Shafer Hillside Select 2018

Incredible purity and precision, as well as opulence, define the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, and this is as good as any Cabernet Sauvignon in the world today. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as a thrilling bouquet of pure crème de cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, lead pencil shavings, and an incredible minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, seamless texture, ample mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This is classic 2018 Napa Valley with its purity, freshness and precision as well as sensational concentration and perfectly integrated acidity, tannins, and alcohol. It delivers pleasure today yet warrants a solid 4-5 years of bottle age and is going to be a 30- to 40-year wine.

So much black licorice in this, together with tar, blackcurrants, blackberries and slate. Full-bodied, but very toned and focused, with polish and energy. Extremely fine tannins and wonderful length. All about balance and purity. Gorgeous now, but this will age for decades to come. Great finish. Better after 2026.

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select displays a deep garnet-purple color. It charges out of the gate with bold crème de cassis, blueberry pie and black cherry preserves notes, plus hints of smoked meats, fragrant earth and tar, with a fragrant waft of violets and Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with muscular black fruits, supported by a solid foundation of firm, grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing long with an enticing herbal lift.Rating: 98+

Just as it was from barrel, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is stunning. Bright acids give the 2018 tons of energy. This is an especially mid-weight, refined Hillside Select that is all class. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, mint and blood orange build in the glass. Elegant and bright, the 2018 shows all the energy of the year in spades. (AG) (9/2021)

Shafer’s iconic, flagship wine is richly textured and flavor packed. It starts with a minty, figgy, bay-leaf aroma before full, ripe, bold black fruits, tobacco and oak spices take over the palate, accompanied by masses of velvety tannins. Excellent depth and concentration will help it age well. Cellar Selection

Frankly ripe but well-focused, with blackberry and creamed boysenberry notes flowing through atop a polished structure, while cocoa and black licorice frame the finish. A subtle hint of sassafras lingers on the finish, adding textural nuance. This has the stuffing to age well, too. Drink now through 2038.

John Shafer helped define the voice of Stags Leap District cabernet sauvignon with the early releases from the knolls he and his son, Doug, planted under the escarpment in southeastern Napa Valley. The first release, from 1978, was dark, layered and rich, soft enough that people questioned him about how much merlot there was in the blend. The cabernet went on to become a cult phenomenon in the 1990s, and Elias Fernandez, who has made the wine since the early 1980s, continued to push the limits of richness and ripeness, even as his other cabernet (One Point Five) remained relatively restrained. While we regularly recommend One Point Five, our panels have passed on the recent releases of Hillside Select since 2010. Then this 2014 came along, integrated in its richness, merlot-like in its graceful power, with zesty fruit one panelist described as “fresh crushed marionberries and blackberries.” That freshness was still intact three days later, the fruit lasting as it infused the tannins with color. If you loved the early vintages of Hillside Select (think 1978 or 1991 for two great examples), and even if you loved the most recent heady styles, this is a 2014 you’ll want in your cellar.