2005 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 1x750ml

Vinous 94+

(14.9% alcohol): Dark, bright red. Very fresh on the nose but more reserved and much less explosive today than 2004, offering aromas of black cherry, cassis, dark spices and licorice. Then superconcentrated and tactile on the palate, conveying a lower-pH impression than the 2004. This extremely intense wine still needs time in the cellar to open–and to absorb its vibrant acidity–but the tannins here are fully ripe and suave. Still a bit youthfully stunted but a wine of outstanding energy and incipient savory complexity, with a great future ahead of it. [Stephen Tanzer, 07/01/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034

Robert Parker 99

One of the world’s great wines and profound expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. This wine spends more than 30 months in 100% new oak, and, year in year out, has been one of the most singular and profound examples of Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. It seems Shafer began to ratchet up performance during the 1990s, and the first decade of the 21st century has provided a treasure trove of either perfect or nearly perfect wines, including the 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and more recently the 2010, 2012 and, in all likelihood, the 2013. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (about 2,000 cases produced) is another one of those a oewowa wines, but it does it with a sort of measured richness and restraint and extraordinary subtle character, like the Gary Cooper of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons " authentic, tall, straight-boned, but substantial and worthy of introspection. Inky purple, with a classic nose of creme de cassis, licorice, a touch of vanilla and forest floor, the wine hits the palate with a gorgeous display of measured, but substantial fruit, body and intensity. Not a component is out of place, and the wine remarkably pure and persuasive. Combine great winemaking with great viticulture and a special terroir, and this is the result. Readers are in the presence of genius when tasting this wine. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 26/06/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040