Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon "Hillside Select" 2019
(Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, California) - [WA 98+] [JD 98+] [TWI 98+] [JS 98] [VM 98] [WS 94]

As always, this iconic release is limited and highly allocated!

About this Wine:
Hillside Select is a wine of a place, sourced from carefully selected blocks of Stags Leap District hillside vineyards. These grapes are small and deeply colored, with concentrated flavors enhanced by meticulous winemaking and extensive aging in French oak barrels. Hillside Select consistently expresses the voluptuous fruit, rich flavors, and velvety texture that characterize grapes grown in this renown AVA.

Vineyard Location: 100% hillside vineyards in Stags Leap District including Shafer's estate vineyard blocks, Sunspot, John’s Upper 7, Venado Ilegal, and Firebreak
Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 15.5%
Cooperage: 32 months in 100% new 60-gallon French oak barrels (Allier and Tronçais)

Ratings & Reviews

98+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Sourced from specific blocks of estate-grown fruit, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another highly successful vintage. All Cabernet Sauvignon aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, it boasts intense aromas of pencil shavings, dark loam, cassis and plum on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, super-ripe, rich, dense and concentrated—a truly impressive California vin de garde. Tannic but ripe, it finishes long and firm on the finish, adding a hint of mocha. To be released in September 2023, it's a strong showing and hopefully an indication that quality will remain high under the new ownership." - Joe Czerwinski (Mar 2023)

98+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another magical vintage for this cuvée. All Cabernet Sauvignon from hillside vineyards on the eastern side of Stags Leap, it offers a vivid purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of cassis, black raspberries, violets, camphor, and spring flowers, with perfectly integrated background oak. Full-bodied but not massive, it’s flawlessly balanced on the palate and has ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. It’s another 30- to 40-year wine from this incredible team that readers will absolutely love." (Feb 2023)

98+ Points - The Wine Independent:
"The single-varietal 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is deep garnet-purple in color. It erupts from the glass with powerful scents of creme de cassis, blackberry pie, and fruitcake, leading to suggestions of wild blueberries, chocolate mint, cedar chest, and crushed rocks, with a waft of clove oil. The concentrated, full-bodied palate does not disappoint, featuring very firm, beautifully ripe tannins and a lively line to frame the generous fruit, finishing long and layered." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Mar 2023)

98 Points - James Suckling:
"A beautiful nose of pitted cherries, redcurrants, fresh herbs and violets. Full-bodied with fine, structured tannins. More gravelly, mineral and dark than the nose lets on. Savory almost. Terrific depth and concentration that keeps the palate flavorful through the generous finish. Chocolate, sage, rosemary, bark and moss. Layered. Superb wine. Needs time to come together. Best after 2024 and onward." (Sep 2022)

98 Points - Vinous Media: 
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted at Shafer. Effusive aromatics and silky tannins are immediately captivating. Crushed red/purplish berry fruit, mint, spice, lavender and licorice are all finely knit. We will see, but the 2019 may very well represent a new direction for Hillside Select, one of Napa Valley’s most iconic Cabernets.” - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2023)

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
A ripe, exuberant style, with generous plum cake, blackberry compote and açaí berry notes mixed with melted black licorice and a nicely polished, singed mesquite–accented finish. Hard to resist now (if you like the power style), but also has the energy to take some cellaring. Drink now through 2039. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 2,400 cases made." - JM (web only 2023)