Roy Hersh Offline - Dominus and Shafer HSS

Vancouver, BC
Tasted Saturday, April 24, 2010 by godx with 1,009 views

Introduction

Blair organized this event for Roy, who came up from Seattle for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, and was kind of enough to invite Emily and I. Having very little experience with older Napa cabs, I was excited to taste this line-up. It was very educational: I much prefer the style of Dominus to the style of Shafer Hillside and looking at the current prices of these wines, I’d gladly trade all my HSS away for top vintages of Dominus.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

To warm up our palates...

  • 1996 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé Rosé 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light amber in colour. Yeast and brandy notes on the nose with dough, strawberry and earth. Great acidity with a pleasant sharpness on the palate giving some citrus and lighter red fruit notes. Crisp and fresh. Some sweetness on the palate. In a great spot now but definitely no rush. Excellent.

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

With fresh Spotted Prawns, Wilted Arugula, Spiced Lemon Butter Sauce...

  • 1994 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

    From magnum. The nose would have had me guessing we are in Burgundy. Slight nuttiness with soft citrus fruits. Well balanced and rich on the palate. Long finish that gives some minerality. There is some heat on the palate though. Some sulphur notes coming through on the nose. Others seemed to like this more than I did. Very good.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

With duck Confit, Parsnip Puree, Port Orange Reduction...

  • 1991 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dark ruby colour with slight browning near the rim. What a great nose. Some funk, leather, black tea leaves, hints of menthol, cedar and some red fruits exploded from the glass. Never would have guessed this to be the ‘91 from the colour, nor would I have guessed Napa based on the nose. Very Bordeaux like. Silky smooth on the palate with sweeter red fruits showing more a little bit of Napa typicity. Very soft in the mouth with fairly resolved tannins and balanced acid. Drinking very well and I don’t see this getting any better. Outstanding.

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  • 1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Slightly darker in colour than the ‘91. The nose doesn’t jump out like that of the ’91, but it shows more Napa sweet fruit. On the palate riper black fruits with some black liquorice. Overall this is blacker, riper, darker and sweeter than the ‘91. Younger on palate and nose with more structure, more acid and a longer finish than its older sibling. Showing a little bit of heat. Getting better as it sits in glass developing some cedar and leathery notes. This is a few years away from peak and will coast for a long time after that. Excellent. 92+

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

With Cavaletti, Smoked Boar Bacon, Fresh Lobster, Parmesan Cream...

  • 1996 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Darkest wine yet. Not getting much from the nose...just some typical cab sauv menthol and sweet dark fruits. Almost one dimensional. On the palate much of the same. This is big and structured and delicious but could be one of a thousand cabs from Napa. Doesn’t grab your attention like the ’91 or ’94. Very tasty. A very good wine but not at the same level as the last two Dominus wines. Going back to this wine about an hour later and it started to give up more on the nose. Perhaps in 5+ years this will warrant a better score. Very good. 89+

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  • 1997 Dominus Estate 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Noticeably more youthful in colour than the ’96. The nose, however, showing more maturity with gobs of red cassis, leather, tobacco and slight hints of funk. A lot going on the palate. Concentrated and ripe black fruits. Much more youthful on the palate than on the nose. Sweet chewy tannins and some heat on the lengthy finish. Needs a lot more time. Excellent. 92+

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Flight 5 (3 Notes)

With Salt Spring Lamb Rack, Roasted Garlic Rosemary Demi...

  • 1993 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Ok, now we are in Napa no doubt. Sweet and ripe black and red fruits dominate both the nose and palate. Blackberry, black currant and some tobacco. Quite a bit of heat on the palate. The texture is not as soft and silky as the Dominus wines, but this has a much higher level of concentration and is much heavier on the palate. Besides the heat, it’s quite balanced. Resolved tannins and a lenghty finish. The quality is still very apparent but this isn't a wine that stands out to me. Maybe this needs more time? Very good.

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  • 1996 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Much darker and more youthful than the ’93. Tight nose. On the palate, the family similarity is obvious, but this is sweeter, riper and more tannic. While there is still a ton of structure left in this wine, it remains to be quite round in the mouth. Probably needs 5-10 years. Has a brighter future than the ’93 I think. Very good. 89+

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  • 2006 Adler Fels Big Ass Cab 85 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    A blind ringer from our host. Didn’t fool anyone. Lots of vanilla/American oak on the nose. It’s okay but getting lost in this line-up. Good.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

With assorted Iberian Cheeses...

  • 1995 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Showing quite a bit more age in the colour than the ’97. Loads of black fruits, hints of mint and blackberries. So youthful. Lots of structure and well balanced with a lengthy finish. Another big concentrated wine that seems to be showing more youthful characteristics than its vintage would indicate. Needs at least 5 years more. Excellent. 90+

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  • 1997 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Dark red at the core, pink rim, looks like this wine is 3 years old, not 13. This is like smelling a barrel sample. Ripe and lush with blackberries, black plums, cassis and gobs of other black fruits. John said it best: “This is like drinking tar”. So thick and concentrated with a ton of tannins and acid. You need iron gums to taste this wine at this stage. The oak integration is perfect, but holy shit this is like a port. Tar-like on the palate with layer upon layer of black fruit. Lots of potential here, I think, but nothing particularly rewarding about the way this is drinking now. This needs another 10 years, probably more. No rating.

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Flight 7 (1 Note)

With Grand Marnier Souffle...

Closing

After the Marc Tempe Gewurz, Roy pulled out two very nice, but very different wines: First, a bottle of 'N.V. Artur de Barros e Sousa LDA (ABSL) Doce Extra Reserva Madeira' and then a bottle of 'N.V. Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Madeira Verdelho "More than 40 Years"', neither of which I can find in the CT data base, and I wouldn't even know where to begin in order to create them as new wines (maybe Blair or Roy can). The ABSL was sweet with notes of tea, mahogany and toffee with an insanely long finish while the Fernandes Madeira Verdelho was all raw almonds and BONE dry. Thanks again to Blair for organizing this fun event. It was great to meet Roy and rest of Blair's crew. Cheers.

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