Shafer - Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2008

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit feinem floralem Parfüm unterlegte Anklänge von Brombeeren, Cassis und Kirschen, unterlegt mit Röstanklängen und etwas Nougat. Stoffig und elegant am Gaumen, ausgestattet mit seidigen, aber tragenden Tanninen, extraktsüßes dunkles Waldbeerkonfit im Abgang, mineralische Würze im Nachhall, sehr gutes Reifepotenzial, aber auch schon antrinkbar. Ein Klassiker."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky in color, with an intense aroma packed with chocoalte, licorice, jammy plums, spice and earthy scents. Full bodied, powerful and concentrated, the wine ends with a palate filling, opulent, ripe, fat finish."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Muscular and tightly wound, yet beautifully focused and proportioned, dense and chewy, delivering rich layers of dried currant, blackberry, spice and licorice flavors. Demands cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2028."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Another great Hillside Select from selected blocks in Shafer's vineyard. It's a perfect illustration of the “iron fist in a velvet glove” description of Stags Leap Cabernet, with perhaps more emphasis this year on the velvet than the iron. With smooth tannins and luxurious, oak-influenced blackberry and black cherry jam flavors, it's delicious now and will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 8–10 years."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Vanilla, toast, blackcurrants, graphite, earth and foresty notes are all present in the 2008 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. It has great fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and quite a perfumed personality, but not quite the intensity and length of its predecessor. It could be one of those troublesome pairings where this just happened to follow an out-of-this-world compelling wine. The 2008 is certainly outstanding, just not one of the all-time greats."