-- decanted approx. 1 hr. before tasting -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple hours --
I last had this wine in 2011 --- that bottle remains the best Napa Cab. I've had. Fast forward 12 years, and we have this bottle here. Cork in pristine condition. Fill was bottom neck. Quite youthful color, considering we're talking a 30 yo wine. Aromatically, this is at peak --- dark, giving, and well into tertiary territory -- beautiful aromatics. On the palate, this was very tasty -- excellent -- but I sense that it is coming down off its peak, as it was a bit lacking in drive. Drink Now and over the near term.
Perfectly ripe now. Plums, camomile , leather, fantastic mouthfeel and balance. I think it’s worth opening bottles now, because while I think this has easily 15 years ahead, I think right now it offers most pleasure.
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Tasted blind. Not decanted and none necessary, but feel free to go for up to 1h. Fruit forward bouquet showing refined red cherry and blueberries, dry earth, mineral notes of ash and pencil shavings. There is also a nice spicy touch. But that is only the first impression. Quickly you’ll also discover fine aging notes of tobacco and plenty of cigar box notes. Amazing tension, soft texture thanks to velvety, perfectly integrated tannin. But make no mistake, there is a bold and commanding stature that shines through a finish that goes on and on. With aeration this later added an elements of eucalyptus and menthol with the latter becoming more and more pronounced. All the while, the fruit remains immensely fresh and sweet. One of the best aged Napa cabs I’ve had to date, easily competing with Dominus and maybe even surpassing the Dominus of the same vintage.
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Tasted double blind. No detailed notes taken. I was convinced this was a left bank Bordeaux, probably a St. Julien. There was so much fresh, pure blue fruit, forest berries, not a shred too ripe, lots of minerality, some tobacco and black truffles in the background. Melted tannins, well-integrated and medium- acidity, good balance and completeness. What was missing for a higher rating is more acidity and tension. Compared to the Dominus 1994 in the next glass, this Hillside had a bit less substance and much less precision and flavor intensity too.Still a great wine and highly elegant and round and for sure the most Bordeaux-esque Hillside I’ve had to date. Only with a lot of time in the glass, more eucalyptus/mint notes and a touch sweetness came out, hinting a bit that this could be classic Napa. 95 pts, only beaten by a stunning Dominus 1994 (rated 97+ pts) in the next glass, which had much better precision and tertiary aroma concentration.
Decanting: Not decanted, followed over a few hours. The wine opened-up a bit but still, I don’t think it needs more than an hour or two in the decanter.
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This is absolutely stunning and everything I love about aged Napa. I've had 2004 and 2010 Hillside (both 100 pts) and they don't compare to this bottle...although I hope they do with similar age on them in the future. In a perfect drinking window now and I expect it to stay that way for a while.
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A bit faded with some warmth poking though yet still nice red fruited rhubarb like flavors throughout. Suggest drinking up, but likely holds just fine.
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Shafer Hillside Select in Boston - Take II (Boston): Soft. Showing age. A hint of prunes. Tired or slightly heat damaged? The table was split on whether it was flawed or not, but I don't think it was beyond the typical bottle variation for a 27-year old wine. I tasted another bottle a couple of years ago and it was even more tired.
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A super, once in a lifetime expirience! Deep dark color. Spectacularily rich and terrific concentration, a smoky, rosted nose, layers of flavor and a superbly integrated acidety. A really big wine in any sense. Deep, Deep, Deep!!! You will never forget!
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Beautiful old wine from Shafer HSS. Definite age on the rim but still lots of elegance and fruit, giving the bottle lots of life. Definitely on the downside of it's time left but this is a wonderful bottle of wine. Long finish. Goes to show that Napa wines can go for 25-30 years+!
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Soft, pretty nose of plum, blueberry, green herb, and mushroom. Elegant and resolved palate, with flavors of blue and red fruit, silky and pliant. The 1992 Hillside Select is all finesse with none of that vintage's flash. This doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but I doubt it'll get better.
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Medium ruby with violet edges. Sweet boysenberry with a hint of mulberry on the nose. Delicious body, mildly sweet, that reflects the nose along with strong strawberry notes at the end palate and into the excellent finish. Solid minerality. solid acids; drinks shockingly young.
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Just flat out shot. Over the hill. In contrast to the '92 Dominus (93 points), which was still in fine form, with years of good drinking still ahead. Disappointing to open bottles well stored for over 20 years and find them undrinkable.
Q3 Tasting - Aged Cali (The Apt): Wine #6: I was one of the few that liked it. I called it wonderful and young tasting, but am very aware that we missed by not decanting it (and potentially for a more extended period of time). I'd never have guessed it was a 24 year old wine. Cranberry the most dominant flavor. While not really revisited during the blind, this was one of the bottles that seemed to get finished rather quickly afterwards. (1 penny)
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Q3 - 2016 Tasting - Aged California Wines - Pre 2006 (New York, NY): #6 of 20 wines tasted double blind. Color is ruby red and youthful looking. On the palate this is tart and bright with red fruits particularly cherry - very youthful and light tasting. My notes say - "not in my wheelhouse" - Shocked to learn later this was SHS. Middle of the pack for me. The group had this tied for last place (12th) with one penny.
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1992 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- decanted; on an night where every wine is showing up to be counted, this fell right into place and shined big time; showing a dark purple color, this was very complex with concentrated milk chocolate, vanilla and cedar laced blackberry and black currant notes abounding; it was silky smooth, had a long finish and demonstrated consistent notes much later on in the evening during a re-visit.
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Exclusive bouquet with dark and red forest fruits, beautiful oak and vanilla; very luxurious and still youthful. On the palate the same impressions, some chocolate, dark berries, beautiful acidity and tannin with still a good and soft bite. Mature alright, but this can easily last until 2020 as well. Beautiful wine!
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Dark red color. Excellent, youthful nose. Blackberies ? Initially wine came across very young and improved with time in the decanter. Lead, pencil, tobacco. Big, balanced, quite complex and long. Can drink now and another 5+ years
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From Magnum. Soft cork needed the ah-so, but came out whole. Dark color with almost no sign of age. Took about an hour to open. Hard leather and cassis dominated initially but then came the blackberries, tobacco and sweet Oak. Long finish.
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Football & Domestic Cabs @ Howard's 2013 (Old Greenwich, CT): One of the best wines for current consumption. This has started to gain secondary and tertiary notes of earth, leather, forest floor and tea leaves, but still retained a healthy amount of fruit. The tannins are well resolved... silky smooth. Gorgeous wine.
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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Clear deep garnet. Nose of chalk, cherries and dark berries. Chocolate, red berries in the finish. All very well balanced. This wine still has some reserves. Drink now - 2025
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Something seemed a little off with this bottle. A touch of volatile acidity and band aid on the nose. It didn't complete ruin the wine, but it gave enough of an impression for me to think this wasn't a proper bottle and shouldn't be rated. There was a bit of drying on the back end, but this was clearly a more earthy vintage compared to any of those in this 1991-1996 vertical. Flawed.
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What is this??? Still a somewhat purple rim….incredible! Great concentration, beautiful acidity. New world style, but also classical. Tannin in perfect condition and a bit drying in the finish. A great wine and completely ready now, but it will probably stay on this level for another 5+ years.
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Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet to perhaps purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thistle, berries, leather, a hint of white pepper and berries. Flavors of berries, cherries, raspberries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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My first experience with Shafer and what an experience it was. Dark opaque color to it, showing little-to-no signs of this being almost 20-years-old. Nose of cassis, black fruits, dark cherries and an earthyness to it, but there was more than that to the nose, they all really came together that kept me sniffing my glass over and over. Medium-full bodied wine with everything in amazing balance. Dark fruits and earth on the palate leading to a wonderfully long finish that showed amazing balance between tannins, acidity and fruit. Just kept getting better and better as it went. Almost rivals (though not quite) the 1977 Mayacamus I had a few years back. WIth time though, I could easily see this getting there. Great wine, thank you Grafstrb!!
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– popped and poured – – tasted non-blind over an hour –
NOSE: blackberry; leather; a bit funky/earthy; spearmint-tinged Good ‘n’ Plenty candies; deep florals; hint of chocolate. The Nose started off pleasurable, but with time in the glass gained additional complexities, and eventually left me spellbound.
BODY: pitch purple-black color of medium-deep depth – looks like it was born yesterday; medium-full bodied. Cork was in pristine condition - soaked only a mm - probably could have outlived myself.
TASTE: purple-fruited; polished; still has loads of fruit; black cherry; hint of leather; full palate; tannin still has some grip; stony smoke; hint of oak. Fruit comes across as mostly primary, with hints of tertiary elements starting to creep in. Like the Nose, the overall quality of this wine crept-up on me without me overtly noticing it. This was absolutely stunning, albeit not in a “show-stopper” sort of way. This wine is powerful, elegant, and perfectly proportioned. Although it was not closed, I got the sense that it was still somewhat reserved. I don’t think this has even entered its prime drinking window yet – I’d say it needs another 10 years for that, and I could see this *easily* going another 30 years before it begins to degrade. Easily the best CA Cab. I’ve had to date. Delightfully demure!
B: 50, 5, 15, 19, 9 = 98
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Really nice and holding well. Incredibly balance, it has lost some of the opulence of a younger hillside select, but nice fruit and structure. After it had been opened a while (1 hour), it started to fade a little and shortened on the pallette.
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1992 Napa Cab Retrospective at Alan and Gabi's House . Another great showing for this wine, edged out Dalle Valle 92 for WOTN. This wine is just a great wine, secondaries very evident. A complex Cab that delivers the goods in every aspect. Wonderful!
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Popped with a short decant...pristine looking cork. Dark color with very little bricking, mature red fruits, graphite, cedar, spice. On the palate there large-scaled dark, ripe red fruit, sweet oak, with a rich midpalate, medium acidity and a nice long finish. Still plenary of tannins here but lacking a complexity and still a bit youthful. At almost 20 years the oak still hasn't fully integrated, so I'm not sure if it ever will...perhaps this suffered after tasting the 1982 Mouton before it.
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The has gotten even better. Has tannins early like still young. Then fruit forward. Then finishes with silk and that taste of truffles.... Got from BPwine.com and perfect cork.
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Inky, tinged with purple, looking young and concentrated. Floral, perfumed nose, still showing some oak, and growing quite generous with air. On the palate, very sweet fruit and persistent hot alcohol (only 13.5% on the label), with very little complexity. This could almost pass for a young vintage Port, though showing a real lack of depth, made worse by the alcohol. Considerable tannin. Some stemminess on the medium-length finish. Drink now, as the alcohol seems to be gaining an upper hand. Overall a disappointment, as this bottle appeared in superb condition.
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Excellent wine that is in its prime and can live in the bottle another 10 years. Truly a superstar of a wine. I wasn't sure how it would be as my recollection of 92 Cab's wasn't so stellar, but this wine was truly awesome. my WOTN at the S. Fl. Mini-CT gathering on 12/8/09. Thanks Drycab !
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My WOTN. The Cali cab at it's best. Matured, but with lots of power left, rounded to perfection. Enjoyable to the point you don't wanna see the bottom of the glass.
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Uncorked DK does mature Napa Bdx blends (Peter Solberg): Very dark. Dense a sweet nose with hints of chewing gum and quite a lot of sweet oak expressing itself as caramel fudge. Also a lot of very mature cherries, rubber and coffee. Very intense and with a good aftertaste. Becomes fresher and more complex with more air. A great HSS even though not quite as good as the 91 I had last summer. (U95,2)
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From a magnum - Dark garnet with slight brick on the edges. Holding together very well. Aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis, mint, and spice. Great weight and mouth feel. This wine is in a good place with great balance. The tannins, alcohol, fruit, and acid are working together in harmony. The finish was long, smooth, and satisfying. This was the favorite of a thirteen bottle tasting with everyone coming back for another taste.
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Dinner with Jesús Barquín at Fernando's "En Español": Black with deep ruby rim. Nose of charcoal, blackberry syrup, black currants and dry spice. Good acid spine on the palate, medium to full bodied and smooth. Very nice Cab.
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Dark red to rim. Needs 30-60 minutes to open up, but then very forward nose of ripe cassis and dark fruits. Full-bodied, layered rich plummy fruit, excellent balance, tannins still present but fully integrated, nice long finish. The wine has evolved, trading some of its up front fruitiness for a bit of complexity, but has not developed prominent tertiary characteristics. Not sure it will ever go that route, would expect it to hold on for another few years and then gradually fade away. Excellent.
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Very nice nose, immediately after first pour, rich and plummy. Surprisingly tight with solid tannins and bright acid. First taste was still closed and needed at least a good 30 minutes to start opening up. Subsequent tasting 6 hours later, the wine emerged full bodied and opulent. Cedar plum jam with long finish and good weight. Extraordinary after 16 years of age, could easily be aged another 3-5 years without any problem, probably up to another 8 before peaking.
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1990s Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (The Cellar Master's Lair (Somers, CT)): Clearly paled in comparison to the 1991 - some reduced, jammy notes at first, followed by spice, cassis, and secondary leathery hints. Decent concentration and balance, but the depth of fruit somewhat lacking compared to other vintages. Still a worthy effort and drinking well as a mature wine. [Group placement 8/8]
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12/07 Subtle nose - Ruby - medium-bodied - some acidity - resolved tannins - structured backbone - off-balanced and on the end of its drinking window. 90 pts.
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Fantastic wine. Perfect balance of tanin and smoothness. I let it breath for about 1 hour. My first sip was awesome. Hightly recommend this. Well worth the $150 I paid for.
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Initially this seemed a bit closed but after a few minutes - wow - this smells soooo good. Can hardly believe this is nearly 15-years old. Plenty of boack/red fruits still. Licorice, hints of leather. Medium tannins - I would guess 5 years at this stage. Black cherry, smoke? 30-second finish. Over time, the palate seemed to go away a bit - it thinned out and the fruit got compressed. If not for this, it would have warranted a couple more poiints. Damn, this is good!
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Unfortunately, this bottle was overshadowed by a stunning lineup that included the 1991 Dominus and 2003 Colgin IX. It did not hold its own, but was still a very enjoyable bottle. Nice nose of tobacco, flowers and cassis. Elegant and smooth on the palate without a hard edge. Drinking very well, but would have liked to consumed it earlier in its life.
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Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (Zealous - Chicago, IL): Bright ruby. Tight on the nose barely revealing sweet currants and green herbs. Full bodied and rich in the mouth. Red and black currants are the driving force as the palate shows very straight forward and primary. Firm tannins provide grip. Most lush of the flight --- squeaky clean and polished relative to the more complex 78 and 85. Outstanding but suffered in placement. 5+13+17+8=93
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This had the sweetest fruit of the night with berry flavors, but earthy flavors as well. Finish was shorter than the 91 but a bit better than the 1990.
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open and decanted to remove sediment then immediately consumed from reidel vinum cab stems.
wow!!! what an incredible experience. the first hss i've ever had with some age on it. from the initial color it is hard to believe that it is 13 years old. a very dark blood red with a slight bit of bricking. on the nose a beautiful array of chocolate, blackberries, cassis, a hint of spice and cigar box. in the mouth it was like velvet butter, it was that smooth. i can't find enough descriptors to explain how smooth and well integrated this wine was. the midpalate was strong and the finish went on and on and on.
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Not decanted, allowed to breathe 1 hour. Big nose of red berry fruit, bramble, hairspray, banana leaf. Hairspray blows off with swirling in the glass. Full-bodied, thick, chewy Cab with pepper, raspberry, and plums. Hints of dark cocoa on the long 50-60s finish. Needs 5+ years of cellar time. Serious wine.
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Daniel's Broiler with Jeff. Black olive and mint on the nose. Wow, this has remarkable palate presence with incredible structure. This started very 'black' but gained mint and sweetness as it had more air. This was very elegant and classy, impressive!
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1/21/2024 - G_H wrote: flawed
Unfortunately this had a slight issue, but the wine behind that was glorious
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9/23/2023 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted approx. 1 hr. before tasting --
-- tasted non-blind over a couple hours --
I last had this wine in 2011 --- that bottle remains the best Napa Cab. I've had. Fast forward 12 years, and we have this bottle here. Cork in pristine condition. Fill was bottom neck. Quite youthful color, considering we're talking a 30 yo wine. Aromatically, this is at peak --- dark, giving, and well into tertiary territory -- beautiful aromatics. On the palate, this was very tasty -- excellent -- but I sense that it is coming down off its peak, as it was a bit lacking in drive. Drink Now and over the near term.
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4/23/2023 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Perfectly ripe now. Plums, camomile , leather, fantastic mouthfeel and balance. I think it’s worth opening bottles now, because while I think this has easily 15 years ahead, I think right now it offers most pleasure.
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5/4/2022 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted blind. Not decanted and none necessary, but feel free to go for up to 1h. Fruit forward bouquet showing refined red cherry and blueberries, dry earth, mineral notes of ash and pencil shavings. There is also a nice spicy touch. But that is only the first impression. Quickly you’ll also discover fine aging notes of tobacco and plenty of cigar box notes. Amazing tension, soft texture thanks to velvety, perfectly integrated tannin. But make no mistake, there is a bold and commanding stature that shines through a finish that goes on and on. With aeration this later added an elements of eucalyptus and menthol with the latter becoming more and more pronounced. All the while, the fruit remains immensely fresh and sweet. One of the best aged Napa cabs I’ve had to date, easily competing with Dominus and maybe even surpassing the Dominus of the same vintage.
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5/4/2022 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Tasted double blind. No detailed notes taken. I was convinced this was a left bank Bordeaux, probably a St. Julien. There was so much fresh, pure blue fruit, forest berries, not a shred too ripe, lots of minerality, some tobacco and black truffles in the background. Melted tannins, well-integrated and medium- acidity, good balance and completeness. What was missing for a higher rating is more acidity and tension. Compared to the Dominus 1994 in the next glass, this Hillside had a bit less substance and much less precision and flavor intensity too.Still a great wine and highly elegant and round and for sure the most Bordeaux-esque Hillside I’ve had to date. Only with a lot of time in the glass, more eucalyptus/mint notes and a touch sweetness came out, hinting a bit that this could be classic Napa. 95 pts, only beaten by a stunning Dominus 1994 (rated 97+ pts) in the next glass, which had much better precision and tertiary aroma concentration.
Decanting: Not decanted, followed over a few hours. The wine opened-up a bit but still, I don’t think it needs more than an hour or two in the decanter.
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6/12/2021 - jimcopland wrote: 95 Points
Fully mature, integrated tannins. Perfect pairing with sous vide tenderloin steak.
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2/1/2021 - BROpus One Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is absolutely stunning and everything I love about aged Napa. I've had 2004 and 2010 Hillside (both 100 pts) and they don't compare to this bottle...although I hope they do with similar age on them in the future. In a perfect drinking window now and I expect it to stay that way for a while.
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6/20/2020 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit faded with some warmth poking though yet still nice red fruited rhubarb like flavors throughout. Suggest drinking up, but likely holds just fine.
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5/17/2020 - bobbubbabs wrote: 61 Points
Shot. Don’t know why I expected anything different-bottle from 3 year’s ago was gone, too. So disappointing.
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12/20/2019 - WineWright Likes this wine: 95 Points
At 27 this was a beautiful experience in every way, with a nose of rich cedar followed by bold but supple fruit and a strong finish. Just excellent.
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10/22/2019 - mattiasjansson wrote: 91 Points
Shafer Hillside Select in Boston - Take II (Boston): Soft. Showing age. A hint of prunes. Tired or slightly heat damaged? The table was split on whether it was flawed or not, but I don't think it was beyond the typical bottle variation for a 27-year old wine. I tasted another bottle a couple of years ago and it was even more tired.
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9/20/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
WX+ Meetup at The Marq with Brian Ball from Skipstone Vineyards (The Marq - Chicago, IL): Lovely. Showing just how it should be at this age.
Subtle dark red fruit and spice. Purple flowers, some mineral.
Very nice and shows the old style of HSS that is nothing like what the wine is today.
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9/11/2019 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 99 Points
A super, once in a lifetime expirience! Deep dark color. Spectacularily rich and terrific concentration, a smoky, rosted nose, layers of flavor and a superbly integrated acidety. A really big wine in any sense. Deep, Deep, Deep!!! You will never forget!
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9/6/2019 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful old wine from Shafer HSS. Definite age on the rim but still lots of elegance and fruit, giving the bottle lots of life. Definitely on the downside of it's time left but this is a wonderful bottle of wine. Long finish. Goes to show that Napa wines can go for 25-30 years+!
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8/29/2019 - G_H wrote: flawed
Extremely corked
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1/2/2019 - AWBryce wrote:
From memory, drinking well, resolved mouthfeel and potent nose.
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11/3/2018 - rlove wrote: 92 Points
Soft, pretty nose of plum, blueberry, green herb, and mushroom. Elegant and resolved palate, with flavors of blue and red fruit, silky and pliant. The 1992 Hillside Select is all finesse with none of that vintage's flash. This doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but I doubt it'll get better.
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3/13/2018 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium ruby with violet edges. Sweet boysenberry with a hint of mulberry on the nose. Delicious body, mildly sweet, that reflects the nose along with strong strawberry notes at the end palate and into the excellent finish. Solid minerality. solid acids; drinks shockingly young.
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5/26/2017 - mattiasjansson wrote: 88 Points
Shafer Hillside Select in Boston (Boston): Fading
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4/12/2017 - bobbubbabs wrote: 61 Points
Just flat out shot. Over the hill. In contrast to the '92 Dominus (93 points), which was still in fine form, with years of good drinking still ahead. Disappointing to open bottles well stored for over 20 years and find them undrinkable.
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4/8/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted for 30 min, med. ruby, red fruit, soft tannins, mod/long finish; delicious & ready to drink
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9/24/2016 - Zweder wrote:
USA 1995 (@ JK): Unfortunately this wine is not as it should be. Slightly corked.
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9/24/2016 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
95 Napa-Retrospective (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Suboptimal bottle. Provenance?
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9/10/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Q3 Tasting - Aged Cali (The Apt): Wine #6: I was one of the few that liked it. I called it wonderful and young tasting, but am very aware that we missed by not decanting it (and potentially for a more extended period of time). I'd never have guessed it was a 24 year old wine. Cranberry the most dominant flavor. While not really revisited during the blind, this was one of the bottles that seemed to get finished rather quickly afterwards. (1 penny)
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9/10/2016 - retired_and_roving wrote:
Q3 - 2016 Tasting - Aged California Wines - Pre 2006 (New York, NY): #6 of 20 wines tasted double blind. Color is ruby red and youthful looking. On the palate this is tart and bright with red fruits particularly cherry - very youthful and light tasting. My notes say - "not in my wheelhouse" - Shocked to learn later this was SHS. Middle of the pack for me. The group had this tied for last place (12th) with one penny.
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6/19/2016 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 95 Points
1992 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- decanted; on an night where every wine is showing up to be counted, this fell right into place and shined big time; showing a dark purple color, this was very complex with concentrated milk chocolate, vanilla and cedar laced blackberry and black currant notes abounding; it was silky smooth, had a long finish and demonstrated consistent notes much later on in the evening during a re-visit.
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1/29/2016 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Exclusive bouquet with dark and red forest fruits, beautiful oak and vanilla; very luxurious and still youthful. On the palate the same impressions, some chocolate, dark berries, beautiful acidity and tannin with still a good and soft bite. Mature alright, but this can easily last until 2020 as well. Beautiful wine!
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5/14/2015 - ttriant Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red color.
Excellent, youthful nose. Blackberies ?
Initially wine came across very young and improved with time in the decanter. Lead, pencil, tobacco.
Big, balanced, quite complex and long.
Can drink now and another 5+ years
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1/3/2015 - RDK15 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork disintegrated, but after a couple hours the wine was wonderful. Soft, complex, memorable
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10/8/2014 - Double-A wrote: 80 Points
Cedary, prune juice nose. Amaro, nut and Marsala flavours. Oxidized and over-the hill, but still oddly acidic. Tasted blind.
2/5
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5/2/2014 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Magnum. Soft cork needed the ah-so, but came out whole. Dark color with almost no sign of age. Took about an hour to open. Hard leather and cassis dominated initially but then came the blackberries, tobacco and sweet Oak. Long finish.
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9/8/2013 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Football & Domestic Cabs @ Howard's 2013 (Old Greenwich, CT): One of the best wines for current consumption. This has started to gain secondary and tertiary notes of earth, leather, forest floor and tea leaves, but still retained a healthy amount of fruit. The tannins are well resolved... silky smooth. Gorgeous wine.
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8/26/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Birthday Celebration (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): Brief note. Leaner styled tonight. Elegant and easy to enjoy, but also simpler than most other HSS vintages tonight. Best to drink up.
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7/1/2013 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Tasting (Switzerland): Clear deep garnet. Nose of chalk, cherries and dark berries. Chocolate, red berries in the finish. All very well balanced. This wine still has some reserves. Drink now - 2025
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3/8/2013 - cycheng wrote: 93 Points
Very good
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11/23/2012 - flattfam@charter.net wrote: 90 Points
Past it's prime; no rich fruit remaining
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6/7/2012 - gutt22 wrote: flawed
Something seemed a little off with this bottle. A touch of volatile acidity and band aid on the nose. It didn't complete ruin the wine, but it gave enough of an impression for me to think this wasn't a proper bottle and shouldn't be rated. There was a bit of drying on the back end, but this was clearly a more earthy vintage compared to any of those in this 1991-1996 vertical. Flawed.
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6/3/2012 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
This has aged gracefully - no fireworks, but a nicely integrated wine with good length
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4/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
What is this??? Still a somewhat purple rim….incredible! Great concentration, beautiful acidity. New world style, but also classical. Tannin in perfect condition and a bit drying in the finish. A great wine and completely ready now, but it will probably stay on this level for another 5+ years.
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9/27/2011 - drycab wrote:
Another awesome bottle. Not quite up to the Araujo, but still drinking well.
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9/23/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
CT Delmonico Steakhouse Dinner (Delmonico Steakhouse, Las Vegas, NV): WIML93+
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner. Opened and served immediately.
Dark garnet to perhaps purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thistle, berries, leather, a hint of white pepper and berries. Flavors of berries, cherries, raspberries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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7/20/2011 - cortoncharlie wrote: 88 Points
decent but nothing memorable
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3/16/2011 - yonster24 wrote:
My first experience with Shafer and what an experience it was. Dark opaque color to it, showing little-to-no signs of this being almost 20-years-old. Nose of cassis, black fruits, dark cherries and an earthyness to it, but there was more than that to the nose, they all really came together that kept me sniffing my glass over and over. Medium-full bodied wine with everything in amazing balance. Dark fruits and earth on the palate leading to a wonderfully long finish that showed amazing balance between tannins, acidity and fruit. Just kept getting better and better as it went. Almost rivals (though not quite) the 1977 Mayacamus I had a few years back. WIth time though, I could easily see this getting there. Great wine, thank you Grafstrb!!
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3/16/2011 - grafstrb wrote: 98 Points
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over an hour –
NOSE: blackberry; leather; a bit funky/earthy; spearmint-tinged Good ‘n’ Plenty candies; deep florals; hint of chocolate. The Nose started off pleasurable, but with time in the glass gained additional complexities, and eventually left me spellbound.
BODY: pitch purple-black color of medium-deep depth – looks like it was born yesterday; medium-full bodied. Cork was in pristine condition - soaked only a mm - probably could have outlived myself.
TASTE: purple-fruited; polished; still has loads of fruit; black cherry; hint of leather; full palate; tannin still has some grip; stony smoke; hint of oak. Fruit comes across as mostly primary, with hints of tertiary elements starting to creep in. Like the Nose, the overall quality of this wine crept-up on me without me overtly noticing it. This was absolutely stunning, albeit not in a “show-stopper” sort of way. This wine is powerful, elegant, and perfectly proportioned. Although it was not closed, I got the sense that it was still somewhat reserved. I don’t think this has even entered its prime drinking window yet – I’d say it needs another 10 years for that, and I could see this *easily* going another 30 years before it begins to degrade. Easily the best CA Cab. I’ve had to date. Delightfully demure!
B: 50, 5, 15, 19, 9 = 98
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12/23/2010 - Margauxguy wrote: 91 Points
Really nice and holding well. Incredibly balance, it has lost some of the opulence of a younger hillside select, but nice fruit and structure. After it had been opened a while (1 hour), it started to fade a little and shortened on the pallette.
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11/21/2010 - wallstreet wrote:
1992 Napa Cab Retrospective at Alan and Gabi's House . Another great showing for this wine, edged out Dalle Valle 92 for WOTN. This wine is just a great wine, secondaries very evident. A complex Cab that delivers the goods in every aspect. Wonderful!
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11/16/2010 - ebrown35 wrote: 90 Points
Popped with a short decant...pristine looking cork. Dark color with very little bricking, mature red fruits, graphite, cedar, spice. On the palate there large-scaled dark, ripe red fruit, sweet oak, with a rich midpalate, medium acidity and a nice long finish. Still plenary of tannins here but lacking a complexity and still a bit youthful. At almost 20 years the oak still hasn't fully integrated, so I'm not sure if it ever will...perhaps this suffered after tasting the 1982 Mouton before it.
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10/15/2010 - psmith wrote: flawed
1997 Stag's Leap Retrospective (Northbrook, IL): Way out of balanced. Prune; porty. Some VA. Blowsy. My 4, group 4.
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7/22/2010 - KHILL wrote: 98 Points
The has gotten even better. Has tannins early like still young. Then fruit forward. Then finishes with silk and that taste of truffles.... Got from BPwine.com and perfect cork.
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4/25/2010 - petitblanc wrote: 89 Points
Inky, tinged with purple, looking young and concentrated. Floral, perfumed nose, still showing some oak, and growing quite generous with air. On the palate, very sweet fruit and persistent hot alcohol (only 13.5% on the label), with very little complexity. This could almost pass for a young vintage Port, though showing a real lack of depth, made worse by the alcohol. Considerable tannin. Some stemminess on the medium-length finish. Drink now, as the alcohol seems to be gaining an upper hand. Overall a disappointment, as this bottle appeared in superb condition.
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2/18/2010 - KHILL wrote: 97 Points
Drank this wine at wrong dinner, but it is an awesome wine
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12/10/2009 - drycab wrote: 95 Points
The best old California Cabernet I've ever had.
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12/9/2009 - wallstreet wrote:
Excellent wine that is in its prime and can live in the bottle another 10 years. Truly a superstar of a wine. I wasn't sure how it would be as my recollection of 92 Cab's wasn't so stellar, but this wine was truly awesome. my WOTN at the S. Fl. Mini-CT gathering on 12/8/09. Thanks Drycab !
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12/9/2009 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
My WOTN. The Cali cab at it's best. Matured, but with lots of power left, rounded to perfection. Enjoyable to the point you don't wanna see the bottom of the glass.
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11/27/2009 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
Uncorked DK does mature Napa Bdx blends (Peter Solberg): Very dark. Dense a sweet nose with hints of chewing gum and quite a lot of sweet oak expressing itself as caramel fudge. Also a lot of very mature cherries, rubber and coffee. Very intense and with a good aftertaste. Becomes fresher and more complex with more air. A great HSS even though not quite as good as the 91 I had last summer. (U95,2)
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9/19/2009 - Beachrooster wrote: 96 Points
From a magnum - Dark garnet with slight brick on the edges. Holding together very well. Aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis, mint, and spice. Great weight and mouth feel. This wine is in a good place with great balance. The tannins, alcohol, fruit, and acid are working together in harmony. The finish was long, smooth, and satisfying. This was the favorite of a thirteen bottle tasting with everyone coming back for another taste.
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6/13/2009 - dougsmith wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Jesús Barquín at Fernando's "En Español": Black with deep ruby rim. Nose of charcoal, blackberry syrup, black currants and dry spice. Good acid spine on the palate, medium to full bodied and smooth. Very nice Cab.
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3/29/2009 - drycab wrote: flawed
Had a raininy burnt taste with a bricky color. Not terribly bad but no one wanted to drink it. Could just be old.
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2/6/2009 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Needs 30-60 minutes to open up, but then very forward nose of ripe cassis and dark fruits. Full-bodied, layered rich plummy fruit, excellent balance, tannins still present but fully integrated, nice long finish. The wine has evolved, trading some of its up front fruitiness for a bit of complexity, but has not developed prominent tertiary characteristics. Not sure it will ever go that route, would expect it to hold on for another few years and then gradually fade away. Excellent.
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11/19/2008 - endodon wrote: 100 Points
Fabulous wine
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10/18/2008 - fatbuddy wrote:
Very nice nose, immediately after first pour, rich and plummy. Surprisingly tight with solid tannins and bright acid. First taste was still closed and needed at least a good 30 minutes to start opening up. Subsequent tasting 6 hours later, the wine emerged full bodied and opulent. Cedar plum jam with long finish and good weight. Extraordinary after 16 years of age, could easily be aged another 3-5 years without any problem, probably up to another 8 before peaking.
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1/17/2008 - ERoss wrote: 88 Points
1990s Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (The Cellar Master's Lair (Somers, CT)): Clearly paled in comparison to the 1991 - some reduced, jammy notes at first, followed by spice, cassis, and secondary leathery hints. Decent concentration and balance, but the depth of fruit somewhat lacking compared to other vintages. Still a worthy effort and drinking well as a mature wine. [Group placement 8/8]
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12/15/2007 - GA wrote: 90 Points
12/07 Subtle nose - Ruby - medium-bodied - some acidity - resolved tannins - structured backbone - off-balanced and on the end of its drinking window. 90 pts.
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11/30/2007 - mwhite wrote: 97 Points
Fantastic wine. Perfect balance of tanin and smoothness. I let it breath for about 1 hour. My first sip was awesome. Hightly recommend this. Well worth the $150 I paid for.
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4/28/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 89 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Dinner (1989-2002) (California Club, Los Angeles, CA): This seemed more mature than the 1991, which we had out of a magnum. Don't have a lot of notes on this one, but I do remember it being elegant and balanced.
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4/25/2007 - acheng wrote: 92 Points
Lead pencil, plum. Very structure. Acidity sharp for a Cali cab. Resolving tannin.
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4/19/2007 - MarkC wrote: 95 Points
Initially this seemed a bit closed but after a few minutes - wow - this smells soooo good. Can hardly believe this is nearly 15-years old. Plenty of boack/red fruits still. Licorice, hints of leather. Medium tannins - I would guess 5 years at this stage. Black cherry, smoke? 30-second finish. Over time, the palate seemed to go away a bit - it thinned out and the fruit got compressed. If not for this, it would have warranted a couple more poiints. Damn, this is good!
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2/18/2007 - drinkwinedaily wrote: 93 Points
Unfortunately, this bottle was overshadowed by a stunning lineup that included the 1991 Dominus and 2003 Colgin IX. It did not hold its own, but was still a very enjoyable bottle. Nice nose of tobacco, flowers and cassis. Elegant and smooth on the palate without a hard edge. Drinking very well, but would have liked to consumed it earlier in its life.
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1/11/2007 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical (Zealous - Chicago, IL): Bright ruby. Tight on the nose barely revealing sweet currants and green herbs. Full bodied and rich in the mouth. Red and black currants are the driving force as the palate shows very straight forward and primary. Firm tannins provide grip. Most lush of the flight --- squeaky clean and polished relative to the more complex 78 and 85. Outstanding but suffered in placement. 5+13+17+8=93
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2/10/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
I prefer the Dominus and La Jota. This wine strikes me as all around OK – in tough company. (16.5)
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1/24/2006 - BenSlivka wrote: flawed
'twas corked...
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12/7/2005 - jwgauthier wrote: 90 Points
This had the sweetest fruit of the night with berry flavors, but earthy flavors as well. Finish was shorter than the 91 but a bit better than the 1990.
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10/22/2005 - anthonyiez wrote: 96 Points
open and decanted to remove sediment then immediately consumed from reidel vinum cab stems.
wow!!! what an incredible experience. the first hss i've ever had with some age on it. from the initial color it is hard to believe that it is 13 years old. a very dark blood red with a slight bit of bricking. on the nose a beautiful array of chocolate, blackberries, cassis, a hint of spice and cigar box. in the mouth it was like velvet butter, it was that smooth. i can't find enough descriptors to explain how smooth and well integrated this wine was. the midpalate was strong and the finish went on and on and on.
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5/8/2004 - futronic wrote: 93 Points
Not decanted, allowed to breathe 1 hour. Big nose of red berry fruit, bramble, hairspray, banana leaf. Hairspray blows off with swirling in the glass. Full-bodied, thick, chewy Cab with pepper, raspberry, and plums. Hints of dark cocoa on the long 50-60s finish. Needs 5+ years of cellar time. Serious wine.
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12/7/2003 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Daniel's Broiler with Jeff. Black olive and mint on the nose. Wow, this has remarkable palate presence with incredible structure. This started very 'black' but gained mint and sweetness as it had more air. This was very elegant and classy, impressive!
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6/1/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 88 Points
Medium red. Brown rim. Faint notes of cigar box. Good candied sweetness in the mouth. Turns slightly bitter. A bit simple.
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12/5/1998 - dbg wrote:
outstanding aftert 30-45 minutes
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