1982 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 90.5 points

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  11/5/2020 - rmcnees wrote: 87 Points

  Tonight, this bottle showed amazing life for a 38 year old vintage bottle, exceeding our expectations. The color was ever so slightly tinged with a minor brownish hue and the slightest bit of cloudiness, still nicely structured and bodied with black cherry fruits offset by a slight layer of funky mustiness of dusty earthy leather with sprites of aromatic perfume and notes of herbs and cedar. A fun and intriguing tasting of a historic label, ready to drink as it is in decline approaching the end of its drinking window. It was remarkable for its age, never-the-less.
  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/11/birthyear-vintage-wine-for-family.html

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  8/16/2015 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points

  From a 3 liter (47/95) Great color with nice dark red color and no signs of bricking or browning. Cork crumbled a bit on upper portion, but clearly provided a nice seal. Initially wine was a bit lean and full of sage aromas, not the best, but after 30 min or so, this began to really bloom into something pretty special with dark red sour cherry fruits dominating the taste profile. An amazing transformation as it developed more with each sip in a very good way. Smooth and almost succulent with nice acid lift. Fully resolved tannins allowed this to be an easy drinker. Before I could blink half the bottle was gone before I had to leave myself. This easily exceed my expectations and I maybe underrating this a point or two. I think this was the only year the Reserve was made, too bad, but HSS does not suck either.

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  6/5/2012 - Oldworldwines wrote: 91 Points

  I opened the bottle I received from a friend with little expectation of the wine still being any good. I was pleasantly surprised as I found only slight bricking and a general color of a wine half its age. The nose was a touch muted but still had classic cabernet overtones. The tannins were fully integrated. More red fruit than dark fruit with just a hint of green pepper. The pepper was not at all unpleasant and reminded me of the normal greeness found in Italian merlot. Not an overly complex wine but very cool nonetheless. This was the transition year at Shafer and this was the only wine labeled cabernet reserve they made to my knowledge. I kept the empty bottle.

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  11/15/2007 - psmith wrote:

  Nasty caramel flavors and off notes - maderized.

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  11/5/2005 - rmcnees Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Final vintage before this wine was re-labeled the legendary Shafer Hillside Select - Full forward fruit of black cherry, plum, leather and cedar thru to the end. Amazing fruit and life in this 23 year old Napa from a modest vintage - birth-year of son Ryan - tasted on his family birthday dinner."
  
  https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/11/birthyear-vintage-wine-for-family.html

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