1997 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Community Tasting Notes (137) Avg Score: points
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Pro Reviews
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By Stephen Tanzer
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa Valley Red) Login and sign up and see review text.
Vintage Retrospective: The 1997 Napa Valley Cabernets (Sep 2017), 9/1/2017, (See more on Vinous...) -
By Stephen Tanzer
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Napa Valley) Login and sign up and see review text.
Vertical Tasting of Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (Jul 2016), 7/1/2016, (See more on Vinous...)
JancisRobinson.com
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By Jancis Robinson, MW
(Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text.
6/2/2003, (See more on JancisRobinson.com...) -
By Jancis Robinson, MW
(Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Red) Subscribe to see review text.
3/12/2002, (See more on JancisRobinson.com...)
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By Stephen Tanzer
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Login and sign up and see review text.
May/June 2000, IWC Issue #90, (See more on Vinous...) -
By Stephen Tanzer
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Login and sign up and see review text.
May/June 1999, IWC Issue #84, (See more on Vinous...) -
By Stephen Tanzer
(Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District) Login and sign up and see review text.
May/June 1998, IWC Issue #78, (See more on Vinous...)
Decanter
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By William Kelley
(Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, Red) Login and subscribe to see review text.
1997 Napa Cabernets, (See more on Decanter...)
RJonWine.com
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By Richard Jennings
(Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select) Opaque red violet color; lovely, blackberry, ripe cassis, black fruit nose; tasty, rich, blackberry, black currant, black fruit palate; still needs 3-plus years; long finish
9/17/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 94 points -
By Richard Jennings
(Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select) Big, ripe red currant, licorice, blackberry and vanilla nose; big cassis, blackberry, vanilla oak palate, with firm tannins; long finish
6/5/2004, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 94 points
NOTE: Some content is property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and Decanter and RJonWine.com.
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Wine Definition
- Vintage1997
- TypeRed
- ProducerShafer
- VarietyCabernet Sauvignon
- DesignationHillside Select
- Vineyardn/a
- CountryUSA
- RegionCalifornia
- SubRegionNapa Valley
- AppellationStags Leap District
- Display optionsDefault
- UPC/EAN Code013528400023
2/16/2024 - MAkita Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drunk as part of a big California wine night. This is a pretty full-throttle wine and drinking perfectly at the moment. Deep, dark, and surprisingly sweet. Lots of dark berry notes--blackberry, cassis, dark cherries, maybe a dark plum, too--and some chocolate notes as well. If I were stretching, you could say there's some slate notes there, too, but the fruit really sits on top. Overall a silky, elegant, if by no means understated wine
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12/3/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
Aromatically very similar to the last example; pencil, blackberry, fresh leather in a potent combination. This approaches the ripeness line without crossing it, though it's a little warm in the mouth (not as much as I recall from 2020, though this came after many others). I like this quite a lot; it's got personality.
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8/19/2023 - soyhead wrote:
big, massive, fruit bomb, cocoa, chocolate, enjoyable but not really for food. despite being 25 years old it was the last red of the lineup, and perfectly placed.
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8/19/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
On the nose and palate, medium powerful notes of cassis, sweet blackberries, black cherries, smoke, earthy minerality, anise, leather, dark florals, lead pencil, and dark roast coffee. Deep crimson, medium+, bodied, full legs. Tannins and acidity medium and completely, no heat. Great complexity, VG+ persistence, VG intensity. We tasted this blind, and I would have *never* guessed this was a HSS, a bottling among the most frequent I’ve had of premium, at least for me, Napa cabs, although never this far from the vintage date (and I probably hadn’t had a pre-2000 HSS in 15 years or so). This wine swapped out the power and intensity of the ‘04 and ‘09 which I’ve had in the past 18 months or so, for a far more lithe savoriness and elegance. It was beautiful, but I wished it had retained just a bit more of those traits. While I’m not sure if that’s indicative of a change in philosophy at Shafer at some point around 2000 or if this wine is just fully mature (or the answer to that question is just “Yes”) and I won’t go so far as CT friend MSU on where the wine is now, I’d be inclined to drink this sooner than later. CT score bang on. 95-96
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8/19/2022 - soyhead wrote:
lovely wine with great perfume and delectable fruit. downright elegant. the purity of fruit is something to behold.
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