5/24/2018 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine:

Manresa (Los Gatos, Ca.): Intense 2002 citrus acidity, very fresh and just the slightest of ox notes...creamed up better as it opened, but seems to need some serious time. Nice florals and smoky minerality, honey ginger mousse...in need of some aged polish. +pts

6/9/2018 - JS1056 Likes this wine:

Bricco Dinner to support the Symphony: Ignore the score, it is my attempt to note that this is one of the best wines I have ever tasted. I don't know if it is perfect or not, but that is beside the point.
The nose was huge, and so complex I really can't apply any descriptors.
The first thing that is noticed is that the wine is so rich on the palette, just coating the mouth from the first sip. Citrus, honey, and stone fruit. There is bright acidity balancing out the richness, and a really interesting spiciness which I can't place winding through the whole thing. The finish went on forever.
As others have noted, the serving temperature is absolutely critical here, since when too chilled it creates a little bitterness and throws the balance out of wack. Also, although the bottle was opened about 1/2 hour prior to serving and it was fine, I would agree that an hour or two prior would be best.

6/18/2018 - jeagle wrote:

No fruit, all bret. Depressing.

5/2/2017 - Rieslingfan wrote:

A couple of years of age has made this more interesting than it was on release. Peachy, spicy, waxy, caramelly, and a bunch more y words came to mind when I first smelled the wine. There is palate richness to spare, and freshness that seems incongruous for an orange wine, but is more than welcome! Overall it's fun, and carries the spice and peach from start to finish.

5/6/2017 - WineForRob wrote:

On pnp gave off blackberries smoke and some forest floor. Like others have pointed out this is not your typical ripe lush HSS. 06's are average at best in my opinion. Still juicy in the mouth with a bit of energy left and well integrated tannins. This was a good wine but not HSS worthy. Don't let this be your only Hillside Select bottle. Had this next to 09 Solari and this held up but was not as good.

5/3/2017 - msuwine Likes this wine:

A profound and unique CA White Bordeaux that is still a year or two from reaching its peak - but is awfully good at the moment. Light yellow in color, full in body, nose of grapefruit, lemon, and beeswax, with a hint of ocean air. Tastes of lemon, orange peel, honey, and almond, with a finish that goes on and on. Make sure to give it some time in the decanter - both to open up and reach a warmer temperature - where the flavors really start to blossom. Blend of 66% Semillon, 32% Sauvignon Blanc, and 2% Muscadelle. 14.8% alcohol. I've never found a similar CA blend that comes close to this in terms of intensity, complexity, or class, and the 2014 is no exception: even if it might not be perfect, it is damn good.

2/27/2017 - blarmston Likes this wine:

Such a beauty... Tasted with Genevieve at V Wine Cellars in early FEB.

This wine is a treat. She popped it and after a half hour of learning about MM, we dove right in. Such an elegant mouth feel, with nicely polished tannins. A solid 30 plus finish.

I couldn't believe this was a 2014, but the more I taste from this vintage, the more I love their complexity and also their readiness to get up and go.

A bit disappointed that I could only try the regular bottling (fruit from Weitz, Las Piedras and Dr Crane), but without tasting the Las Piedras and Beckstoffer single vineyard, grabbed those as well.

Sam Kaplan is doing some serious things with these sites.

A bit reluctant to put this review out there, since it will hit more radar screens, but felt like I needed to further get the word out.

A solid 94 with potential upside of a point or two. If MM was a stock I would be loading up...

1/27/2017 - Yack Man wrote:

Dark ripe purple fruit, ripe dark berries, ripe black cherries, cassis, graphite, pencil shavings and graceful tannins. A big and nice depth on the palate. A great Napa Cab but pricey at over a hundred and a quarter. There are tasty competitors out there at a better price point. 93.7 Points.

11/25/2016 - RCCVINO wrote:

2nd flawed bottle from this vintage. Like drinking soda.

11/8/2016 - danielbleier wrote:

fizzy and clearly flawed

8/13/2016 - ageverett Likes this wine:

This was a "bonus" wine that our host pulled after we had consumed 2012 Schrader and Realm cabs. Popped and poured.

Trademark SQN style. Big wine. Still very young, and think it will round out with time. But boy, it is powerful stuff right now. And who doesn't love the label on this one?

8/13/2016 - rustyRudy Likes this wine:

My favorite of the three " Cayuse " wines. More subtle funkiness. Some earthiness, deep and complex dark fruits, balanced tannins and acidity. Opened and tasted from a Coravin pour over 30 minutes. I suspect it and the others would have improved with a decant and air time.

7/3/2016 - Redrum Likes this wine:

I didn't appreciate chardonnay until I tried this.

5/14/2016 - eschaefer wrote:

Dark ruby purple color but retained ruby on the edge. Black fruit explodes on the nose with a touch of cedar. Well integrated tannis for a young wine and cery well balanced. Kerrin Laz introduced us to this wine in Yountville. Decent price too for a cultish small production napa cab. Well recommended.

4/8/2016 - NorCal1849 wrote:

Luc Morlet has brought Premier Cru Pessac-Léognan to the new world. This is the best California white wine I’ve tasted. Opened a bottle with friends, and we were all blown away. Dry, complex, honeycomb, a hint of candied bergamot. Huge full body, and totally enjoyable.

3/5/2016 - levinml wrote:

Maybe my expectations for Shafer Hillside have just gotten too high, and when you add in almost 20 years old from stellar vintage, drinking in Riedel Grand Crus and decanting a couple hours, I was expecting fireworks. While it's clearly a great, elite wine, I think it was still so dense I couldn't find flavors to enjoy. Maybe just too much. Not sure, but I'm disappointed. High class problem, I guess.

2/7/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Extremely ripe and extravagant, but with enough acidity and texture to remain fresh and refreshing. So much fun.

2/12/2016 - BigTex22 Likes this wine:

Decanted. First glass, this was tight and the nose was faint. Strong tannins and long finish. Ager, too young. Walked away and came back 2 hours later. Wow. Wine had totally transformed. Asian spice, symphony on the nose. Balanced, silky. I'll hold my other bottle for several more years - probably another 5-10 years from peak.

2/5/2016 - rustyRudy Likes this wine:

Wine store tasting pour. Big, tannic, closed up, but has real potential.

12/29/2015 - dcwino wrote:

Big cab dinner at Morton's - 07 Maybach, Ovid, Insignia and etc. (Morton's - Reston, VA): Rotten apple and cabbage, a noticeable spritz. I suspect secondary bottle fermentation. It reminds me badly made, unstable “natural” wine. Caveat emptor!

12/8/2015 - JRM75 Likes this wine:

Lots of tobacco and cedar. Really came together

11/4/2015 - dcwino wrote:

2015 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2015-11/9/2015 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): Kelly generously brought this. It is a bit murky due to travel shock. Nevertheless expressive nose displaying ripe sweet blackberry, a slight hint of stem, Vosne spices, soy and earth. Excellent concentration, a bit earthy not pure as it should due to shaken sediments, intense dark fruit driven palate impression, mineral, bright acidity, a hint of tannins and long finish. It could be purer but still really impressive and enjoyable.

8/6/2015 - GTFreek wrote:

71/29 Grenache/Syrah. Most approachable of the Booker red lineup, which I think is the best top to bottom in Paso. (though Saxum doesn't have a tasting room...) Fresh and balanced presentation of mostly red fruits, light black fruits underneath, silky tannins and smooth finish. Not quite Chateauneuf in style, but a quality expression in it's own right.

10/9/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. Lacked the depth I would expect from Shafer HSS. Not much of anything going on. Seemed flat and one demential. We had a 2002 and 2010 Shafer HSS with us also and the 2011 was miles behind. Not even in the same league. 10 people in the tasting and no one was impressed with this at the stage it was at. I have consumed loads of Shafer HSS and this was perhaps the weakest one I have consumed. Perhaps this will turn around with some time.

10/9/2015 - Dagman Likes this wine:

Still too young. No where as much depth as I expected. Maybe after 3-4 years additional. Disappointing only because of the high price point.

9/19/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote:

This wine is like a cheeseburger made from fillet mignon and nestled on top of a fresh baked bun, right out of the oven...One might wonder what that means...?
Because when your first wine is made from the best of everything at almost any expense, the second wine tastes like Prince of Hearts. I don't know if Claude's investment into quality is more evident here or in his grand crus, but, when its evident here, you can imagine what is in the estate wines. So heres a few notes about the profile of the wine!
If there are 2 words to describe this wine and what makes it shine, its Luxury Red.... coming from the quality of the oak barrels (the bun) used. The fruit shows medium/full bodied red, sweet, and beautifully counter balanced with acid, with a middle of cocoa dust and a luxurious wood finish with plush tannins that are acting as the mouth coating agents that drive its lingering finish. Nice wine! DRINK or hold...But no reason to hold, its ready.

8/11/2015 - Buhever Likes this wine:

Still needs time in the bottle to integrate and for tannins to soften. Very dark in the glass with concentrated aromas of dark fruit and plum. Flavors mirrored the nose and tannins seemed to be covering up additional complexities. Enjoyable now, but given a few more years in the bottle I think it will show much better. Too many people are comparing this to Harlan and I don't understand why. Harlan painstakingly chooses the exact grapes they want from each vine. This wine has fruit from vines that "Might" eventually end up in Harlan wines, but they are young and not yet of the pedigree Harlan would use. Different winemaker as well. Give Will Harlan a break and understand that he is not working with the same fruit or wine-making budget that goes into the MUCH more expensive wines. You will enjoy this wine more if you do so.

8/23/2015 - Sourdough Likes this wine:

This remains for me a very different and special PN. The color is rather pale. The nose is of light ends, minerals and acidity reinforcing the expectation of a light bodied wine. But the flavor is medium bodied and delightfully complex. This bottle has come together nicely. Still young and I expect it to improve for several years. Cherry is dominant with hints of more aromatic red fruit - strawberries and raspberries. Some vanilla. Lots of acidity giving an ethereal effect. Very impressive and right up my alley. Love it.

7/13/2015 - jclary Likes this wine:

This was a bit of a disappointment compared to other HSS bottles, but still very very good. Out of magnum, decanted for 2 1/2 hours. HSS is my favorite cabernet, and I have probably served it to guests more than any other wine. Everyone else loved it, so I am probably being overly harsh. It does need more time to fully show all that it has to offer.

8/3/2015 - michigan dogs Likes this wine:

Everyone loved it at recent tasting, big fruit, rich, best bottle of the vintage yet

7/25/2015 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine:

Deep garnet. Nose has mellowed out a bit but still quite youthful. Hints of blueberries, cinnamon. Taste was like a 3 year old wine. Blueberries, blackberries, cinnamon. Very good, but 100 points?? Don't think so.

8/2/2015 - Motz wrote:

Tasted double blind...what a mind-bender! Light and translucent in color but showing as much north Rhone character as any Old World tribute wine I have tasted. Peat, black earth, sous-bois, pepper, mushroom, meats, worn leather, barnyard (in the best possible way), Herbs de Provence, fennel, rosemary, mint, smoke, and charcoal on the bouquet. Refined texture, medium plus to high acid, medium minus tannin, impeccably balanced. A wine that plays with the senses, flamboyant yet reserved, hedonistic yet a wine of the earth. Ridiculously long, complex finish. Guessed north Rhone (Côte-Rôtie) with Old World tribute Grenache as a possibility.

Incredible now but it will be better in three to five years and should drink well through 2025-2028. Many thanks for sharing this treat Bajayngo! 95-97.

11/16/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Bright, with cherry, strawberry and hints of citrus, there is a sweet and tart sensation in the old school, styled finish.

6/28/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

1500 Parker Points of Wines (GHT): In an amazing flight, this was my and most peoples WOTF. A couple found the oak a bit problematic though. I love SHS. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, cigar tobacco, spice, and some licorice. On the palate, the texture is incredible. Juicy, velvety and muscular. Delicious. Each sip makes me want another. Complex. Accessible but there are some smooth tannins. This has a long life left as well. The is the third straight time I have scored this wine 100. Gorgeous.

12/4/2014 - Milos Does not like this wine:

Part of 1994/2001 California tasting. Decanter for 2 hours. This one is way over the top. Overripe dark red fruit and alcohol on the nose; very port like. Mouth coating very fine tannins and long finish, unfortunately too alcoholic. I dislike this style of wine so to be fair I will not rate it.

6/9/2014 - Italiana wrote:

At this price point, this is a wine that one should taste before buying, which in this case, I wish I had done. Surprising impression of off-dry and sweet without much acidity to redeem it. Too early to drink? Also need to research this more--the cork was branded "Antica Terra."