Napa Valley, United States
John Shafer was a successful businessman in the Chicago suburbs, when in 1972, he purchased a piece of property in what would soon come to be known as the Stags Leap District in southern Napa Valley. Affected by daily fog, this area was originally thought to be too cool to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, but Shafter tasted an example from a neighbor, and decided to go in on this variety; this would be just one example of his brilliant decision making over the years.
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Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
| SKU (BC) | 541045 |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Napa Valley, CA |
| Type | Red |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Listing (BC) | Speculative |
| Case Config. | 6x750ml |
| Available In |
Colour
Inky, midnight colour.
Aroma
Pure varietal aromas of black fruit, layers of cocoa, black tea and spice.
Flavour
Juicy flavours of black fruit, black tea and subtle toast. A pleasing overall balance keeps the elements together giving the wine a delicious sense of completeness.
Food Pairing
Grilled or roast lamb, duck, beef and game; dishes featuring roasted red peppers or caramelized onions; seasonings of basil, mint or rosemary; aged, full flavour cheeses.
More Info
Hillside Select is made of 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon fruit sourced from rugged hillside vineyard blocks on our Stags Leap District Estate. Truly a "wine of a place," this Cabernet exemplifies the extraordinary richness and suppleness consistently produced in our little valley within a valley. Hillside Select is aged a full four years prior to release (three years in Alliers and Troncais oak barrels and 15 months in the bottle). While enjoyable today, this wine will gain richness and maturity with up to 20 years of careful cellaring.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2024
2022 -
"Still in barrel, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select was largely picked during the early September heat wave that marked the vintage and underwent optical sorting to remove substandard fruit... It's full-bodied, concentrated, firm and tannic, with black plum and black cherry notes leading into a leafy, slightly astringent and drying finish. Despite the impressive volume of tannins, I suspect it will be marginally shorter lived than either of the surrounding vintages." - Joe Czerwinski
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Dec/2024
2022 -
"The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select opens with a burst of dark-toned fruit wrapped up in beams of imposing tannin. Black plum, coffee, spice, leather and incense are all amplified. There's gorgeous depth and plenty of structure. The 2022 is still coming together in barrel, but it is one of the most promising wines of the year."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2024
2021 -
"All Cabernet Sauvignon from specific hillside blocks on the estate, Shafer's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select spent 28 months in 100% new French oak. It's a big, ripe wine, weighing in at 15.5% alcohol, but it remains harmonious from front to back. Deep, intense aromas of black cherries and cassis are accented by dried spices on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and textural, showing tremendous intensity and length on the finish. Based on how previous examples have aged, this vintage should drink well through 2050." - Joe Czerwinski
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2024
2021 -
"All Cabernet Sauvignon from specific hillside blocks on the estate, Shafer's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select spent 28 months in 100% new French oak. It's a big, ripe wine, weighing in at 15.5% alcohol, but it remains harmonious from front to back. Deep, intense aromas of black cherries and cassis are accented by dried spices on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and textural, showing tremendous intensity and length on the finish. Based on how previous examples have aged, this vintage should drink well through 2050." - Joe Czerwinski
James Suckling, Nov/2024
2021 -
No. 96, JAMES SUCKLING'S TOP 100 WINES OF THE USA 2024 "Incredibly ripe, delicious and structured, this age-worthy, collectible wine puts a lot of power in a velvety, refined package. Deep, concentrated black cherries, blackberries, dried blueberries, espresso and creme de cassis are wrapped in a full body and fine-grained, supple tannins strong enough to call for further aging of at least a few years."
Decanter, Jun/2024
2021 -
"Aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. It is quintessentially Stags Leap, with grapes grown on Shafer's famous Hillside estate vineyard, roughly 25ha, with very shallow volcanic tufa soils. It's a barrel selection of the very best blocks. A total of 2,900 cases were produced. Such a beautifully balanced wine with tremendous staying power and expressive Stags Leap ironstone minerality with heady sagebrush and conifer notes with white pepper and walnut husk. The wine has an impressive depth of red-toned fruit on the mid-palate framed by tannins that practically dance across the palate, exuding length, tension, and power. Huckleberry and black cherry fruits, black truffle, dried violets, graphite, and salted dark chocolate are all framed by racy acidity, which keeps everything fresh and lifted. The 2021 releases mark Elias Fernandez's 38th vintage as Shafer's winemaker. He was hired by John Shafer in 1984, two weeks out of UC Davis."
Decanter, Jun/2024
2021 -
"Aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. It is quintessentially Stags Leap, with grapes grown on Shafer's famous Hillside estate vineyard, roughly 25ha, with very shallow volcanic tufa soils. It's a barrel selection of the very best blocks. A total of 2,900 cases were produced. Such a beautifully balanced wine with tremendous staying power and expressive Stags Leap ironstone minerality with heady sagebrush and conifer notes with white pepper and walnut husk. The wine has an impressive depth of red-toned fruit on the mid-palate framed by tannins that practically dance across the palate, exuding length, tension, and power. Huckleberry and black cherry fruits, black truffle, dried violets, graphite, and salted dark chocolate are all framed by racy acidity, which keeps everything fresh and lifted. The 2021 releases mark Elias Fernandez's 38th vintage as Shafer's winemaker. He was hired by John Shafer in 1984, two weeks out of UC Davis."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Dec/2024
2021 -
"The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is insanely beautiful. It's also one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted here. Bright, pliant and resonant, the 2021 offers a beguiling mix of Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics, generous fruit and gentle structure. The stylistic shift at Shafer has been remarkable—the 2021 is a great example. Red-toned fruit, blood orange, menthol, pine and sweet spice build into the eternal finish."
Jeb Dunnuck, Jan/2025
2021 -
"You can safely put the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select up with the top vintages of this cuvée, yet it's much more in the style of say, the 2010 or 2018, than a more opulent year, and is going to demand bottle age. Sensational amounts of cassis, graphite, darker chocolate, graphite, tobacco, and a Pauillac-like lead pencil character all define this ultra-classic, focused, structured 2021 that has a slightly more focused, seamless style than normal. The purity is world class, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, sweet yet building tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. Hide bottles for 5-7 years minimum, and it will evolve for 40+ years."
Jeb Dunnuck, Jan/2025
2021 -
"You can safely put the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select up with the top vintages of this cuvée, yet it's much more in the style of say, the 2010 or 2018, than a more opulent year, and is going to demand bottle age. Sensational amounts of cassis, graphite, darker chocolate, graphite, tobacco, and a Pauillac-like lead pencil character all define this ultra-classic, focused, structured 2021 that has a slightly more focused, seamless style than normal. The purity is world class, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, sweet yet building tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. Hide bottles for 5-7 years minimum, and it will evolve for 40+ years."
Wine Enthusiast, Dec/2024
2021 -
"Profound and full-bodied with an intensity of aromas and flavors, this sophisticated and ample Cabernet Sauvignon has become one of the region's icons. Made from the Shafer's hillside vineyards, this red carries a core of dark fruits, crushed rocks, and savory elements of mushroom followed aromas of aromatic forest. Abundant, fine tannins and a lengthy finish mean the wine will continue to develop with age, but will also benefit from another several years in bottle. Enjoy with prime rib or another cut of succulent meat. Enjoy." - Elaine Chukan Brown
Wine Spectator, Dec/2024
2021 -
"Juicy and direct, with a solidly built core of cassis and blackberry preserves lined with cocoa, singed tobacco and warm earth hints. Leans toward toasty on the finish, but there's ample fruit. Best from 2025 through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes." - James Molesworth
James Suckling, Dec/2022
2018 -
#61 of James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of the World 2022. "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. Better after 2026."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Oct/2018
2015 -
"Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select comes bounding out of the glass with gregarious scents of crème de cassis, warm black cherries, plum preserves and Indian spices with hints of lilacs, garrigue, stewed tea and cigar box plus a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied, rich, boldly fruited and wildly decadent, it has a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with loads of earthy and savory layers."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate - 2018
2007 -
"One of the perfect wines from Shafer is the 2007 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Think it over – in the first decade of the 21st century, Shafer scored three perfect scores and two 99s – that’s about as high a praise as I can give any producer in the world. Opaque purple in color, the 2007 has a stunning nose of sweet crème de cassis, black cherries, licorice, and toasty oak, a multilayered, full-throttle personality, and a texture that builds and builds. Great purity, fabulous fruit intensity and a richness without heaviness characterize this massive, prodigious effort from Shafer. It’s still very young, despite this vintage, which seems to be maturing precociously. I don’t believe this wine will hit its stride for at least another 5-10 years and drink well for at least 2-3 decades."
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2024
2004 -
"Showing a bit of bricking at the rim, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a strong effort, although not perhaps the equal to the 1994 (also tasted on this occasion). Dried cherries and leather on the nose are joined by flavors of caramel, baked fruit and cherry compote on the full-bodied palate. Supple, silky and long, this wine should continue to drink well for a decade, but I see no compelling reason to wait." - Joe Czerwinski
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct/2024
1994 -
"Shafer's 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select—the first vintage for which Elias Fernandez was officially named winemaker (he has been with the winery since 1984)—continues to impress every time out. It shows a touch of brick at the rim, while the nose delivers gorgeous cigar-box aromas of cedar, vanilla and tobacco, with black cherry fruit still hanging in there. It's full-bodied, soft and voluminous in feel on the palate, with a long silky finish. It has nowhere to go but down from here, so I would recommend drinking remaining bottles over the rest of this decade (large formats can probably hold longer)." - Joe Czerwinski
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Dec/2014
2009 -
"The 2009 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a more ordinarily constructed, compact effort from Shafer, but very powerful, with blackcurrants, cedar wood, vanillin and spice box. The wine is full-bodied, showing outstanding purity, a slightly more narrow framework and a linear personality. Nevertheless, it’s top-notch and a brilliant wine on its own."
Wine Enthusiast, Dec/2013
2009 -
"This is clearly one of the greatest Shafer Hillside Selects ever. It shows incredibly concentrated blackberry, dark chocolate and ripe cassis flavors, wrapped into impeccably rich tannins. Made from 100% Cabernet, it's a superb example of Hillside. Tasted from the same bottle a day later, the wine was even richer and more satisfying, which is a solid indicator of ageworthiness. Drink now–2028."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Dec/2014
2010 -
"A remarkable wine, the 2010 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select has gone from strength to strength since it was in cask. It is stunningly rich, with classic, fragrant notes of blackcurrants, blackberries, vanilla, graphite and spring flowers. It exhibits an opaque purple color, with a full-bodied, massive mouthfeel, but no heaviness, and again, a flawless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood. It is classic California Cabernet, but beautifully put together, showing impeccable craftsmanship and fabulous potential. This is obviously a very young, infantile style of Cabernet that will not hit its prime for at least another decade and last close to half a century, based on how older vintages that were less well-endowed have matured from Shafer."
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Oct/2015
2014 -
"Shafer's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a bit compact and lean today, but it will spend another year-plus in barrel. Inky blue and black fruit, creme de cassis, crushed rocks and spices hit the pulsating, tannic finish. The 2014 needs time. The only question is how much."
Wine Spectator, Nov/2017
2013 -
“Graceful and supple, rich and loamy, tilted toward the savory, herbal side of Cabernet, with modest cherry and currant notes. Displays deft balance and hints of anise and underbrush. Complex throughout. Drink now through 2030. 2,400 cases made.”
James Suckling, May/2017
2013 -
Top 100 of 2017 "Wonderful floral aromas with perfumed roses plus hints of blackcurrants and spearmint. Full-bodied and so powerful and muscular but always showing the brightness and beauty of fruit. Winemakers say this reminds them of the 1978, their first year. It certainly has the structure — "those tannins" as they put it. Finish is so impressive with tar, iron and spices. Available in September 2017. Try in 2023."