Rating: 98 Points (Jeb
Dunnuck)
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another magical
vintage for this cuvée. All Cabernet Sauvignon from hillside vineyards on the
eastern side of Stags Leap, it offers a vivid purple hue as well as
extraordinary notes of cassis, black raspberries, violets, camphor, and spring
flowers, with perfectly integrated background oak. Full-bodied but not massive,
it's flawlessly balanced on the palate and has ultra-fine tannins, a seamless,
elegant mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. It's another 30- to 40-year wine
from this incredible team that readers will absolutely love.”
Rating:
98 Points (Wine Advocate)
“Sourced from specific blocks of estate-grown fruit, the 2019
Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another highly successful vintage. All
Cabernet Sauvignon aged 32 months in 100% new French oak, it boasts intense
aromas of pencil shavings, dark loam, cassis and plum on the nose, while the
palate is full-bodied, super-ripe, rich, dense and concentrated—a truly
impressive California vin de garde. Tannic but ripe, it finishes long and firm
on the finish, adding a hint of mocha. To be released in September 2023, it's a
strong showing and hopefully an indication that quality will remain high under
the new ownership.”
Rating: 98 Points (Vinous)
“The 2019 Cabernet
Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted at
Shafer. Effusive aromatics and silky tannins are immediately captivating.
Crushed red/purplish berry fruit, mint, spice, lavender and licorice are all
finely knit. We will see, but the 2019 may very well represent a new direction
for Hillside Select, one of Napa Valley's most iconic Cabernets."
