1994 Shafer, Hillside Select, Stags Leap District, Bottle (750ml)

RP97 "Shafer's 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select—the first vintage for which Elias Fernandez was officially named winemaker (he has been with the winery since 1984)—continues to impress every time out. It shows a touch of brick at the rim, while the nose delivers gorgeous cigar-box aromas of cedar, vanilla and tobacco, with black cherry fruit still hanging in there. It's full-bodied, soft and voluminous in feel on the palate, with a long silky finish. It has nowhere to go but down from here, so I would recommend drinking remaining bottles over the rest of this decade (large formats can probably hold longer)." JC for TWA Oct 2024

RP99 "The current release, the 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, is a prodigious Cabernet. I had it at a tasting in Japan, and the Japanese were as enthusiastic about it as my rating suggested they should be. They were crestfallen when informed they probably would not be able to buy multiple cases of the wine! The 1994 combines the vintage's spectacularly ripe, luscious fruit with a rarely seen degree of elegance and finesse. The wine is extremely rich, as well as gorgeously poised and graceful. The saturated ruby/purple color is accompanied by Medoc-like, lead pencil aromas intermixed with cassis, cedar, minerals, and spice. I wrote the word "great" four different times in my most recent tasting note, which mirrored every other tasting note I have. It is full-bodied and seamless, with a silky texture, voluptuous richness, and fabulous purity. The finish lasts for over 40 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025." RP Dec 1998

"Since the 1991 vintage, one of the stars of the Cabernet Sauvignon sweepstakes has been Shafer's Hillside Select. Approximately 2,000-2,200 cases of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon are produced. The wine is aged in 100% new oak for 30 months. Recent vintages have all been spectacular. In short, attempting to decipher qualitative differences between them is akin to splitting hairs. I just hope that Cabernet lovers have the discretionary income and accessibility to cellar a few bottles." Published Dec 22, 1998