2005 Hillside Select® Cabernet Sauvignon
Release date: September 1, 2009
Suggested California retail: $215
“… one of the New World’s most profound Cabernet Sauvignons …” – Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
“Shafer, of course, has been one of Napa’s most reliable wineries, routinely producing great wines, chief among them its Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet from Stags Leap.” – James Laube, Wine Spectator
Hillside Select is made of 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon fruit sourced from rugged hillside vineyard blocks on our Stags Leap District Estate. Truly a “wine of a place,” this Cabernet exemplifies the extraordinary richness and suppleness consistently produced in our little valley within a valley.
Hillside Select is aged a full four years prior to release (three years in Alliers and Tronçais oak barrels and one year in the bottle). While enjoyable today, this wine will gain richness and maturity with up to 20 years of careful cellaring.
“When I released my first Cabernet Sauvignon, the 1978 vintage, everyone remarked on its softness and asked how much Merlot I'd blended in. 'None,' I replied; it was 100% hillside-grown Cabernet. In later vintages, when that wine became our Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, I realized tasters had identified the supple, velvety tannins that are the hallmark of Stags Leap District Cabernet,” says John Shafer.
Winemaker’s Notes
“The 2005 Hillside Select is dark and voluptuous with rich density, balancing elegant, extracted fruit and youthful power. These are the signature aromas and flavors of our hillside vineyards – loads of blackberry, black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate, and black spice integrated seamlessly with vanilla and oak, all drawn together by silky-textured, ripe tannins. This is a vintage that I'd compare to 1994 and 1997.”
– Elias Fernandez
Making a Wine of a Place
John Shafer, Doug Shafer, and Elias Fernandez – the team that have produced Hillside Select for
more than two decades – tell behind-the-scenes stories about how the wine was created and how it’s
being made today.
Hillside Select® Tasting Notes
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
| 2005 | From a year of abundant fruit we selected only the best-of-the-best from our small vineyard blocks. Pure varietal aromas of blackberry and cassis almost seem to press the cork out of the bottle followed by juicy flavors of black cherry, currant, cassis liqueur, black plum, dark chocolate, spice and tobacco. The exuberance of these flavors comes in a knitting of ripe, round tannins that promises, as we’ve seen with this wine, that the power of youth will one day mature into the smoky elegance and complexity of age. | Drink now – 20 years |
| 2004 | This is a classic Hillside Select striking a balance of dark, lush, jammy fruit with youthful elegance. These are the enduring aromas and flavors of our hillside grapes – loads of blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, juicy black cherry, black pepper integrated nicely with oak, char and vanilla all tied up in a bow of silky, firm, easy-to-enjoy tannins. In terms of its weight and style, this one is a close relative of the 1999 vintage. | Drink now – 19 years |
| 2003 | The aromas of blackberry, black cherry and spice combine power and perfume while the wine fills the mouth with a rich abundance of cassis, blackberry, toasty vanilla, mocha, herbs, and a seamless integration of soft, ripe Stags Leap District tannins. Expansive and juicy in the mouth with flavors that remain long after the glass is empty. | Drink now – 13 years |
| 2002 | This Hillside Select is classic Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon from a justly celebrated Napa Valley vintage. Pure, wide-open, dark-fruit aromas and flavors. The movement from nose to mouth to supple tannin to lengthy finish is harmonious, offering a round, expansive, silky liquid feast of black cherry, rich plum, black fruit, cassis, and dark chocolate shot through with toasty vanilla, blueberry, and cedar. Strikes a balance between extract and elegance. | Drink now – 18 years |
| 2001 | From the legendary 2001 vintage this Hillside Select offers aromatic, elegant black berry, currant, black cherry, cola, and cassis; rich, stylish dark fruit flavors, with a balanced seasoning of minerals, smoke, vanilla, tobacco, and herbs; a core of sweetness emerges from our hillside fruit with a long, mouth-filling finish of chocolate and spice all surrounded by the classic silky tannins of the Stags Leap District | Drink now – 14 years |
| 2000 | Shows a pleasing range of aromatics — black fruit, pepper, mineral, sweet-spicy vanilla and dense purple-midnight color. Beginning to show age characteristics of cedar and tea. A core of sweetness and supple, mature tannins from our small-berried hillside fruit spread a rounded, rich feel in the mouth and a lengthy finish. | Drink now – 6 years |
| 1999 | After ten years this one continues to fill the glass with aromatic brightness and in the mouth offering raspberry, blackberry, cola and a richness of fruit; its liveliness is just beginning to show a more mature balance of tobacco, herbs and minerals and a core of sweetness. This generously proportioned wine offers a long, lingering. Its masculine tannins are similar to the 1992 vintage of Hillside Select and continue to offer excellent aging potential. | Drink now – 11 years |
| 1998 | We wish we had more of this one in our cellar. It’s gorgeous. Deep color with soft tannins and luscious fruit typical of our hillside vineyards. Aromatics offer a blend of currants, vanilla and mineral in the mouth and a long finish. This was our first vintage to perform berry selection in the vineyard ensuring that the fruit we harvested was the best of the vintage. That work shows here. | Drink now – 6 years |
| 1997 | Just when we thought this one would never grow up, we find it moving past primary fruit with elegant characteristics of cedar, tea and tobacco. Even so, expect the ’97 to remain lively for a few years to come as it still offers big mouthfeel, dark color, with flavors of chocolate and black fruit. A long finish of mocha, vanilla and spice is tied up with the classic tannins of the Stags Leap District | Drink now – 8 years |
| 1996 | With more herbs, cedar and tea than its ’97 sibling, this one offers ripe aromatics and elegantly balanced fruit flavors. Uncork this vintage and you’ll find deep color in the center of the glass with a ring of brick at the edge, with a silky texture and maturing fruit, showing elements of black currant and dark spice with a long finish. | Drink now - 5 years |
| 1995 | At 14 years of age this Hillside Select still shows such richness – lively, lovely, dark and complex. Powerful, elegant and composed, with velvety brick color and maturing Cabernet flavors. Rich with great depth of flavor and a lingering finish. | Drink now – 4 years |
| 1994 | From one of the watershed years where a great vintage and winemaking experience came together. Showing delicate, complex layers of tea, cedar, tobacco and leather. This is bottle bouquet in a delicious phase. | Drink now – 4 years |
| 1993 | A very complete wine in a more subtle way than 1994; this one almost seems like it belongs in a line-up of our Hillside Selects from the late 1980s. Showing mature color with a brick-red rim; oak toast, plums and nice earth/mineral notes in the nose. Bright, refined fruit that has pleasing depth and finesse. | Drink now – 2 years |
| 1992 | More showy than its 1991 sibling. This was our first wine produced without sterile filtration. Enjoying the full pleasures of age in its aroma and flavor profile; balanced and structured with tannins that have reconciled with the fruit. Some amber at the edges of the glass. A smooth, seamless wine. Long finish. Showing bottle bouquet. In terms of ageability this vintage benefited from the kind of masculine tannins we didn’t see again until 1999. | Drink now – 2 years |
| 1991 | This was a fantastic vintage with lots of hang time. In the cellar we’d learned how to produce our wines with less human manipulation. Dense color in the center of the glass with red/orange at the edges, dense flavors, juicy fruit, great length, and richness. Complexities are still developing. . | Drink now – 2 years |
| 1990 | Beautiful color with flavors and aromas of blackberries, tea, herbs, spice, cedar and developing mushroom. Mature and balanced with a silky texture and pleasing finish. | Drink now |
| 1989 | A complete, complex wine. Mature Cabernet aromas that lead to complex herbal, tea and cedar flavors and soft tannins. Still sweet with nice length. | Drink now |
| 1988 | Medium dark color, floral notes in the nose. Medium bodied, mature Cabernet flavors and moderate tannins. | Drink now |
| 1987 | Bigger, more substantial than 1985 or 1986. Mature, herbal aromas. Complex Cabernet Sauvignon flavors balanced by soft tannins. | Drink now – 5 years |
| 1986 | Developed aromas of earth and mature fruit. Complex bottle bouquet. | Drink now – 3 years |
| 1985 | Mature color with restrained, mature medium/full-bodied flavors. Still some vibrancy and liveliness. | Drink now – 3/5 years |
| 1984 | Pleasantly surprising in our most recent tasting. From a warm vintage this Hillside Select is still showing sweetness (not dried out) with nice color, herbal aromas. The only year that wasn’t 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (7% Cabernet Franc added). Medium body, mature flavors. | Drink now - 2 years |
| 1983 | Fully
mature color and aromas. Nice acidity complements mature flavors
and resolved tannins. |
Drink now |
2005 Hillside Select® Reviews
“... continues to put on weight, and displays a Bordeaux-like personality … black purple color, stunningly sweet fruit, and a gorgeous bouquet of underbrush, forest floor, crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, and toasty barrique are found in this ripe, full-bodied, deep, stunningly well-balanced, substantial wine with undeniable complexity as well as richness.”
– Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
“Generous ripe plum, black cherry and currant flavors are supple and focused, complex and balanced. Full-bodied and focused, ending with a long, layered finish that picks up anise, cedar and mineral notes.”
– James Laube, Wine Spectator
“Almost black in color, with violet highlights, this massive yet graceful red unleashes a flood of flavors that range from black currant and black raspberry to banana cream, charred bread, and graphite.”
– Robb Report
“…full body; big, rich, intense, complex, spicy, cassis, and dark cherry flavors with outstanding depth and concentration; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to taste now with its richness, depth and restrained tannin, though deserves another five more years of bottle aging to develop further. Very highly recommended.”
– California Grapevine
“A stunning California cabernet, heady with black fruit, layers of flavor, a decade or more to maturity. Automatic collectible.”
– Peter Gianotti, Newsday
“Black garnet hue to the rim. Heady bouquet of cooked cherry, coffee bean and Hershey’s dark chocolate syrup. Round and supple with layers flavors of black cherry, anise and chocolate. Very soft finish; tempting and approachable in its youth.”
– The Wine News
