Shafer HS vertical dinner

[roadfork]

We tried to set up Shafer HS vertical dinner for a few years now, finally we got together this Tuesday with wonderfully matched menu.

Flight I
1991 Shafer, Hillside Select – floral notes of underbrush and eucalyptus, showing beautiful older California style of cab with soft tannin on a finish
1992 Shafer, Hillside Select – something was very wrong with this wine. Not corked, some VA
1996 Shafer, Hillside Select – definitely corked, was not served for the table
1998 Shafer, Hillside Select – figs on a palate, very fruit forward, but pleasant and not over extracted


Flight II
2002 Shafer, Hillside Select – massive wine, with gabs of jam, intense finish.
2007 Shafer, Hillside Select – super extracted and reach Cabernet sauvignon. Big and juicy, with layers and layers of dark chocolate.
2008 Shafer, Hillside Select – not as massive as other two, still shows some blackberry and dark fruit on a palate


Flight III
1999 Shafer, Hillside Select – not highly rated, but I thought it showed well, tobacco and dry tea leaves.
2009 Shafer, Hillside Select – last three wines tasted so similar to me, sweet vanilla on a nose, blackcurrant, asphalt and spicy finish
2010 Shafer, Hillside Select – maybe a little more structure than 2009
2012 Shafer, Hillside Select – bigger body and more structure than 2009

Basically, if it not broken, why to take chances … HS is well crafted wine, I think they found a winning formula and sticking to it, but that is why I liked ’91, it showed character and its California roots – other years, could have been mistaken for super Tuscan or any other big, in your face wine.

Cheers, Albert

[AKR]

We used to have a guy in our NYC group who used to bring these to a lot of open casting calls. Always very impressive. His son became an EM bond broker and called on us a few times much later in life. Pretty weird how small the world is.

[jckba]

Nice notes on an impressive Hillside Select lineup. I used to really like these as I too thought they were well made and represented a value compared to other high end cults but once they surpassed that $200/btl pricepoint, I said my farewells.

And while I still have close to a mixed case across the 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009 vintages, maybe I would be better served selling them off and plowing the proceeds into a nice Bdx that I would undoubtedly cherish / enjoy more.

[DavidG]

Nice report on one of my favorite Napa cabs. I bought these regularly starting with the 1990. Finally passed on the 2015. Think I still have at least one each of the 2000-2014 in the cellar. They age nicely but don’t develop the complexity of a Bordeaux or a Ridge Monte Bello.

[Harry C.]

Did this many years ago. 1990 was the turning point in style that the 91 shows well. In retrospect, same with Insignia-1990 was a turn to their present style.

[robert goulet]

SHS is considered Napa 1st growth....I have tasted a few different vintages in the past...I can see why it has its following...I owned a few bottles of the '01, but I sold or traded off all of them, once my palate changed, it was no longer a bottle of interest for me.