Shafer 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Select, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
In 1973, at age 48,
John Shafer moved his family
from Chicago to Napa Valley.
At the base of the Palisades
in the Stags Leap District,
he discovered the property
he’d dreamed of: The hillside, with its thin,
volcanic soils, would serve as the sort of
vineyard site he knew had been prized in
the Mediterranean for centuries. In 1978,
he produced the first Shafer Vineyards
wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from
his original block of hillside vines. That
debut expression was released in 1981 to
high praise, setting a benchmark for future
Shafer Hillside Cabernets like this one. John
passed away in March, and this revered wine
serves as a tribute to his vision. Upright
and statuesque, it delivers broad strokes of
blackberry cream and teeth-grabbing, ripe
tannins. Mocha, espresso, earth, and slate
release their energy, surging with texture and
flavor. 98
– Meridith May, May 2019
See more reviews at tastingpanelmag.com
