2012 Shafer "Hillside Select" Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

“Shafer’s flagship wine, and one of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignons, is the Hillside Select, which comes from the rocky, volcanic soils on hillsides above the winery. Vineyard production is small, and the wine an incredible example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in 100% new oak for 32 months and bottled unfiltered, this can generally be expected to be one of the top dozen or so Cabernet Sauvignons in virtually any vintage in Napa. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a perfect wine. It elicits more than a few 'wows' when you smell the incredible notes of charcoal, graphite and subtle toast, buttressed and dominated by blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit. The purity of these fruits, the multidimensional mouthfeel, the seamless integration of acid, alcohol, tannin and wood are all flawless. The 2012 signature adds an extravagant opulence and density that is just mind-boggling, and the wine is a total hedonistic and intellectual turn-on already. (RP)” (10/2016)

“The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is in such a great spot now. Sweet, pliant and expressive, the 2012 is a superb example of the vintage. Succulent red cherry, plum, kirsch and mint flesh out nicely. Medium in body, the 2012 is not as explosive as some of the surrounding vintages, but it is a total charmer. In that sense it captures the best the vintage has to offer. The first signs of pipe tobacco, spice and cedar are starting to develop, but the 2012 remains young, vibrant and full of life. (AG)” (05/2024)

“The highly sought-after, perennially beautiful and brawny Hillside Select is 100% estate grown and 100% varietal. It wows after three years in barrel, painting a lush picture of tobacco, tea and firm, integrated tannin dusted in smoky clove scents. Intensely peppery, its youthful blackberry and cherry flavors shine through but will benefit from even more time in bottle. *Cellar Selection* (VB)” (05/2017)

“Always among the richest, most extravagant Cabernets of any vintage, Shafer’s Hillside Select bottlings sometimes sit at the brink of being too much. In this outing, however, the wine exhibits great depth and control, and it delivers enormous richness with keen fruit always in charge. It is altogether captivating stuff with layer upon layer of fully ripe currants, raspberries, cherries and black olives sweetened by creamy oak, and its late-arriving touch of heat is made wholly irrelevant by its unrelenting fruity richness. *Three Stars*” (12/2016)

“Amazing from first sip to last, remarkably complex, layered and textured, smooth and supple, with a seductive creamy mocha oak presence to the long, expansive aftertaste, where the flavors cascade on top of one another and excite with anise and cedar. *Collectible* (JL)” (11/2016)

“This is very old-school and port-like on the palate with masses of blackcurrant and blackberry aromas and flavors. Chocolate and cedar, too. Full body. Bold and advanced. Drink up.” (07/2019)