2018 | Shafer Vineyards | Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon (Magnum)

Frankly ripe but well-focused, with blackberry and creamed boysenberry notes flowing through atop a polished structure, while cocoa and black licorice frame the finish. A subtle hint of sassafras lingers on the finish, adding textural nuance.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select displays a deep garnet-purple color. It charges out of the gate with bold crème de cassis, blueberry pie and black cherry preserves notes, plus hints of smoked meats, fragrant earth and tar, with a fragrant waft of violets and Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with muscular black fruits, supported by a solid foundation of firm, grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing long with an enticing herbal lift.

• James Suckling: So much black licorice in this, together with tar, blackcurrants, blackberries and slate. Full-bodied, but very toned and focused, with polish and energy. Extremely fine tannins and wonderful length. All about balance and purity. Gorgeous now, but this will age for decades to come. Great finish.

Producer Information

Shafer Vineyards is a family-owned wine producer in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley. It is particularly known for its Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, regarded as one of the very finest wines in California. With the first wines appearing in 1978, Shafer Vineyards is one of the founding estates of – and a benchmark in quality for – the Stags Leap District AVA. Shafer has around 57 hectares (140 acres) of vines in the Stags Leap District, spread out across several vineyards. The Hillside Estate vineyard has shallow, free-draining soils tha produce small, intensly flavored berries. The best blocks are used to make the Hillside Select, a plummy, cherry-laden wine with ripe tannins that will age well for a decade or more. Shafer's other vineyards, including the Borderline and Ridgeback & Schoolbus sites, provide fruit for the other Cabernet Sauvignon wines, while the La Mesa vineyard is planted to Syrah and Petite Sirah for Shafer's Relentless cuvée. The Red Shoulder Ranch in Carneros is planted to 27ha (66 acres) of Chardonnay, which is fermented in stainless steel and makes a zesty, complex wine. Shafer began life in 1972 when John Shafer arrived in Napa with the hope of growing his own wine. He bought a plot of land in the Stags Leap hills, and terraced and replanted the steep vineyards. The first vintage of Cabernet was 1978, and Shafer's wines have gone on to great critical acclaim. John's son Doug Shafer took over the winemaking reins in 1983.

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