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Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the house’s most complex and exclusive reds
Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
priority_high 75 cl.
2018 Offer!
priority_high 75 cl.
2017 Offer!
98+ Parker
redeemGet €8.56 in Saldo Decántalo by buying this product
Details
Alcohol 15.50%
Production area California
Designation of Origin AVA Napa Valley
Winery Shafer
Contains sulphites
Varieties 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Service 14.0
Volume 75 cl.
Tasting notes Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Red wine Aged in wood. 32 meses en barricas de roble francés de Allier y Tronçais.

Style Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Fruity
Spicy
Young
Barrel
Light
Body
Pairing
Aperitif, Charcuterie, Cured cheeses, Blue cheeses, Soft cheeses, Red meat, Game

About Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Stags Leap is one of the smallest AVAs in Napa Valley in central California. However, that did not stop it from being the first to receive the greatest accolades. It was 1976 and Warren Winiarski’s Cabernet Sauvignon managed to sneak into a tasting in Paris where it was pitted against some of the best Bordeaux wines. The result was not bad at all and today, almost fifty years later, people are still talking about it.

All in all, what became clear is that this rocky terrain is the perfect place for the Cabernet Sauvignon to find refuge and develop well. Along with Winiarski, other producers like Shafer have realised this and they all continue to make these very special wines. Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is not just any wine. To begin with, we need to remember that Shafer is one of the greats, a Californian heavyweight who manages to make spectacular wines. Their Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is a good example of this. This red wine is made from grapes grown in 14 small blocks of vineyards, planted in an amphitheatre on rocky and volcanic soils. This base, which is arid and very poor, retains both heat and humidity. The latter is also partly due to the breezes and fogs that come directly from the San Pablo Bay, cooling the environment. On the other hand, the heat comes from the soil, where the mixture of sandstone, shale and marl retains and reflects the heat, allowing the grapes to ripen properly. However, the complexity of Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon does not end here, as the richness of its nuances is down to the different orientation of the blocks: some face southwest (where they get maximum light, but can burn in heat waves), others are entirely south facing (in the shade of the hills). Finding the perfect spot for both is a huge job and effort that adds to the titanic task that was once performed, when Shafer had to use dynamite to remove rocks the size of a truck to clear the steep terrain for planting the vines.

Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested, hand sorted, into small containers and brought to the winery, where it is processed in the crusher. The berries are usually not very large. There are times when this step is not necessary, as the bunches have been crushed under their own weight. Once processed, Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon goes into the fermenter, where it receives special treatment during maceration, with gentle pumping over to extract the maximum essence. Following fermentation, Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in French oak barrels, specifically selected by Elías Fernández (the house’s winemaker) who stops to check that each of these barrels is the most aromatic. It spends 32 months here before bottling. Only 2,400 bottles will be released, making Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon one of Shafer’s most exclusive wines.

2017

Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is the 35th vintage of this wine. It is a mature, garnet-purple coloured wine. Full of nuances, this is a wine with aromas of blueberry pies, crème de cassis, black cherry compote, chocolate, cedar, clove oil, lavender, rose water, black liquorice, red plum, pepper and menthol. The palate is fruity and full-bodied, with ripe, velvety tannins. Fantastic freshness. Long and perfumed finish.
2018
98+ Parker
2017
98+ Parker
98 Suckling
94 Winespectator

Real reviews from customers who have purchased this product

€427.95 VAT inc.
-5% €450.50