2001 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 1x750ml

Vinous 96

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. [Antonio Galloni, 06/04/2023]

Anticipated maturity: 2021-2031

Robert Parker 100

The 2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is the first of these back-to-back perfect wines from Shafer that, at age 13, is still a baby, but, wow, what an amazing wine. A fabulous growing season produced a wine with inky/purple black color, stunning creme de cassis notes, with additional hints of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, cedar wood and forest floor. It is full-bodied, sensationally concentrated, with a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. This is a great, monumental Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that is still an infant, at age 13, going on 14. This has got at least three decades of life left in it, and probably won’t hit its peak for another 5-7 years. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 31/08/2014]

Anticipated maturity: 2019-2045