2009-2010 Shafer "Hillside Select" Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical

“This is mind blowing stuff. Notes of mint, minerals, currants, blackberries, with hints of cedar. Full bodied, very velvety and chewy. This won't be out until 2013. Winemaker believes this could be the best one yet, and I have to agree.” (02/2011)

“Made entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2009 Hillside Select has a deep garnet color. Wow—it explodes from the glass with this atomic nose of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake, baked plums and boysenberries plus hints of licorice, mocha, cedar chest and pencil lead with a waft of garrigue. Full-bodied, the palate is a concentrated, full-on behemoth, possessing fantastic balance and expressiveness, finishing with epic length and a fantastically velvety texture. (LPB) 98+” (01/2020)

“Shafer's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is all high notes. Sweet red plum and cherry notes meld into mint, spice and new leather, all supported by silky, polished tannins that add finesse to the plush fruit. Rich, opulent and beautifully textured throughout, the 2009 is going to provide fabulous, viscerally thrilling drinking pretty much right out of the gate. This is a great Hillside Select. Frankly, I can't imagine anyone who enjoys Hillside Select not wanting the 2009 in their cellar. The persistent, resonant finish is pure sensuality. (AG)” (11/2013)

“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. *Cellar Selection*” (12/2013)

“A monumental effort, offering a striking crescendo of dense, rich flavors, beginning with pure dark berry, mocha, tobacco leaf, cigar box, dried herb and crushed rock notes. The tannins are full-strength as well, drying and gripping on the finish as they hold the road tar and cedar details in place. (JL)” (03/2014)

“As always a decidedly extravagant wine and one that marches right to the very brink of being too much of good thing, the latest Hillside Select will be frowned upon by those who find unabashed richness and size to be faults and joyously celebrated by those of us who do not. It is powerful stuff that is marvelously deep in near-juicy fruit, and it is lavishly appointed with lovely oak, but for all of its largesse, it is solidly built with the structure to age for years. We have seen how its fully ripe predecessors have flourished with time, and we have no doubt that this one will do the same.” (12/2013)

“Similar geography and geology to those of SLV. 32 months in 100% new, 60-gallon French oak barrels. Very sweet blueberry and cassis with a lot of oak spice. Much finer on the palate, with finer tannins, drier and better balanced overall than the majority of these massive Cabs. Much more elegant in its freshness. 18/20 points (JH)” (10/2013)

“In comparison to the more lavish, sexy 2002, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is more structured and focused, with incredible purity in its cassis and darker currant fruits as well as complex notes of minty herbs, lead pencil shavings, licorice, graphite, and spring flowers. Reminding me of a great vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild with its concentration, structure, and balance, it’s just now at the early stages of its prime drink window, and it will continue to improve for another decade and hold for 20-25 years thereafter.” (02/2023)

“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’s classic California Cabernet, but beautifully put together, showing impeccable craftsmanship and fabulous potential. This is obviously a very young, infantile style of Cabernet that won’t 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. (RP)” (12/2014)

“The Shafer family has made compelling reds for decades and this one is a knock-out. Fabulous character of currants, mint, spice and wet earth. Juicy and fruity, with an intense chewy finish. Needs time to age.” (06/2014)

“Very pure if subdued aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, dark chocolate and minerals; conveys a strong Stags Leap terroir character. Enters the mouth voluptuous, broad and seamless but still youthful, showing a faintly inky reserve to its powerful dark fruit, licorice and mineral flavors. This Napa Valley masterpiece is developing at a snail's pace. The finish goes on and on, with substantial fine-grained, toothcoating tannins in perfect balance with the wine's fruit. Wonderfully sweet and voluminous but not excessively so, as there's so much else going on here. This wine was only a tad more developed than a spectacular sample I tasted as part of a vertical tasting I did at the estate in 2016. A great vintage for Shafer. (ST)” (05/2020)

“The producer’s annual, highly anticipated 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this comes from the wilds of the appellation’s rocky hillsides. This is a burly, distinctive and sizable wine, ripe yet refined, having been given three years in barrel and another in bottle before release. Chocolaty tobacco combines with pencil shavings and dense blackberry before finishing in an explosion of black pepper. *Cellar Selection* (VB)” (06/2015)

“Pure, rich and intense, massive and well-built, with wall-to-wall ripe berry, currant, cedar and spice notes, framed by gutsy, chewy tannins and aided by the long, intense, layered finish. *Collectibles* (JL)” (10/2014)