Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Shafer Hillside Select 2012 is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon red wine from the Stag`s Leap District AVA of Napa, California. Shafer’s flagship wine, Hillside Select is produced from low-yielding Cabernet vines growing on rocky, volcanic soils on hillsides above the winery. The 2012 was matured in 100% new oak for 32 months. "This can generally be expected to be one of the top dozen or so Cabernet Sauvignons in virtually any vintage in Napa, and certainly possesses 25 to possibly 50 years of aging potential. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a perfect wine. It elicits more than a few `wows` when you smell the incredible notes of charcoal, graphite and subtle toast, buttressed and dominated by blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit. The purity of these fruits, the multidimensional mouthfeel, the seamless integration of acid, alcohol, tannin and wood are all flawless. The 2012 signature adds an extravagant opulence and density that is just mind-boggling, and the wine is a total hedonistic and intellectual turn-on already, although it has 30+ years of life ahead of it." 100 points, Wine Advocate, 2016