2001 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is in the zone today. Rich and sumptuous, the 2001 possesses notable depth and layers of flavor that build effortlessly. The first signs of aromatic maturity have begun to appear and the tannins are pretty soft, and yet the 2001 has enough depth to drink well for another decade. Hints of tobacco, cedar, worn-in leather and crushed autumn leaves linger. Doug Shafer and longtime winemaker Elias Fernandez told me they dropped quite a bit of fruit to bring the vineyard into balance during what was a long, cool growing season with extended hang time.
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Robert Parker
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More reviews and scores
Impressive bright ruby-red to the rim. Sexy, complex nose melds scents of plum, currant, dried herbs, game, coffee bean, Baker's chocolate and tobacco; smells sweet! Plush, sweet and broad from entry through to powerful, building finish. Strong plum, currant, tar, graphite, chocolate and spice flavors are complicated by soil and mineral nuances. Quite generous and thick without going over the top. This has reached its peak but should hold for at least another 10 to 15 years owing to its firm, claret-like spine of fully ripe, broad tannins. Actually less sweet on the palate than the nose suggests--and an answer to those tasters who consider Shafer's flagship wine to be a bit too sweet and exotic. This is downright classic.
(14.9% alcohol): Good dark red. Knockout nose captures the site's full aromatic range: plum, blackcurrant, dried sage, licorice, dark chocolate, musky tobacco, game, lead pencil and tar. Superconcentrated and impressively dense and thick but still held in check by a compelling juiciness; this wine wants to explode! The red fruit and plum flavors are complicated by graphite minerality and cedary oak. Finishes with serious, thick tannins that are totally supported by the wine's mid-palate material. The very long, vibrant finish suggests a long life ahead. A great vintage for Hillside Select, and still improving.
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.