2015 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Hillside Select is a wine of a place, produced each vintage from carefully selected blocks of the hillside vineyards which are 100% Shafer’s Estate Vineyards, in the Stags Leap District of Napa valley. The fruit for Hillside Select is sourced from a collection of 14 small vineyard blocks planted within an eons-old amphitheater-like structure of rock and volcanic soil that surrounds the winery. Thanks to scant soil nutrients and moisture, yields at harvest are meager and the berries are small. This Stags Leap District site’s combination of rugged, arid soil and climate results in lush Cabernet Sauvignon fruit with dark color and intense, classic flavour.

Other Reviews....
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select comes bounding out of the glass with gregarious scents of crème de cassis, warm black cherries, plum preserves and Indian spices with hints of lilacs, garrigue, stewed tea and cigar box plus a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied, rich, boldly fruited and wildly decadent, it has a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing with loads of earthy and savory layers.
98-100 Points
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

There’s an intensely ripe, fresh and vibrant edge to this focused, elegant and assertively pure cabernet that delivers attractive blueberry and cassis aromas in stylish form. The palate arrives as a precise and focused suite of ripe blueberry and blackberry flavors, building smoothly to an attractively crisp and even-paced finish. Another superb edition of this wine. Drink or hold
98 Points
Jamessuckling.com

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is dense, powerful and exotically ripe, with copious chocolate, crème de cassis, new leather, smoke and licorice overtones. Unctuous and intense, the 2015 has turned out quite well. The richness of the tiny berries of 2015 comes through in the wine's fruit and tannin intensity. There is a real sense of gravitas to the 2015, although the somewhat larger-scale tannins will likely always be a part of the wine's DNA
95 Points
Vinous