1986 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1986 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select was the only wine that tasted somewhat fatigued and oxidized. Notes of old plums, figs and prunes are present in this 1986.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
There is a lot to like in the 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select from Shafer, one of their very best early wines. Super-ripe, rich and concentrated, the 1986 shows all of the elements Shafer would go on to capture to an even greater degree in the years that would follow. On this night, the 1986 is simply drop-dead gorgeous. This early peek at Hillside Select is fascinating.
About the producer
The site of Shafer has been around since 1880, and grapes continued to be grown here, even during prohibition. It is said that some wine was made here during that time. In 1972, John Shafer bought the property in the Stag’s Leap district, he immediately began planting the Cabernet on the hillside.