackberry and dark cherry. Smooth and heady, but a touch shy. Quite nice and fine, just find profile a tad closed vs other better vintages.
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On a nite of a dozen 2003's this bottle was one of the two best (hundred acres was the other 'best') all the 2003's started off slowly, not much nose, not much pizazz however they all later evolved in the glass. This one was a standout among the crew.
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Occasional dinner group: Riesling GG and 100 RP point wines: Very lush wine with ripe berry fruits, some coffee, sweet spices, sweetness, good acidity and round tannin. Great and lovely and luxurious wine. Ready now, but no problem cellaring this until well into the 2020's. Hope to taste/drink this again around 2020+. 98+
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The Shafer 2003 Hillside Select was big, bold and on the edge of being overripe. On the palate there's a good structure and enough minerality to keep it on the ground. It smells of blueberries, creme de cassis, mint, vanilla, chocolate and cinamon. After 11 years the influence of the new french oak is still obvious by strong toasty and vanilla flavours and a distinct spicyness. In combination with the fruit it seems much younger than it actually is. Certainly, the Shafer is a well crafted fun wine to drink with a good aging potential. With air the confit berry notes became a bit more decent and the wine showed more depth but overall I was missing the complexity to give this a higher score.
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Dark as night, lush big bold blue fruits and some chocolate ..in the mouth it is very ripe and still some wood, very fruit driven wine. Prbly needs more time but not the best HSS I've had
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Quite nice, although a bit brooding and not as complex as the Abreu 2003 Madrona. Big bold ripe black cherry fruit in almost a candied style. Lush, creamy and ripe. large scale and mouthcoating. Long and rich. A tad monolythic, but huge crowd pleaser as drained in minutes of being opened. Not sure if this develops kore, nut drinking quite nice today.
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Wine with Grilled Meat (Chez Whitehead - Northbrook IL): Ripe plum and black cherry with licorice, dark chocolate and tobacco notes. Big and powerful, with ripeness supporting with enough structure to keep this just short of seeming overly ripe.
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Great balance; fruit is still there in an almost youthful way, but it is nicely integrated; tannins in control. Many years left. Hard to believe it will get better, but I have a feeling it will. Expensive but it never disappoints.
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Kind of a disappointment for a Shafer HS. Still (as always) deep, balanced, long, great nose, all the good stuff, etc. But something missing in terms of flavor. Nothing off putting, just seemed missing a dimension of some fruit that always makes HS so good. Maybe a dumb phase. Try again in a couple years.
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Hi End Napa Cabs with an Haut Brion Kicker (Gary's Place, Hudson, WI): Very dark, purple - red color. PNP, had about an hour of slow-o after popped. Drank two 2oz pours over 2.5 hours. Initially this was on the tight side, it evolved nicely in the glass over 20 minutes and was better still on round two after continuing to slow-O for another 1.5 hours. The nose eventually starts to some complexity, bright cassis, blackberry, dry earth, spices, a floral perfume shines on the second pour along with a distinct and wonderfully savory bacon fat note. The palate has downright gorgeous fruit, lush and full bodied, but in no way heavy or laboring, crushed rock. deep, intense and layered, crème de cassis, mulberry, savory, and very long on the finish. Beautiful balance - and completely integrated - wow. My #1 WOTN and group #1 WOTN. 95+ to -96pts(+). I want to see this in another 5+ years to see what it does..
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Night of Cabs with the Shack's: Got a lot of sweet red fruit on the nose of this with cherry, raspberry, plum and roses. I almost would have thought this would have been similar to the first wine but clearly it was different when tasted. This wine was darker in it's flavor profile and had more tannins. Got some flavors of raspberry and blackberry but also some iron and earth notes. Finish wasn't quite as long on this wine compared to the first wine but your probably looking at 40-45 seconds still. I guessed this was perhaps a Bond, VHR (never had this but assumed it was similar to Bond) or the Maiden. Decanted this for 4 hours before tasting. Little surprised when this was revealed. Still very young and I think it still has a long life ahead of it.
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S&E Wine Club - USA Night (At Home in the Cave): Full MOT scoring - I am sure this will score significantly higher (say 98) with some extensive decanting. This decanted for 3 hours but could still do with more. Youthful and many years left in its life. Heavy extraction - tannins 7/10. Blackberry is hinted at with vanilla and rich body.
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Lovely wine- as noted by another taster, almost ethereal. Strikes a superb balance between ripe fruit and elegance. We have an odd history of not finishing Hillsides... vacuvin'd the bottle and the next night it was all tannin.
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Tasted at Plumpjack Cafe in Squaw Valley, CA. Just a gorgeous wine of an almost ethereal quality. Cedar, crushed rock, creme de cassis with a sexy lingering finish graced with gorgeous dark fruit that hangs in and caresses the palate for nearly a minute. Just gorgeous!
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Popped & poured. Big & beautiful, and 2nd half of bottle was the best. Smoother. Tannins & some tightness still there, even with 10 years of age. Great dark CA Cab fruit. I've never had a bad HS.
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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Deep red. Lots of sweetness in the nose, rich cherry jam. Quite long, deep and elegant but with a decadent opulence (in a good way). Vanilla, chocolate and cherries. This wine is still on the young side. What I surprise had I yet mixed experiences with the 2003 Cabs. Drink - 2030
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The bottle was clearly corked. Which is a shame, because the last time I had this wine, it was my WOTY for 2011. Not a surprise and consistent with their fabulous service, Shafer sent me a replacement bottle of the current vintage.
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I do not really have anything new to add to all the other tasting notes. This wine has a beautiful complex nose and delicious complex favors. The tannins are silky smooth and there is a long satisfying finish. Drinking this was a happy sad experience since this was our last bottle of this great wine.
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Bam! Deep purple color leads to nose of cassis, dark cherry, pencil box and dark chocolate. Massive body has flavors of dark fruit, chocolate, currant, cedar and a hint of black truffle. Massive sweet tannins last 50 seconds. Remarkably big but complex wine. I love Shafer HSS!
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I haven't had one of these in awhile and forgot how big it is. I'm not sure what to even pair with it, prime ribeye/new York? So broad and dense, yet seductive and suave all at the same time. It never really let's up, like a V12 that just hits you. As good as it is, I can't drink this type of wine very often. Massive and lives up to the Parker hype.
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Opened by Brad at Vie with locals. First Hillside I've had the pleasure of tasting. I was expecting an oak smack in the face, but was pleasantly surprised. This was decanted upon arrival, so it was open about an hour before serving. Blackberry and black cherry, with a bit of anise and chocolate. A lot going on in this wine as of now. I think this still has plenty of life ahead of it.
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Very dark red. Surprisingly not purple. Very smooth mouthfeel. Lots of oak spice and lots of red fruit. Some mint and cherry. Overall a very surprising wine. I had different assumptions for this wine and am pleasantly surprised.
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Very well done bottle of "cult" napa cab. Big, bold but balanced and exciting as the palate hits you with a multitude of dark fruit flavors with a nice silky texture so that it just glides along the palate. Tasted the same throughout dinner so no fear in consuming now for enjoyment.
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Dark red to rim. Cassis, blackberries on the nose, full body, velvety smooth palate feel, ripe fruit, good balance, integrated oak, medium-long finish. Drinking well, nicely mature, has years to go. Outstanding.
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Pure black fruits and blackberry liqueur predominate on the nose and palate, with a hint of olive developing with air. The wine was oaky at first, but it receded into the fruit as the wine opened. Plush, silky texture and fine tannins coat the mouth. Not the most complex wine, but the high quality of the fruit and the lovely mouthfeel make it an outstanding wine.
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Another great experience, it is hard to beat this for 2003. A well done "typical CA style wine", this is the wine that could open some eyes. Rich, full bodied, deep wine. Creamy tannins, oak, perfectly ripened fruit, with just a touch of earth/mineral that helps bring everything into balance.
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DE Double blind Best Bottle (DE): very disappointing. decanted for an hour. Tasted double blind amongst eight other great reds. My blind notes: Closed up in just about every way... practically nothing on the nose. alcohol and acidity in the mouth. +++tannins. This is not in a good place right now, I'll give the other bottles some more time.
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A porty in style wine. Forward and youthful nose with new oak, black fruit, vanilla, smoke and spice. Chocolatey and coffey in palate with medium acidity and firm ripe tannins that balance slightly hot alcohol and full body. Definately a blockbuster. Huge!
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Massive wine in a good sense and I do not mean just weight. The concentration, intensity and power of this wine is phenomenal. And still it is balanced and refreshing. Nose with typical top California Cabernet with creamy oak, dark crushed berry fruit together with a floral lift and some graphite notes. Full bodied with huge but smooth tannins and (presumably) sky-high acidity in order to achieve balance. Intensely flavoured and long. In this stage of its life it plays with power and elegance - more complexity will come with development.
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My 16th Wedding Anniversary Dinner with Friends (Home): A great bottle that was opened after we had another 5 different wines, hence it was not fully appreciated. Nevertheless everyone of us noticed how great it was. Luckily, there was one glass left, so I could taste it the morning after. Very dark, opaq/purple. An amazing combination of excellent new oak, ultra-pure blackberry fruit, sweet spice, coffee, mint and minerality, in a rare coexistence of skillful winemaking and terroir character. Full-bodied with ultra-rich, yet amazingly fresh fruit, massive but excellent tannins and a high acidity that offers balance and vibrancy to this blockbuster. Endless aftertaste. One of the 5 top wines I had in 2011.
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Pop and pour Great rightof the bottle, with solid structure, some tannis, good depth and muted darl berry and dark cherry flavors. After 75 mins this had changed substantially and, while still a good wine, it had lost much of its structure.
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Dark red color, breathed in bottle for 2 hours, full of fresh coconut, slight vanilla and lots of dark jammy fruit, a very big in your face wine only slightly let down by the lack of acidity.
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Had next to Epoch Estate 2008 Ingenuity. This was showing very well. Well balanced between powerful Cali cab and elegance. Nice dark fruits, some spice. Smooth tannins and lengthy finish. Very nice and at it's peak right now I would guess. Epoch was clearly younger and more fruit forward but had the complexity to stand up to this...very interesting side by side comparison.
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I know this is an off vintage, but damn; it ain't that off. A line drive of smokey blackberry fruit right down the center of the palate, joined by all sorts of vanilla laced charcoal and chocolatey incense. The concentration of the material here betrays the elevated pedigree with no uncertainty whatsoever. Long, powerful, but under control, and almost elegant.
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Dark wine with a big nose, double decanted. A multilayered wine with all of the markings of a top tier wine. You could tell this was an off year because there was something that just didn't quite work in the wine. Smokey dark berries, oak, earth, and a touch espresso. It was like eating at an incredible restaurant where the food wasn't quite as good as usual but you could still see the brilliance. Long lasting finish.
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Nick Wittman visits San Diego (Quarter Kitchen - San Diego, CA): Tasted blind. The wine was pretty much SHUT DOWN, but with some time (at the end of the tasting) and very aggressive swirling I was able to coax out some black current, graphite, ground espresso and wet soil. Hard to judge at this stage, but since it was not flawed in any way, I have to go with what I tasted. My #4 wine; the group's #2.
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Blind CA Cult Cab Tasting (Snohomish, WA): Tasted blind. (Group's #1 (my #3)) – 4 first place votes, 7 second place votes, 1 third place vote – The nose had aromas of blue/red fruits with some cedar notes. The palate had flavors of currant, cherry, cedar and peppery spice. It was a little less full bodied than the other wines in the flight, but still a very nice wine with a long finish.
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cherry, currant, vanilla, pencil, light cedar and oak notes smooth long finish this wine will continue to develop, drank for celebration of the 25th anniversay
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2003 California Cabernet Horizontal (Adour @ The St. Regis, Washington D.C.): Decanted 2 hours and served blind in the third flight. Intensely dark purple in the glass with creme de cassis and dark fruit aromas. Huge amount of fruit in balance with smooth tannins, with sweet oak, dark chocolate and black cherry flavors. Finish lasted over a minute and the alcohol was well-integrated with the fruit. My second favorite wine of the night, very, very close to #1.
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Dark red to rim. Forward nose: cassis, oak, blueberries. Very ripe layered palate feel, full-bodied, well-balanced, not as intense on the palate as the last bottle but still outstanding.
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Dinner Chez Shannon and David: Generously opened by our hosts to go with grilled tri-tip. And what a great wine this is. Fantastic nose of cherries, tree bark and dark chocolate. These aromas all carry through to the palate where the wine was velvety and loaded with cheery and blackberry fruit. Maybe a hint of leather. Despite the ample fruit, this came across as balanced and complex and is nothing like many of today's Napa fruit bombs I dislike so much. Awesome wine that disappeared quickly from the decanter. Thanks Shannon and David for this treat.
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P&P. Everything about it was beautiful, though needed a decant / longer air time. Drinking much smoother than recent tastings of '02 & '01 vintages, though those wines definitely beat this one. Drink this '03 vintage while those rest.
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Notes from memory...Dark garnet, opaque in the glass. Rich smelling with ripe black currant fruit framed in sweet oak. The oak is noticeable, but in a way that seems well integrated with the other flavors. Full bodied and plush, somewhat primary with sweet black currant fruit. Kind of seamless in texture with no rough edges. We enjoyed this with steaks and good conversation, so I didn't get an opportunity to really explore it, but it was delicious.
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unable to decant because of logistics. certainly bold, but not bloated, this is solid performance from the producer and vintage because the big tannins are contolled by the fruit. i don't see this as a wine to keep around all that long. decant would most likely help a bit. 91+. drink by 2013.
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Ridiculous alcohol on the nose, creme de cassis and medicinal. Needs a LONG time to soften its edges yet doesnt seem to have the tannings or structural balance to be able to wait for that. It is liqueur like and too big for me, just not my style sorry.
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Opened a magnum for my wife's birthday; while this is not considered a great vintage from Napa, this wine was spectacular. I would say not as big as some Hillsides; elegant, complex, a perfect combination of controlled power and beautiful balance. Black fruit, slight cedar and vanilla hints, a great wine compliment to our food and could stand on its own as well. One of my favorite Hillsides
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Decanted and opened up for 6 hours. Beautiful, rich cab fruit aromas on the nose. Very expressive and layered fruit at first sip, but oak soon hits and the oak is the dominant flavor profile throughout the finish. Not sure if it's just young and needs more time, but at this point, not worth the price.
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Store Four Cooking Demo (Store Four): Really ripe, rich wine. This isn't about structure, but extraction of velvety soft fruit. I can dig it, but not the price. 91-93
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This is drinking much better than the '01 I had the other day which might be this good 10 - 20 years from now. Cassis, coffee, black cherry, nutmeg. Great balance, good fruit without being overtly fruity. I could drink this all night long. This probably will not go the long haul but it is awesome now. Enjoy.
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"Cap Off" (Peter Pratt's Inn): My contribution for the evening - Totally different in every aspect to the Foley, not in your face or "over the top", elegant and more Bordeaux like, yet big and very full bodied. I popped and decanted this at the table, but wish I could have given it several hours of airtime. Every sip added a new dimension and flavor profile. I revisited this several times and it kept getting better. Very nice wine.
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From 3.0L bottle. Quite outstanding with good balance between acidity and fruit. Complex flavors that change through the evening with strongest notes of cherry and dark fruit on the palate and a medium length finish. Lots more ahead for this one in large format anyway.
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Lots of cassis, black cherry, and glycerin. Very heavy and palate-coating. Notes of cocoa and a little greenness. Drinking very well for its age. Held up well on day two. I may work through these while the other vintages sleep.
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This was consumed side-by-side with an 03 Chateau Montelena. This far surpassed the Montelena. It has nice rich coffee flavors on the palate, and some nice dark fruit. However, there is really no nose to speak of, and the complexity is not great. I am increasingly not becoming a fan of Shafer as a winery. Based on the showing tonight, this is way overpriced. There are much better wines for half the price. I am close to thinking that the Emperor has no clothes.
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Dark red/purple. Effusive nose of cassis and blue and blackberryies, some toasty oak, very full bodied with lush, layered ripe fruit, a real palate-coater, long finish, remains ripe and lush throughout, still young, but outstanding
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First Growths, etc @ Howard's (Old Greenwich, CT): Lovely wine that shows the classic purity of fruit that this bottling so often displays. While this seems to be more accessable than other vinatges, it is fine, balanced and well delineated. The blue fruits are concentrated yet not overwhelming. Very good length.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Awesome lush huckleberry and blueberry aromas. Baked good action into play as well. Leather mocha on the back end. Royal and opulent mouth feel. This bottling comes across as having more spice versus the high intensity floral characteristics of other vintages of HS. Fantastic
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Opened and decanted...drank over 2 hours. Dark purple in color. Super concentrated...ripe black fruits and chocolate. Really nice but perhaps my palate is changing - no longer worth the money IMO.
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Really very good indeed. Even if not the best HSS ever, certainly a solid example (does that even count as finding fault?). Pure, fulsome, and luxurious. Wonderful nose of cedar and blackberry. In the mouth very Cali Cab - absolutely delicious; raspberry to black cherry and quite evident dark chocolate and vanilla. Finish warm and comforting lasting for 30 seconds plus. Guaranteed enjoyment in a glass.
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Dark ruby, purple color, translucent on the dark spectrum. Nose of coffee, keemun tea, cassis. Slight scent and taste of dried but moist, fallen oak leaves. Hint of anise, dark macerated bing cherries. Supple, not overly tannic or mouthcoating.
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Decanted 4 hrs. A nearly purple core with no bricking - this is still just a baby. The nose was reticent even after 4 hrs of decanting but finally opened up at the 6 hr mark to reveal black and blue fruits, lead pencil, tobacco leaf and saddle. Perfectly rounded edges and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. I prefer the structure and phenolics here compared to the '04 served the following night. It paired wonderfully with Azul's bone-in rib-eye. Approx $210, drink thru 2022
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When judged by the ridiculous standards set by HSS. This is a just ok vintage. 02 & 04 are much better. Very dark red color. Cool nose with blue fruit. Significant tannins but clearly that luxurious dark HSS fruit lurks. Hopefully will improve with time.
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Consumed w/ 04 Maybach & 05 Scarecrow , Rated #3 , still very good and certainly the most accessible of the three but could not out shine the other two tonight
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Big Cabs With The Boys (Houston's): Bright fruity nose that smelled like a big styled Cali Pinot showing some ripe raspberries and chocolate. Light elegant palate feel with lot's of chocolate and mocha. Seemed to lack concentration to me and had some lingering heat. A pretty cocktail wine but not what I think of as Cabernet.
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Overpriced Cabs (Houston's): Hah I thought this was a Mag when I saw the bottle. That thing is huge ... I don't mean nothin by it ... I just sayin its big. In the end this was decanted about 3 hours. The wine is smooth, sweet and tasty. Not much tannin. A soft wine. I really liked the purity. I enjoyed this but again, the price is laughable.
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Fairly full blackberry nose. However, I think there was a wee touch of TCA on this one which seemed to deaden the aromas a bit and also remove some of the chocolatey tar-like lower notes on the palate. Even so, this thing had mesmorizing power. A full array of fruit flavors coming at you all at once. Not the greatest vintage perhaps, but still, can't really go wrong...
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Decanted for about six hours. Inky garnet/purple color, opaque to the rim. Aromas of cassis, plum, blackberries, underbrush and baking spices. Despite the massive tannins & structure, there's an elegance on the palate. Flavors of raspberry, coffee, cassis and spice with a long finish. Hold until 2016-2019. 93+ pts.
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Deep uniform colour. Fabulous nose. Went straight up to the sinus. Made me want to snort the stuff. Opened decanted ... needs 30 mins to 1 hour to decant. Flavours are deep and rich. Hints of kiwi, berries, vanilla and chocolate. Drank silky smooth. Very faint oak. Tight finish but finish lingered. Paired with bone in ribeye and fried lobster claws in a mango bernaise sauce. Phenomenal juice.
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wow! big, brawny cab! decanted for 3 hours & consumed prior to & with dinner of hand cut 3 inch bone-in ribeyes grilled over mesquite. i poured a taste as i decanted it & it was initially a bit chewy, great texture & fruit. the initial oakiness faded a bit with air time & this was singing by dinner time. i will continue to buy as much as they allocate me every year. great wine!
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wine-pages.com SuperBOWL 2009 (Glasgow): A ludicrously heavy bottle. Highly attractive nose with perfumed blackberry fruit and some pencil shavings. Powerful and young, but already fairly integrated. Very fine.
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The most striking quality of this HSS to me was how fine the tannins were. Some charred notes appeared with the great depth of fruit, maybe a bit overripe. Dense mouthfeel. Not decanted, opened and poured off a taste and left open 45 minutes before dinner.
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Just an amazing bottle of wine. Lush fruit. Dense and creamy. Vanilla undertones. Sweet mouth coating tannins and a finish that goes on forever. A wonderful New Years Eve treat.
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This confirmed my love of Shafer wines. Deep, rich and layered. Opulent fruit with hints of cocoa and spice. Lively and light on it's feet for such a concentrated wine. Suprisingly accessable.
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Deep and brooding, with a fabulous nose that I could've sniffed forever. Based on the nose, this was a 96-98 point wine. The palate was good, with typical Shafer density and purity of fruit, good balance, and showed typicity. There was a bit of over-ripeness (surprising given this producer) that detracted somewhat. Not sure if it was an off bottle, or this is a component in the wine right now. Drinks well now, but hopefully will improve with time and that overripe component fade away.
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Deep rich purple/black color. A massive wine displaying amazing power and elegance. Aromas of vanilla, black cherry, cassis, and cedar explode from the glass. On the palate the tannins are silky and sweet with amazing structure. Very full bodied and extremely well balanced and smooth with excellent complexity. A finish that goes on and on.
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Scott M. Dinner Party (Home): Decanted 4 hours, served blind. Full opaque black purple color. Huge nose of tight coffee and sweet black fruit. Huge black chocolate fruit on the palate. Lovely - easily the best 03 Cali cab I've had and substantially better than the taste from a year ago (decanting may have helped quite a bit here).
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Quite a different wine than the 1999. Concentrated dark fruits, cola, licorice and raspberry on the nose with hints of dried herbs. More buttery on the palate with toasted vanilla notes wrapped around blackberry and currant. Big acidity that is well balanced. This wine hasn’t even left home to head to the party. With time (or a long, serious decant) this may rival the 1999, in my opinion. An outstanding wine with many great years ahead of it. foodandwineblog.com
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Tasting at Shafer: Each vineyard parcel is harvested and barreled separately, the best of which are blended to make the 2,000 or so cases of Hillside Select. Dark, inky garnet color. Notes of plum, violets, spicy oak, cassis and blackberry. Plush and velvety mouthfeel, with flavors of red currant, blackberry and black cherry. The tannins are dense and chewy, persisting on the long, long finish, where the wine picks up a subtle minerally edge. 93-95 pts.
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I was really disappointed by this. Perhaps its shut down, but the nose wasn't giving up much save for some cocoa and smoke. Palate was more or less the same and, I felt, an unacceptable amount of heat. Maybe it will come together, maybe not. Either way, I'm not looking for any more.
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Huge nose right out of the bottle, more approachable than the 2002 at this point but still wound tightly. The bottle went very quickly and did not have sufficient air time to come together. More specific notes tough since this was the 7th of 7 we drank. Another great Shafer but I would recommend decanting it for a few hours.
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Tight beam of ripe blackberries on the nose. Velvety in the mouth with more ripe fruit present. Needs some air time as tannins need some time to reside. Good wine but not great will give other one couple more years.
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Decanted for 12 hours, this wine had a nice dark inky purple color to it with heavy body. The aromas were of currants, graphite, floral and a little earthy. The nose on this one is far from where it will be when it hits its stride. The tastes were of dark fruits, currants, mineral, slightly earthy and of cigar. The wine is very tannic and clearly not ready yet. While it has a high alcohol percent of 14.9%, I do not think that will have any negatives on how well this wine will age. This wine needs at least 5 more years in the cellar if not longer. This one should have no problems lasting and evolving for 20 to 30 years.
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Tasted at Shafer Vineyards. Tasted last in line of their Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab 1.5, and Relentless Syrah/Petite syrah. As good as that list is, the Hillside still stands out as a very special wine. Suprisingly very tight on the nose. The 1.5 is much more generous. Got spice, blackberry, plum, red licorice, and a hint of tobacco. A huge attack of mouthfilling soft round tannins. A "juicy" wine in that it is packed with dark fruit, currant, and earthy flavors, balanced with just the right amount of minerality and acidity. A huge dense cabernet but not "over the top". Extremely well balanced and smooth as silk on the finish. The finish lingers for what seems like an eternity. Drinking unbelievably well at such a young age. It's hard to believe that Cabernet can taste any better than this.
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Awesome dinner at Country. Big fruity flavors - dark fruit, chocolate, herbs, and cedar. Tight upon opening but opened up beautifully. Very aromatic, and a big long finish.
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My first experience with HSS...decanted and enjoyed over an evening. Initially, the nose is a bit restrained, but with time it develops nicely...dark fruits and chocolate. The mouthfeel is plush, but not overwhelmingly so...there is nice balance here. The finish is long and pleasant...I look forward to seeing how this develops with some time in the bottle. All in all, a very very good cab, but pricy for what it's providing now.
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A wonderful new world wine with restraint. Fruit and oak in synergy not smacking you in your face. Well structured and well made. It is one of the better cabs I have had out of napa but, to me not worth $250 per bottle.
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After trying this and retasting our wedding wine (93 HSS) during a recent visit to the winery without Mrs Davidandrose, I was "compelled" to open a bottle of this. This really is a consistent example of a very age-worthy wine that is equally enjoyable upon release. 90 mins in the decanter and enjoying over a 2.5 hour drinking window gave a great opportunity to fully take this wine in. As noted earlier, lots of dark fruit and a rich, heavy mouthfeel but extremely well-balanced. Tried this in both standard Spig cab stems and Reidel Sommelier stems; the Somm. series stems largely eliminated a slight alcohol burn while better promoting some floral aromas.
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Still a very young rich, opulent wine. Currant, dark cherry and oak. Has all the complexity and richness to age well, at this stage it is just too big.
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Tasted this at the winery. Bottle had been opened for approx 3 hours, with 90 mins of that time sitting in the stems. Rich and opulent but very approachable and enjoyable. Lots of dark fruits, perfumy nose, just very enjoyable.
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Wasn’t decanted (popped & poured and consumed by 5 people) so I’m not sure it was presented properly. That being said, it was so so good. Deep core of dark red raspberry, the nose was intoxicating. Had some serious grip, but it was incredibly balanced so there was some serious fruit concealing the tannins. I was amazed at how much fruit and tannin the wine had without being over the top – amazingly balanced. Definite infanticide.
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Sampled directly from bottling line. Deep garnet color. Aromas/flavors of blackberry, currant, black cherry, spice and vanilla. Elegant, deep and complex. Fine delicate tannin structure.
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10/15/2023 - CoastCabCritic wrote:
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.
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12/17/2022 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Good shape, very ripe, big, gooey. BB xmas party
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11/19/2022 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
Sweet and rich. Bigger than I remembered it.
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8/24/2022 - jsebiri wrote:
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.
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2/1/2022 - ASMB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking great.
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1/2/2022 - jsebiri wrote:
Big Cali cab , some spine , rich nose. Well done.
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10/18/2021 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Not up to normal HSS standards. Still good but I expect great from Shafer HSS.
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9/14/2021 - Silicon Valley Wine Club Likes this wine: 94 Points
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
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7/14/2021 - texaswinelover wrote:
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.
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7/10/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 95 Points
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.
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12/31/2020 - mlawren1 wrote: 95 Points
Deep dark and inky with plums, cherries and currants. Finishes with some chocolate and leather.
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12/12/2020 - Galrob wrote:
Given to neighbors
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6/21/2020 - Millennial Drinkers wrote:
NFN: similar to a few years back with more layers to it. Great wine for Father’s Day.
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4/9/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine:
I was concerned about this when I opened the bottle, but this gained structure and weight over 2.5 hours. Still softer than expected, but this particular bottle may not have been handled properly. Will monitor the next bottle closely.
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2/21/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2.5 hour double decant; outstanding & again continued to improve throughout an outstanding meal at Buccan ( went beautifully with the black truffle tagliatelle), my experience with these 2 bottles is that this will still improve (need to get more!)
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11/16/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Double decanted for 2.5 hrs, deep ruby with no brick, black cherry with a touch of vanilla, med. tannins, very long finish; outstanding & loved by the BB group, drink with good decant or hold
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11/3/2019 - jjcoola Likes this wine: 98 Points
Outstanding. Drinking extremely well right now.
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8/10/2019 - DrBad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Velvety smooth. Long finish. Great wine.
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6/25/2019 - bookert wrote: 89 Points
Good concentration but unbalanced, out of step with the usual Shafer taste profile
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6/9/2019 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had taken a hiatus from Hillside Select so thought I would try a younger, not-spectacular vintage to hopefully renew my interest. Mission accomplished! Gorgeous wine, still plenty of baby-fat but a class act in every way. Velvety texture and beautiful balance, long finish - nose of all the classic Hillside Select tasting notes. The more decanting the better.
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4/26/2019 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened but not decanted as part of a Shafer night at a NYC Steakhouse with my wine group. It probably sat for 90 minutes before we poured it. We had it alongside the 2013 One Point Five. For 7 out of 8 of us, this was the WOTN. It has developed some nice secondary flavors and it is tasting very refined. The fruit has died down so that now it plays a supporting role. Long long finish. A real treat.
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12/25/2018 - nm10 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted two hours and drank with Christmas dinner prime rib and Yorkshire puddings. Deep purple with little bricking at the edges. Delicious peppery and youthful nose, but all mouth-coating cassis on the palate. This was a huge wine, but yet seemed balanced. I dare say it improved over the three hours that I drank it, and I bumped it a point from the 94 when I first sipped. The finish lasted almost a minute.
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11/10/2018 - Cow Town Likes this wine: 95 Points
Just a lovely wine. Perfectly balanced, modern but not over the top, Napa Cab. Not sure how long it will age, but in a great place right now.
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11/9/2018 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind and most definitely a cult Cabernet. The group was all over the place... Pride Reserve, Bond, Maiden, Schrader, Spottswoode. But in fact... Hillside Select. If drinking now, pair with a prime ribeye. As for me, I will let mine cellar for a while longer.
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9/24/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Pre Arthur Buck Concert Dinner (Butcher and the Boar, Mpls): Deep purple color. Slow ox for about 3 hours. Drank 1+ glass over an hour plus. This was impressive out of the gate. The nose oozes fresh cut fuzzy cedar, creme de cassis, graphite, dark berries, oak and spice. The palate is quite concentrated, pretty black fruits, satiny textures, pencil, tobacco and oak with a long finish. This also seems to fall off considerably over an hour to show m9re oak and a little heat that was not apparent previously. This too suffered from our limited pairing options.
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8/3/2018 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery - Aubert, Shafer, Bevan, Sea Smoke, Togni, and more... (Calistoga): From a vertical of 2003/2004/2005 Magnums of HSS.
This 2003 was displaying a core of black and red berry fruit notes. There was an undercurrent of cedar, subtle earth, and plum on the front end, with a slight twiggy menthol component that surfaced on the finish. A solid mid-palate weight-wise, with a medium-bodied finish and a little bitterness on the back end.
Not as giving or “modern” as the 2004, which was displaying much more upfront blackberry core fruit and less old-world characteristics (earth/cedar). In fact, I thought the 2004 was drinking more like a 2012 Napa Cabernet. The 2003 seems truer to its 15 years of age. Still a lot of energy, if not a little misguided at this juncture in terms of its seamlessness. Something to hold on to for another year or so in hopes it smooths out? With air, it improved considerably. From .750, this might be good to drink now. From magnum, it seems to need just a little more short-term cellaring. 93+ points for now.
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7/28/2018 - Sundbyberg wrote: 94 Points
My third vintage of HS, previously 2005 and 2012.
The 2005 was too sweet for me, while the 2012 was very good, alas quite "big".
The 2003 vintage is more Bordeaux-like, not as big as the 2012 and certainly not as sweet as the 2005.
Still quite Californian with alcohol (heat) and quite tasty.
Decant ca 2 hours, or even better: Wait 2-3 years.
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6/5/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Big, powerful and dense, with layers of ripe, dark berries, licorice, chocolate, smoke and vanilla tinged fruit. Lusciously textured, rich and ripe, this will continue delivering the goods for at least a decade and probably longer.
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1/20/2018 - levinml wrote: 96 Points
Drank from magnum at boys birthday dinner at Nach's. Opened and decanted for a couple hours before consuming. Lived up to expectations, rich fruit, deep long flavors and great finish. Drink anytime, but still could get better.
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12/22/2017 - rlove wrote: 90 Points
A cedar-heavy nose also offers some plum and cassis. Cedar and blue & red fruit on the palate lead to a slight medicinal finish. The 2003 Hillside Select feels a bit disjoint, perhaps from unripe grapes. (From magnum)
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12/1/2017 - Geaux Tigers wrote: 92 Points
Tanzer 2016 is relevant. Not overly impressive. Muted fruit, earthy charcoal notes. Velvety but not overdone. Tannins and oak have receded.
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8/25/2017 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 95 Points
Last of the blind red wines at this quarter's S&E Wine Club, which for red was either Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Merlot from either Rutherford or Stags Leap District. Thanks Dad!
Deep and dark ruby red. Tons of sweet spices and black fruits on the nose, so rich. Heavy tannins (7.6/10) and literally melts in your mouth. Well rounded and integrated throughout. Tons of blackberries, cinnamon, and vanilla on the palate, some cigar box too. Full bodied and long finish. Stunning wine as always. Drink till 2030.
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8/15/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
BYO dinner with Jim N and Paul G (Russet, Philadelphia PA): Last wine of the evening, one of my contributions. Decanted for about 45 minutes before drinking.
Dense purple core color, mild rim seraration. Nose of blackberry, plum, graphite. Plate showing dark berries, cassis, savory notes. Secondary notes of cedar and dark chocolate... Rich mouthfeel and texture, long and layered finish.
This seems to be in it's prime drinking zone, I would say fully mature with the legs to go another 7-10 years. Spectacular cab (as expected from SHS). My WOTN...
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8/2/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Salon, Hillside Select Vertical, ZH, Bernabeleva (Our home): This was probably the closest to maturity of any of the wines in the flight. Purple with a ruby rim. The nose has cassis and some cedar. Also a bit of roasted meats. Some found a bit of raisin but I did not. Very deep. On the palate, this is well balanced. Great texture. It is sweeter than the rest but I think it is fruit and not residual sugar. Long finish. Pretty close to mature but plenty of time left.
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6/18/2017 - davidandrose Likes this wine:
Nearly 6 years ago we purchased what we thought would be our "Forever Home", only to have our Company (rightfully) pull out all stakes in CA and relo 4k+ people to Plano Texas. Opened to celebrate the memories we've made here before the movers begin packing tomorrow.
Opened but not decanted, kept in cellar while following over 4 hours. Still a bit tight upon opening but releasing black cherry, mellow aged oak, spiced tobacco aromas 90 mins later. Nicely balanced, this leaves a faint dry finish across the palate. Strikes me that this is in the back half of its drinking window though still doing just fine. An elegantly aged calicab
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3/6/2017 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had this alongside a 2004 Harlan Estate. This was opened, but not decanted for 2 hours before we poured it. Great wine, full bodied, with a long finish. Notes of black cherry, some vanilla, and lite, but still present tanins. A good contrast to the Harlan which had more blueberry notes.
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2/9/2017 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is a big boy. Needs at least 3 hours to settle the heat down a little. Its best day 2. But massive flavors of berries, cola, cedar, and mocha. It does have some warmth that needs a decant to mellow. But this is an awesome wine if you like big in your face cabs. Not overly rich, heavy or sweet.
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12/16/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 93 Points
I have always enjoyed the style of Shafer HS; for me, they are not over-the-top but perhaps lack some interest at times. This was one of the interesting ones and was easy to like. Yes, the oak was evident, but not overbearing. The nose showed blackberry, blueberry, herbs, vanilla, and coconut. Full-bodied and mouth-filling, with firm, round tannins. Could have used a bit more freshness, as might be expected.
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12/10/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Youthful appearance, starting to evolve at the edges; rich nose of smoky bacon, deep, cassis and spices; slightly alcoholic palate, medicinal, rich tannins, mouthfilling, cocoa, big and full, powerful but ripe tannins, very good length, cocoa and coffee, plummy fruit.
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11/19/2016 - mikdal wrote: 97 Points
Fantastic!
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7/4/2016 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cherry Secret, cinnamon, cassis, currants ripe raspberry and a good amount of oak. Very good, but not worth the money, strange how Parker had this as a 95 then 100 then 95... Seems odd to me.
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6/30/2016 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Domestic Red Wine Dinner - 94 & 95 Harlan, 05 Bionic, Selosse Le Bout du Clos and etc. (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner): Expressive nose displaying creme de cassis, dry cherries, licorice, bitter chocolate, dark spices and earth. Incredible concentration, intense jammy dark fruits, bright acidity, slightly coarse tannins and very long finish with a slightly bitter end. This bottles seems to show even more concentration than the last bottle. This is a monster with strong structure. A hint of bitterness is present.
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6/4/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 97 Points
As most reviews show this is still big and hot. Like the 2001-2004 these need lots of air to settle down. I recommend drinking this the second day after a 4-6 hour decant. Full bodied, rich, elegant, sexy. Loads of red fruits, cherry cola, charcoal, and dark chocolate. Its hot upon opening so it will need time.
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5/14/2016 - markswine Likes this wine: 96 Points
Too young and primary, but will be fun in 10 years.
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4/22/2016 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
RJ's birthday gathering - perfect 09 VCC and 01 Yquem (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner): Expressive Napa cult cab nose displaying cassis, licorice, cedar and dark spices. Excellent concentration, unctuous yet silky palate, cassis driven palate impression and very long finish with cassis and cedar as the end notes. My mind plays trick trying to related to the ripeness of the 03 Bordeaux. Obviously no roasted flavor here. If you like HSS, this will really make you happy.
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2/16/2016 - AtoZ wrote:
I liked this with porterhouse. Very blueberry. Big. Not elegant. Hot year for sure but still fun.
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1/30/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys Power of Packaging - Jan 2016 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): This is a beautiful wine and definitely needs another 10 or so years to really grow into itself. The fruit is just a bit more overly powerful right now - both red and black currant. There's some nice black pepper. Was tasty enough that I considered bidding on some HSS lots during the auction although none hit the right price point. Glad we've maintained our allocation, but have most enjoyed this around 20 years of age so have some waiting to do for the ones in our cellar.
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1/7/2016 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 97 Points
Fantastic wine!
Gorgeous nose of blackcurrant fruit, graphite, star anise and creamy oak.
Full bodied and suave with a huge structure upon which hangs the dense fruit. Top level California Cab. always a joy to drink.
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1/6/2016 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very dark almost opaq. Expressive, almost explosive nose of dark plums, dark chocolate, anise, currants, blackberries and coffee. Full-bodied, dense, with noticeable heat, firm tannins, multi-layered fruit, balancing acidity and great length. This could age for more than 10 years. Great Napa cab.
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12/29/2015 - The Wine Guy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful the power and structure of this wine is not unparrelled often. This did not disappoint on the last and second bottle we had. A consistent favorite for our anniversary. Will look forward to the 2010 we have just laid down. No specific tasting notes offered on this jewel other than drinking briallintly and will for another 5-10 years.
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10/16/2015 - AllRed wrote: 96 Points
Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (R&D's): One last double blind bottle before moving on to the Sauternes. Deep color. Notes of vanilla, currants and florals- complex and while deep and somewhat brooding/powerful, there's a sense of elegance here too. This is full-bodied and tannins are present but very fine. Flavors of black currants, cherry, plum, vanilla and blue fruit. Lingers on the palate; seamless from start to finish. Guessed 2005 Napa Cab.
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9/19/2015 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Hillside never dissapoints. Even this 03 is full of dark, inviting fruit framed by lots of savory notes of herbs and meats. Lovely nose of cassis and hickory? These wines are always so compelling.
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7/10/2015 - WineWright Likes this wine: 95 Points
We shared with Kevin and Missy at their lake house after wonderful charcuterie paired with a brilliant 1996 Chateau Montelana cab. What a treat to open and share among good friends. The 2003 HS continues to impress. Dense and full-bodied with strong blackberry and cassis flavors. Tannins show up on the finish, but all gorgeously in sync.
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6/15/2015 - WineWright Likes this wine: 95 Points
I decanted tonight, but it didn't take long for this vintage to resound in almost every way as I shared this bottle with a first-timer. It is a gorgeous, elegant, and powerful wine with flavors and aromatics that, to me, were at times almost breathtaking, and my friend Polly was blown away. Wine: 95+. Sharing a Hillside Select for the first time with a lifelong friend: 100!
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5/3/2015 - WineWright Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful. No formal notes, as I have nothing to add to this wine's Cellar Tracker accolades at this time.
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4/12/2015 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Took to a blind tasting science test. No formal notes, but this was the top wine of the tasting, disproving the thesis that price has no relation to quality. 94 informal points.
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4/4/2015 - sjdoc wrote: 93 Points
drank in a vertical tasting, 99-03. 2003 did not match up. 99 was a surprise hit. 2001 and 2002 were the clear winners with the 01 being slightly better
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1/25/2015 - Millennial Drinkers Likes this wine: 97 Points
96-98
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1/24/2015 - cab blends Likes this wine: 99 Points
Birthday Party (River Bend Golf and Country Club): I am not totally sure what the difference is between 100 points and 99. This was clearly my WOTN straight from the bottle even before decanting. Ultimately it was decanted for 6 hours.
Light cassis fruit on the nose and a totally balanced wine on the palate. Smooth yet not a thick velvet. Still powerfully bodied with a number of years to go. I may go for a 12 hour decanting next time. Tannins are still 7/10 without overpowering (after the decanting)
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12/27/2014 - The Wine Guy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blackberry, currant, dark cheery, light tobaco with cedar and vanilla notes and with firm edgy tannins. Opened this bottle for a 30th anniversary at Etch in Nashville TN. The other bottle we had five years for a 25 anniversary. This wine was more expressive and the five years of additional aging only allowed for a more complex and longer finish. We decanted the wine and this one will age another 10 years. Too bad no more anniversary wine left.
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12/27/2014 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice darh rich blackberry and dark cherry. Smooth and heady, but a touch shy. Quite nice and fine, just find profile a tad closed vs other better vintages.
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12/25/2014 - McKraftyWino Likes this wine: 97 Points
On a nite of a dozen 2003's this bottle was one of the two best (hundred acres was the other 'best')
all the 2003's started off slowly, not much nose, not much pizazz however they all later evolved in the glass.
This one was a standout among the crew.
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12/12/2014 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Occasional dinner group: Riesling GG and 100 RP point wines: Very lush wine with ripe berry fruits, some coffee, sweet spices, sweetness, good acidity and round tannin. Great and lovely and luxurious wine. Ready now, but no problem cellaring this until well into the 2020's. Hope to taste/drink this again around 2020+. 98+
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11/29/2014 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 94 Points
The Shafer 2003 Hillside Select was big, bold and on the edge of being overripe. On the palate there's a good structure and enough minerality to keep it on the ground. It smells of blueberries, creme de cassis, mint, vanilla, chocolate and cinamon. After 11 years the influence of the new french oak is still obvious by strong toasty and vanilla flavours and a distinct spicyness. In combination with the fruit it seems much younger than it actually is. Certainly, the Shafer is a well crafted fun wine to drink with a good aging potential. With air the confit berry notes became a bit more decent and the wine showed more depth but overall I was missing the complexity to give this a higher score.
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11/25/2014 - reichken wrote: 90 Points
Dark as night, lush big bold blue fruits and some chocolate ..in the mouth it is very ripe and still some wood, very fruit driven wine. Prbly needs more time but not the best HSS I've had
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8/16/2014 - KenK wrote: 93 Points
Quite nice, although a bit brooding and not as complex as the Abreu 2003 Madrona. Big bold ripe black cherry fruit in almost a candied style. Lush, creamy and ripe. large scale and mouthcoating. Long and rich. A tad monolythic, but huge crowd pleaser as drained in minutes of being opened. Not sure if this develops kore, nut drinking quite nice today.
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8/16/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Wine with Grilled Meat (Chez Whitehead - Northbrook IL): Ripe plum and black cherry with licorice, dark chocolate and tobacco notes. Big and powerful, with ripeness supporting with enough structure to keep this just short of seeming overly ripe.
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7/14/2014 - mactheknife wrote: 97 Points
Great balance; fruit is still there in an almost youthful way, but it is nicely integrated; tannins in control. Many years left. Hard to believe it will get better, but I have a feeling it will. Expensive but it never disappoints.
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5/3/2014 - levinml wrote: 94 Points
Kind of a disappointment for a Shafer HS. Still (as always) deep, balanced, long, great nose, all the good stuff, etc. But something missing in terms of flavor. Nothing off putting, just seemed missing a dimension of some fruit that always makes HS so good. Maybe a dumb phase. Try again in a couple years.
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3/23/2014 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Awesome Napa Cabernet Tasting (Hillside, Montelena, Mayback and more) (Minneapolis, MN): Decanted one hour. Big wine with oak, spice, vanilla, cherry and crushed rock. Picks up a hint of mint on the palate. Still quite young and later in the night got even better. Should improve over a decade. 94 to 96.
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3/22/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Hi End Napa Cabs with an Haut Brion Kicker (Gary's Place, Hudson, WI): Very dark, purple - red color. PNP, had about an hour of slow-o after popped. Drank two 2oz pours over 2.5 hours. Initially this was on the tight side, it evolved nicely in the glass over 20 minutes and was better still on round two after continuing to slow-O for another 1.5 hours. The nose eventually starts to some complexity, bright cassis, blackberry, dry earth, spices, a floral perfume shines on the second pour along with a distinct and wonderfully savory bacon fat note. The palate has downright gorgeous fruit, lush and full bodied, but in no way heavy or laboring, crushed rock. deep, intense and layered, crème de cassis, mulberry, savory, and very long on the finish. Beautiful balance - and completely integrated - wow. My #1 WOTN and group #1 WOTN. 95+ to -96pts(+). I want to see this in another 5+ years to see what it does..
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2/1/2014 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Night of Cabs with the Shack's: Got a lot of sweet red fruit on the nose of this with cherry, raspberry, plum and roses. I almost would have thought this would have been similar to the first wine but clearly it was different when tasted. This wine was darker in it's flavor profile and had more tannins. Got some flavors of raspberry and blackberry but also some iron and earth notes. Finish wasn't quite as long on this wine compared to the first wine but your probably looking at 40-45 seconds still. I guessed this was perhaps a Bond, VHR (never had this but assumed it was similar to Bond) or the Maiden. Decanted this for 4 hours before tasting. Little surprised when this was revealed. Still very young and I think it still has a long life ahead of it.
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12/6/2013 - cab blends Likes this wine: 95 Points
S&E Wine Club - USA Night (At Home in the Cave): Full MOT scoring - I am sure this will score significantly higher (say 98) with some extensive decanting. This decanted for 3 hours but could still do with more. Youthful and many years left in its life. Heavy extraction - tannins 7/10. Blackberry is hinted at with vanilla and rich body.
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10/16/2013 - littlefoot Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely wine- as noted by another taster, almost ethereal. Strikes a superb balance between ripe fruit and elegance. We have an odd history of not finishing Hillsides... vacuvin'd the bottle and the next night it was all tannin.
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10/5/2013 - pauljr1121 wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at Plumpjack Cafe in Squaw Valley, CA. Just a gorgeous wine of an almost ethereal quality. Cedar, crushed rock, creme de cassis with a sexy lingering finish graced with gorgeous dark fruit that hangs in and caresses the palate for nearly a minute. Just gorgeous!
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10/5/2013 - patwjr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped & poured. Big & beautiful, and 2nd half of bottle was the best. Smoother. Tannins & some tightness still there, even with 10 years of age. Great dark CA Cab fruit. I've never had a bad HS.
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8/31/2013 - Mike V wrote: flawed
Corked tried by coravin. A bottle that will never be opened. Sad
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7/14/2013 - jinks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Far better than the first bottle from my lot. fantastic young cab.
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7/6/2013 - fhirsch Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of lavender, dark fruits, graphite; more balanced and light on its feet than 2003 Harlan; very long
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7/1/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Deep red. Lots of sweetness in the nose, rich cherry jam. Quite long, deep and elegant but with a decadent opulence (in a good way). Vanilla, chocolate and cherries. This wine is still on the young side. What I surprise had I yet mixed experiences with the 2003 Cabs. Drink - 2030
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5/29/2013 - Jonathan T wrote: flawed
The bottle was clearly corked. Which is a shame, because the last time I had this wine, it was my WOTY for 2011. Not a surprise and consistent with their fabulous service, Shafer sent me a replacement bottle of the current vintage.
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5/26/2013 - Dlgreenstein wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely amazing! Smooth, big and sophisticated. Which I had another of these.
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5/23/2013 - tomlbs Likes this wine: 94 Points
I do not really have anything new to add to all the other tasting notes. This wine has a beautiful complex nose and delicious complex favors. The tannins are silky smooth and there is a long satisfying finish. Drinking this was a happy sad experience since this was our last bottle of this great wine.
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5/2/2013 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent! Big full-bodied red, with luscious mouth feel.
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2/22/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
At the PNV tasting. Classic HSS, deep purple color. Nose is rich, cherry, Bordeaux graphite/pencil. Great mouthfeel
Very big wine, complex dark fruits. Long finish. (45 seconds). I think it's in it's zone now, would drink over next 5 years
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12/21/2012 - flashvictor Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bam! Deep purple color leads to nose of cassis, dark cherry, pencil box and dark chocolate. Massive body has flavors of dark fruit, chocolate, currant, cedar and a hint of black truffle. Massive sweet tannins last 50 seconds. Remarkably big but complex wine. I love Shafer HSS!
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12/14/2012 - Knicksfan wrote: 95 Points
and this is a "lesser" vintage. Mercy
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10/21/2012 - JS199 wrote: 95 Points
I haven't had one of these in awhile and forgot how big it is. I'm not sure what to even pair with it, prime ribeye/new York? So broad and dense, yet seductive and suave all at the same time. It never really let's up, like a V12 that just hits you. As good as it is, I can't drink this type of wine very often. Massive and lives up to the Parker hype.
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10/17/2012 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Brad at Vie with locals. First Hillside I've had the pleasure of tasting. I was expecting an oak smack in the face, but was pleasantly surprised. This was decanted upon arrival, so it was open about an hour before serving. Blackberry and black cherry, with a bit of anise and chocolate. A lot going on in this wine as of now. I think this still has plenty of life ahead of it.
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9/12/2012 - atrox wrote: 94 Points
Very dark red. Surprisingly not purple. Very smooth mouthfeel. Lots of oak spice and lots of red fruit. Some mint and cherry. Overall a very surprising wine. I had different assumptions for this wine and am pleasantly surprised.
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8/7/2012 - clayfu wrote:
Very well done bottle of "cult" napa cab. Big, bold but balanced and exciting as the palate hits you with a multitude of dark fruit flavors with a nice silky texture so that it just glides along the palate. Tasted the same throughout dinner so no fear in consuming now for enjoyment.
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4/22/2012 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Cassis, blackberries on the nose, full body, velvety smooth palate feel, ripe fruit, good balance, integrated oak, medium-long finish. Drinking well, nicely mature, has years to go. Outstanding.
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4/14/2012 - ChrisR wrote: 92 Points
Pure black fruits and blackberry liqueur predominate on the nose and palate, with a hint of olive developing with air. The wine was oaky at first, but it receded into the fruit as the wine opened. Plush, silky texture and fine tannins coat the mouth. Not the most complex wine, but the high quality of the fruit and the lovely mouthfeel make it an outstanding wine.
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2/6/2012 - jaxpaj wrote: 96 Points
Another great experience, it is hard to beat this for 2003. A well done "typical CA style wine", this is the wine that could open some eyes. Rich, full bodied, deep wine. Creamy tannins, oak, perfectly ripened fruit, with just a touch of earth/mineral that helps bring everything into balance.
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1/27/2012 - jinks wrote: 88 Points
DE Double blind Best Bottle (DE): very disappointing. decanted for an hour.
Tasted double blind amongst eight other great reds.
My blind notes:
Closed up in just about every way... practically nothing on the nose. alcohol and acidity in the mouth. +++tannins.
This is not in a good place right now, I'll give the other bottles some more time.
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12/31/2011 - Dokken wrote: 96 Points
A porty in style wine. Forward and youthful nose with new oak, black fruit, vanilla, smoke and spice. Chocolatey and coffey in palate with medium acidity and firm ripe tannins that balance slightly hot alcohol and full body. Definately a blockbuster. Huge!
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12/30/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 97 Points
Massive wine in a good sense and I do not mean just weight. The concentration, intensity and power of this wine is phenomenal. And still it is balanced and refreshing.
Nose with typical top California Cabernet with creamy oak, dark crushed berry fruit together with a floral lift and some graphite notes. Full bodied with huge but smooth tannins and (presumably) sky-high acidity in order to achieve balance. Intensely flavoured and long. In this stage of its life it plays with power and elegance - more complexity will come with development.
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12/30/2011 - Yiannis wrote: 96 Points
My 16th Wedding Anniversary Dinner with Friends (Home): A great bottle that was opened after we had another 5 different wines, hence it was not fully appreciated. Nevertheless everyone of us noticed how great it was. Luckily, there was one glass left, so I could taste it the morning after. Very dark, opaq/purple. An amazing combination of excellent new oak, ultra-pure blackberry fruit, sweet spice, coffee, mint and minerality, in a rare coexistence of skillful winemaking and terroir character. Full-bodied with ultra-rich, yet amazingly fresh fruit, massive but excellent tannins and a high acidity that offers balance and vibrancy to this blockbuster. Endless aftertaste. One of the 5 top wines I had in 2011.
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12/18/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Drank over the course of 3 hours. Wonderful balance and soft tannins made for a great experience.
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11/25/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 91 Points
Nice but I was expecting a bit more. Not as complete as most HHS wines I've had.
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11/6/2011 - davidandrose wrote: 94 Points
Pop and pour Great rightof the bottle, with solid structure, some tannis, good depth and muted darl berry and dark cherry flavors. After 75 mins this had changed substantially and, while still a good wine, it had lost much of its structure.
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10/31/2011 - spotfin wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Cab and it is in a good place right now. Full bodied, smooth tannins, dark fruits, benefits from decanting.
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10/17/2011 - Pacalet wrote: 91 Points
Dark red color, breathed in bottle for 2 hours, full of fresh coconut, slight vanilla and lots of dark jammy fruit, a very big in your face wine only slightly let down by the lack of acidity.
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9/23/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 93 Points
Had next to Epoch Estate 2008 Ingenuity. This was showing very well. Well balanced between powerful Cali cab and elegance. Nice dark fruits, some spice. Smooth tannins and lengthy finish. Very nice and at it's peak right now I would guess. Epoch was clearly younger and more fruit forward but had the complexity to stand up to this...very interesting side by side comparison.
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7/24/2011 - mcneil7 wrote: 95 Points
Wonder wine, great nose and taste.
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4/6/2011 - AdamWallstein wrote: 95 Points
I know this is an off vintage, but damn; it ain't that off. A line drive of smokey blackberry fruit right down the center of the palate, joined by all sorts of vanilla laced charcoal and chocolatey incense. The concentration of the material here betrays the elevated pedigree with no uncertainty whatsoever. Long, powerful, but under control, and almost elegant.
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4/4/2011 - jaxpaj wrote: 94 Points
Dark wine with a big nose, double decanted. A multilayered wine with all of the markings of a top tier wine. You could tell this was an off year because there was something that just didn't quite work in the wine. Smokey dark berries, oak, earth, and a touch espresso. It was like eating at an incredible restaurant where the food wasn't quite as good as usual but you could still see the brilliance. Long lasting finish.
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3/19/2011 - Paul Lin wrote: 86 Points
Nick Wittman visits San Diego (Quarter Kitchen - San Diego, CA): Tasted blind. The wine was pretty much SHUT DOWN, but with some time (at the end of the tasting) and very aggressive swirling I was able to coax out some black current, graphite, ground espresso and wet soil. Hard to judge at this stage, but since it was not flawed in any way, I have to go with what I tasted. My #4 wine; the group's #2.
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3/18/2011 - gaschief wrote: 93 Points
Big balanced fruity Napa Cab-- perfect to sip after dinner--strawberries and roses and vanilla- nice as they come--
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3/2/2011 - buenospot wrote: 89 Points
It was an awesome wine but it was following Les Pavots Peter Michael.
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2/26/2011 - last chance wrote: 94 Points
Blind CA Cult Cab Tasting (Snohomish, WA): Tasted blind. (Group's #1 (my #3)) – 4 first place votes, 7 second place votes, 1 third place vote – The nose had aromas of blue/red fruits with some cedar notes. The palate had flavors of currant, cherry, cedar and peppery spice. It was a little less full bodied than the other wines in the flight, but still a very nice wine with a long finish.
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2/26/2011 - The Wine Guy wrote: 93 Points
cherry, currant, vanilla, pencil, light cedar and oak notes smooth long finish this wine will continue to develop, drank for celebration of the 25th anniversay
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1/24/2011 - Knicksfan wrote: 95 Points
Rockin. 1hr decant and then T-bones. I'd call it a tie. still a babe.
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1/3/2011 - iamandyc wrote: flawed
Total bummer - corked. That is a big ouch for what this costs.
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12/31/2010 - 2loyal wrote: 93 Points
Big and rich, as you'd expect, but not as complex as I had hoped. Perhaps that's because I was a fool and did not decant before dinner?
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10/21/2010 - runandshoot wrote: 97 Points
2003 California Cabernet Horizontal (Adour @ The St. Regis, Washington D.C.): Decanted 2 hours and served blind in the third flight. Intensely dark purple in the glass with creme de cassis and dark fruit aromas. Huge amount of fruit in balance with smooth tannins, with sweet oak, dark chocolate and black cherry flavors. Finish lasted over a minute and the alcohol was well-integrated with the fruit. My second favorite wine of the night, very, very close to #1.
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10/16/2010 - shadow wrote: 93 Points
opened up nicely, spice and fruit all in an easy to sip package
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10/2/2010 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Forward nose: cassis, oak, blueberries. Very ripe layered palate feel, full-bodied, well-balanced, not as intense on the palate as the last bottle but still outstanding.
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8/1/2010 - steffenpelz wrote:
Dinner Chez Shannon and David: Generously opened by our hosts to go with grilled tri-tip. And what a great wine this is. Fantastic nose of cherries, tree bark and dark chocolate. These aromas all carry through to the palate where the wine was velvety and loaded with cheery and blackberry fruit. Maybe a hint of leather. Despite the ample fruit, this came across as balanced and complex and is nothing like many of today's Napa fruit bombs I dislike so much. Awesome wine that disappeared quickly from the decanter. Thanks Shannon and David for this treat.
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7/16/2010 - patwjr wrote: 95 Points
P&P. Everything about it was beautiful, though needed a decant / longer air time. Drinking much smoother than recent tastings of '02 & '01 vintages, though those wines definitely beat this one. Drink this '03 vintage while those rest.
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6/30/2010 - OneLastSyrah Likes this wine: 95 Points
Notes from memory...Dark garnet, opaque in the glass. Rich smelling with ripe black currant fruit framed in sweet oak. The oak is noticeable, but in a way that seems well integrated with the other flavors. Full bodied and plush, somewhat primary with sweet black currant fruit. Kind of seamless in texture with no rough edges. We enjoyed this with steaks and good conversation, so I didn't get an opportunity to really explore it, but it was delicious.
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6/8/2010 - jeff nowak wrote: 91 Points
unable to decant because of logistics. certainly bold, but not bloated, this is solid performance from the producer and vintage because the big tannins are contolled by the fruit. i don't see this as a wine to keep around all that long. decant would most likely help a bit. 91+. drink by 2013.
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5/18/2010 - stephanm wrote: 88 Points
Ridiculous alcohol on the nose, creme de cassis and medicinal. Needs a LONG time to soften its edges yet doesnt seem to have the tannings or structural balance to be able to wait for that. It is liqueur like and too big for me, just not my style sorry.
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4/27/2010 - mactheknife wrote: 96 Points
Opened a magnum for my wife's birthday; while this is not considered a great vintage from Napa, this wine was spectacular. I would say not as big as some Hillsides; elegant, complex, a perfect combination of controlled power and beautiful balance. Black fruit, slight cedar and vanilla hints, a great wine compliment to our food and could stand on its own as well. One of my favorite Hillsides
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4/11/2010 - andolini wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and opened up for 6 hours. Beautiful, rich cab fruit aromas on the nose. Very expressive and layered fruit at first sip, but oak soon hits and the oak is the dominant flavor profile throughout the finish. Not sure if it's just young and needs more time, but at this point, not worth the price.
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3/9/2010 - hutch wrote: 92 Points
Store Four Cooking Demo (Store Four): Really ripe, rich wine. This isn't about structure, but extraction of velvety soft fruit. I can dig it, but not the price. 91-93
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3/5/2010 - gotapex wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly balanced for an 03. Drinking well. Rich, extracted (but not over the top). Some oak, but not overly so.
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2/18/2010 - idrinkvino wrote: 94 Points
About as good as a big, rich chocolate Napa Cab can get.
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2/13/2010 - bambam wrote: 95 Points
This is drinking much better than the '01 I had the other day which might be this good 10 - 20 years from now. Cassis, coffee, black cherry, nutmeg. Great balance, good fruit without being overtly fruity. I could drink this all night long. This probably will not go the long haul but it is awesome now. Enjoy.
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2/6/2010 - suttonri wrote: 93 Points
Similar to 12/23 note. Picked up some cinnamon on the palate this time, perhaps from the nutmeg in the sauteed mushrooms.
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2/3/2010 - Vinomarcus wrote: 94 Points
"Cap Off" (Peter Pratt's Inn): My contribution for the evening - Totally different in every aspect to the Foley, not in your face or "over the top", elegant and more Bordeaux like, yet big and very full bodied. I popped and decanted this at the table, but wish I could have given it several hours of airtime. Every sip added a new dimension and flavor profile. I revisited this several times and it kept getting better. Very nice wine.
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1/30/2010 - mclancy10006 wrote: 94 Points
From 3.0L bottle. Quite outstanding with good balance between acidity and fruit. Complex flavors that change through the evening with strongest notes of cherry and dark fruit on the palate and a medium length finish. Lots more ahead for this one in large format anyway.
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12/23/2009 - suttonri wrote: 93 Points
Lots of cassis, black cherry, and glycerin. Very heavy and palate-coating. Notes of cocoa and a little greenness. Drinking very well for its age. Held up well on day two. I may work through these while the other vintages sleep.
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12/10/2009 - A&C wrote: 91 Points
This was consumed side-by-side with an 03 Chateau Montelena. This far surpassed the Montelena. It has nice rich coffee flavors on the palate, and some nice dark fruit. However, there is really no nose to speak of, and the complexity is not great. I am increasingly not becoming a fan of Shafer as a winery. Based on the showing tonight, this is way overpriced. There are much better wines for half the price. I am close to thinking that the Emperor has no clothes.
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11/21/2009 - dbg wrote:
Dark red/purple. Effusive nose of cassis and blue and blackberryies, some toasty oak, very full bodied with lush, layered ripe fruit, a real palate-coater, long finish, remains ripe and lush throughout, still young, but outstanding
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10/24/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
First Growths, etc @ Howard's (Old Greenwich, CT): Lovely wine that shows the classic purity of fruit that this bottling so often displays. While this seems to be more accessable than other vinatges, it is fine, balanced and well delineated. The blue fruits are concentrated yet not overwhelming. Very good length.
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10/13/2009 - Winetex wrote: 93 Points
Improving but soft and ready to go.
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10/10/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Awesome lush huckleberry and blueberry aromas.
Baked good action into play as well. Leather mocha on the back end.
Royal and opulent mouth feel.
This bottling comes across as having more spice versus the high intensity floral characteristics of other vintages of HS.
Fantastic
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10/2/2009 - winenewb068 wrote: 92 Points
Opened and decanted...drank over 2 hours. Dark purple in color. Super concentrated...ripe black fruits and chocolate. Really nice but perhaps my palate is changing - no longer worth the money IMO.
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8/30/2009 - Amrussell wrote: 95 Points
Really very good indeed. Even if not the best HSS ever, certainly a solid example (does that even count as finding fault?).
Pure, fulsome, and luxurious. Wonderful nose of cedar and blackberry. In the mouth very Cali Cab - absolutely delicious; raspberry to black cherry and quite evident dark chocolate and vanilla. Finish warm and comforting lasting for 30 seconds plus.
Guaranteed enjoyment in a glass.
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8/16/2009 - old tractor wrote: 95 Points
Dark ruby, purple color, translucent on the dark spectrum. Nose of coffee, keemun tea, cassis. Slight scent and taste of dried but moist, fallen oak leaves. Hint of anise, dark macerated bing cherries. Supple, not overly tannic or mouthcoating.
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7/26/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 94 Points
nose of dark coffee, blackberry, cedar. a wonderfully rich, but tight wine (not decanted) with some depth.
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7/12/2009 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Decanted 4 hrs. A nearly purple core with no bricking - this is still just a baby. The nose was reticent even after 4 hrs of decanting but finally opened up at the 6 hr mark to reveal black and blue fruits, lead pencil, tobacco leaf and saddle. Perfectly rounded edges and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. I prefer the structure and phenolics here compared to the '04 served the following night. It paired wonderfully with Azul's bone-in rib-eye. Approx $210, drink thru 2022
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6/26/2009 - Mike V wrote: 92 Points
When judged by the ridiculous standards set by HSS. This is a just ok vintage. 02 & 04 are much better. Very dark red color. Cool nose with blue fruit. Significant tannins but clearly that luxurious dark HSS fruit lurks. Hopefully will improve with time.
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6/12/2009 - JDB wrote: 94 Points
Consumed w/ 04 Maybach & 05 Scarecrow , Rated #3 , still very good and certainly the most accessible of the three but could not out shine the other two tonight
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5/13/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Big Cabs With The Boys (Houston's): Bright fruity nose that smelled like a big styled Cali Pinot showing some ripe raspberries and chocolate. Light elegant palate feel with lot's of chocolate and mocha. Seemed to lack concentration to me and had some lingering heat. A pretty cocktail wine but not what I think of as Cabernet.
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5/13/2009 - jasonh wrote:
Overpriced Cabs (Houston's): Hah I thought this was a Mag when I saw the bottle. That thing is huge ... I don't mean nothin by it ... I just sayin its big. In the end this was decanted about 3 hours. The wine is smooth, sweet and tasty. Not much tannin. A soft wine. I really liked the purity. I enjoyed this but again, the price is laughable.
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5/5/2009 - AdamWallstein wrote: 94 Points
Fairly full blackberry nose. However, I think there was a wee touch of TCA on this one which seemed to deaden the aromas a bit and also remove some of the chocolatey tar-like lower notes on the palate. Even so, this thing had mesmorizing power. A full array of fruit flavors coming at you all at once. Not the greatest vintage perhaps, but still, can't really go wrong...
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4/26/2009 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for about six hours. Inky garnet/purple color, opaque to the rim. Aromas of cassis, plum, blackberries, underbrush and baking spices. Despite the massive tannins & structure, there's an elegance on the palate. Flavors of raspberry, coffee, cassis and spice with a long finish. Hold until 2016-2019. 93+ pts.
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4/22/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Cult Californians Wine Tasting (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Gorgeous: young, ripe, very good indeed and everything a young Californian Cabernet should be.
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4/13/2009 - txfireman wrote: 98 Points
Deep uniform colour. Fabulous nose. Went straight up to the sinus. Made me want to snort the stuff. Opened decanted ... needs 30 mins to 1 hour to decant. Flavours are deep and rich. Hints of kiwi, berries, vanilla and chocolate. Drank silky smooth. Very faint oak. Tight finish but finish lingered. Paired with bone in ribeye and fried lobster claws in a mango bernaise sauce. Phenomenal juice.
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3/20/2009 - gfleener wrote: 96 Points
wow! big, brawny cab! decanted for 3 hours & consumed prior to & with dinner of hand cut 3 inch bone-in ribeyes grilled over mesquite. i poured a taste as i decanted it & it was initially a bit chewy, great texture & fruit. the initial oakiness faded a bit with air time & this was singing by dinner time. i will continue to buy as much as they allocate me every year. great wine!
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3/7/2009 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 93 Points
wine-pages.com SuperBOWL 2009 (Glasgow): A ludicrously heavy bottle. Highly attractive nose with perfumed blackberry fruit and some pencil shavings. Powerful and young, but already fairly integrated. Very fine.
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2/10/2009 - fisk15 wrote: 93 Points
The most striking quality of this HSS to me was how fine the tannins were. Some charred notes appeared with the great depth of fruit, maybe a bit overripe. Dense mouthfeel. Not decanted, opened and poured off a taste and left open 45 minutes before dinner.
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12/31/2008 - pkbackman wrote: 95 Points
Just an amazing bottle of wine. Lush fruit. Dense and creamy. Vanilla undertones. Sweet mouth coating tannins and a finish that goes on forever. A wonderful New Years Eve treat.
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11/27/2008 - Phin wrote: 97 Points
Smooth blue and black fruit. Sweet and ripe mouthcoating tannins. Deep and rich, tremendous balance and giant length.
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11/26/2008 - psmith wrote:
Consistent with last note. Some charred and slightly grainy character to the palate. Very enjoyable.
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8/9/2008 - mdefreitas wrote: 95 Points
This confirmed my love of Shafer wines. Deep, rich and layered. Opulent fruit with hints of cocoa and spice. Lively and light on it's feet for such a concentrated wine. Suprisingly accessable.
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8/2/2008 - MarkC wrote: 93 Points
Deep and brooding, with a fabulous nose that I could've sniffed forever. Based on the nose, this was a 96-98 point wine. The palate was good, with typical Shafer density and purity of fruit, good balance, and showed typicity. There was a bit of over-ripeness (surprising given this producer) that detracted somewhat. Not sure if it was an off bottle, or this is a component in the wine right now. Drinks well now, but hopefully will improve with time and that overripe component fade away.
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7/29/2008 - The Bard wrote: 96 Points
Deep rich purple/black color. A massive wine displaying amazing power and elegance. Aromas of vanilla, black cherry, cassis, and cedar explode from the glass. On the palate the tannins are silky and sweet with amazing structure. Very full bodied and extremely well balanced and smooth with excellent complexity. A finish that goes on and on.
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7/4/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 96 Points
gobs of extracted fruit. not much oak. fun wine.
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5/10/2008 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
Scott M. Dinner Party (Home): Decanted 4 hours, served blind. Full opaque black purple color. Huge nose of tight coffee and sweet black fruit. Huge black chocolate fruit on the palate. Lovely - easily the best 03 Cali cab I've had and substantially better than the taste from a year ago (decanting may have helped quite a bit here).
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5/6/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote: 94 Points
Quite a different wine than the 1999. Concentrated dark fruits, cola, licorice and raspberry on the nose with hints of dried herbs. More buttery on the palate with toasted vanilla notes wrapped around blackberry and currant. Big acidity that is well balanced. This wine hasn’t even left home to head to the party. With time (or a long, serious decant) this may rival the 1999, in my opinion. An outstanding wine with many great years ahead of it. foodandwineblog.com
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4/30/2008 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Tasting at Shafer: Each vineyard parcel is harvested and barreled separately, the best of which are blended to make the 2,000 or so cases of Hillside Select. Dark, inky garnet color. Notes of plum, violets, spicy oak, cassis and blackberry. Plush and velvety mouthfeel, with flavors of red currant, blackberry and black cherry. The tannins are dense and chewy, persisting on the long, long finish, where the wine picks up a subtle minerally edge. 93-95 pts.
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4/26/2008 - old tractor wrote: 97 Points
Fabulous deep rich color, and fruit. A little tar, tobacco on the nose.
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4/6/2008 - M-driver wrote:
I was really disappointed by this. Perhaps its shut down, but the nose wasn't giving up much save for some cocoa and smoke. Palate was more or less the same and, I felt, an unacceptable amount of heat. Maybe it will come together, maybe not. Either way, I'm not looking for any more.
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3/21/2008 - gr8r84u wrote:
Huge nose right out of the bottle, more approachable than the 2002 at this point but still wound tightly. The bottle went very quickly and did not have sufficient air time to come together. More specific notes tough since this was the 7th of 7 we drank. Another great Shafer but I would recommend decanting it for a few hours.
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3/7/2008 - EMichels wrote: 97 Points
Red Carpet Wine Tasting: All I can say is that this lives ups to its billing
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2/25/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 91 Points
Tight beam of ripe blackberries on the nose. Velvety in the mouth with more ripe fruit present. Needs some air time as tannins need some time to reside. Good wine but not great will give other one couple more years.
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2/10/2008 - Renegade wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 12 hours, this wine had a nice dark inky purple color to it with heavy body. The aromas were of currants, graphite, floral and a little earthy. The nose on this one is far from where it will be when it hits its stride. The tastes were of dark fruits, currants, mineral, slightly earthy and of cigar. The wine is very tannic and clearly not ready yet. While it has a high alcohol percent of 14.9%, I do not think that will have any negatives on how well this wine will age. This wine needs at least 5 more years in the cellar if not longer. This one should have no problems lasting and evolving for 20 to 30 years.
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1/18/2008 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 95 Points
deep garnet. Sweet full nose of plums and black fruits. Mouthfilling taste that kept going and going. Great for a good-not great-year.
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1/17/2008 - Combee1 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at Shafer Vineyards. Tasted last in line of their Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab 1.5, and Relentless Syrah/Petite syrah. As good as that list is, the Hillside still stands out as a very special wine. Suprisingly very tight on the nose. The 1.5 is much more generous. Got spice, blackberry, plum, red licorice, and a hint of tobacco. A huge attack of mouthfilling soft round tannins. A "juicy" wine in that it is packed with dark fruit, currant, and earthy flavors, balanced with just the right amount of minerality and acidity. A huge dense cabernet but not "over the top". Extremely well balanced and smooth as silk on the finish. The finish lingers for what seems like an eternity. Drinking unbelievably well at such a young age. It's hard to believe that Cabernet can taste any better than this.
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1/16/2008 - ErinByrne wrote: 95 Points
Awesome dinner at Country. Big fruity flavors - dark fruit, chocolate, herbs, and cedar. Tight upon opening but opened up beautifully. Very aromatic, and a big long finish.
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1/2/2008 - winenewb068 wrote: 94 Points
My first experience with HSS...decanted and enjoyed over an evening. Initially, the nose is a bit restrained, but with time it develops nicely...dark fruits and chocolate. The mouthfeel is plush, but not overwhelmingly so...there is nice balance here. The finish is long and pleasant...I look forward to seeing how this develops with some time in the bottle. All in all, a very very good cab, but pricy for what it's providing now.
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12/10/2007 - SoCal wrote: 93 Points
A wonderful new world wine with restraint. Fruit and oak in synergy not smacking you in your face. Well structured and well made. It is one of the better cabs I have had out of napa but, to me not worth $250 per bottle.
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11/30/2007 - cab blends wrote: 95 Points
Although still young and needs a while decanting. (at least an hour) - Probably too early to drink at the moment - I would give it a year.
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11/23/2007 - domingo wrote: 96 Points
I loved this wine. A great balance, rich but not too strong flavors, and a beautiful steady finish.
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11/23/2007 - jameswm13 wrote: 93 Points
Still very primary. Dusty tannins. Lots of fruit. Will wait til at least 2010 to try next bottle.
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11/16/2007 - davidandrose wrote: 95 Points
After trying this and retasting our wedding wine (93 HSS) during a recent visit to the winery without Mrs Davidandrose, I was "compelled" to open a bottle of this. This really is a consistent example of a very age-worthy wine that is equally enjoyable upon release. 90 mins in the decanter and enjoying over a 2.5 hour drinking window gave a great opportunity to fully take this wine in. As noted earlier, lots of dark fruit and a rich, heavy mouthfeel but extremely well-balanced. Tried this in both standard Spig cab stems and Reidel Sommelier stems; the Somm. series stems largely eliminated a slight alcohol burn while better promoting some floral aromas.
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11/11/2007 - zimmy07 wrote: 93 Points
Still a very young rich, opulent wine. Currant, dark cherry and oak. Has all the complexity and richness to age well, at this stage it is just too big.
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11/10/2007 - psmith wrote:
Ripe, large-scaled wine. Flashy, modern styling. Some mineral/graphite character. Very good.
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11/9/2007 - davidandrose wrote: 95 Points
Tasted this at the winery. Bottle had been opened for approx 3 hours, with 90 mins of that time sitting in the stems. Rich and opulent but very approachable and enjoyable. Lots of dark fruits, perfumy nose, just very enjoyable.
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10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Full red/purple color. Tight and unforgiving nose of black fruit. Big black TIGHT fruit on the palate too. Typical 03 that will need some time, but definite great potential. 93-94 +? pts.
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9/6/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 95 Points
Wasn’t decanted (popped & poured and consumed by 5 people) so I’m not sure it was presented properly. That being said, it was so so good. Deep core of dark red raspberry, the nose was intoxicating. Had some serious grip, but it was incredibly balanced so there was some serious fruit concealing the tannins. I was amazed at how much fruit and tannin the wine had without being over the top – amazingly balanced. Definite infanticide.
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5/22/2006 - GolferChris wrote: 96 Points
Sampled directly from bottling line. Deep garnet color. Aromas/flavors of blackberry, currant, black cherry, spice and vanilla. Elegant, deep and complex. Fine delicate tannin structure.
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