Wine Advisor
Shafer, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 1994
Description
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, about the size of blueberries. 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 flavor.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The current release, the 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, is a prodigious Cabernet. I had it at a tasting in Japan, and the Japanese were as enthusiastic about it as my rating suggested they should be. They were crestfallen when informed they probably would not be able to buy multiple cases of the wine! The 1994 combines the vintage's spectacularly ripe, luscious fruit with a rarely seen degree of elegance and finesse. The wine is extremely rich, as well as gorgeously poised and graceful. The saturated ruby/purple color is accompanied by Medoc-like, lead pencil aromas intermixed with cassis, cedar, minerals, and spice. I wrote the word "great" four different times in my most recent tasting note, which mirrored every other tasting note I have. It is full-bodied and seamless, with a silky texture, voluptuous richness, and fabulous purity. The finish lasts for over 40 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025. Since the 1991 vintage, one of the stars of the Cabernet Sauvignon sweepstakes has been Shafer's Hillside Select. Approximately 2,000-2,200 cases of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon are produced. The wine is aged in 100% new oak for 30 months. Recent vintages have all been spectacular. In short, attempting to decipher qualitative differences between them is akin to splitting hairs. I just hope that Cabernet lovers have the discretionary income and accessibility to cellar a few bottles. Tel. (707) 944-2877; fax (707) 944-9454.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
After tasting over six dozen 1994 California Cabernets, it appears safe to say that this vintage has extremely high potential. It would be foolish to say more great wines were made in 1994 than in 1993, 1992, 1991, and 1990, but given the extraordinary progress and movement toward less interventionalistic winemaking by so many top producers, the quality of wine from the vintage with the longest "hang time" (the days between fruit set and harvest, usually 100-110, but in 1994, 125-140 for many North Coast Cabernet producers) does indeed offer exciting possibilities. Shafer's opaque purple-colored 1994 Hillside Select looks to be a profound wine. The super-sweet black fruit aromas have already absorbed the new oak - an indication of just how much richness and sweet fruit are present! The wine reveals sweet tannin, low but adequate acidity, full body, great precision and purity, and a marvelously long finish that lasts for almost a minute. This should prove to be one of the all time great wines from Shafer. It will have an aging curve of at least 30+ years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A spectacular wine, the 1994 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select begins a succession of profound Hillside Select cuvées that continues nearly uninterrupted (1996 misses slightly) to the present day. It is a further indication of just how impressive this team’s performance has been at this winery. The fully mature 1994, which has another 15-20 years of drinkability ahead of it, exhibits a complex, nearly flamboyant nose of subtle oak, blue, red and black fruits, graphite and licorice. The gorgeous aromas are followed by an opulent, full-bodied, multidimensional mouthfeel that coats the palate.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Each time I tasted this wine I have been blown away by its display of richness, as well as complexity and finesse. Given how sensational the Shafer Hillside Select Cabernets have been in the nineties, I will not predict the 1994 will turn out better than its nineties siblings, but it is unquestionably an impressively-endowed, rich, exceptionally well-balanced wine that already exudes high class. Although not the biggest, most aggressive 1994, it possesses layers of flavor, a silky, sweet component to the fruit, and a firm underpinning of tannin and acidity. This should prove to be a profound Cabernet Sauvignon that will age for 12-15+ years. Note: Prices are listed only for those wines that are being pre-sold as futures by MacArthur Beverages in Washington, DC, the first American wine shop to offer California wine futures, which they have done for eleven consecutive years. Tel. (707) 944-2877
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
At the top of this estate's qualitative hierarchy are their Cabernet Sauvignons. The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of this vintage's candidates for perfection. The wine is awesome, with that seamless, multi-layered, fabulously fragrant, opulent style that the top young wines possess. Although there is plenty of tannin, it is sweet and largely buried behind the wine's dramatic display of fruit, extract, and richness. The huge nose of lead pencil, vanillin, blackcurrants, minerals, and smoke leaps from the glass. This supple, velvety-textured wine should offer superb drinking young, yet last for 20-25 years. Readers may remember my previous lavish reviews of the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignons. These wines have always been high class, but the quality level since 1991 has pushed Shafer's Hillside Select into an elite grouping of two dozen or so California Cabernet producers. There are 2,000-2,400 cases made of these rich, ageworthy Cabernets. Another of Napa's finest wineries, Shafer has taken full advantage of a succession of superlative vintages during the nineties, producing a powerful portfolio of brilliant wines. Since 1991, just about everything emerging from Shafer Vineyards has been high on buyers' lists. All things considered, Doug and John Shafer are at the top of their game. Tel. (707) 944-2877; Fax (707) 944-9454
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Shafer's 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select—the first vintage for which Elias Fernandez was officially named winemaker (he has been with the winery since 1984)—continues to impress every time out. It shows a touch of brick at the rim, while the nose delivers gorgeous cigar-box aromas of cedar, vanilla and tobacco, with black cherry fruit still hanging in there. It's full-bodied, soft and voluminous in feel on the palate, with a long silky finish. It has nowhere to go but down from here, so I would recommend drinking remaining bottles over the rest of this decade (large formats can probably hold longer).
About the Producer
John Shafer, the founder of Shafer Vineyards, was a vice president of a Chicago publishing company when he left his 23-year career in publishing in mid-life. For 35 years, he and his son Doug have run the winery, which has earned a reputation as "one of the best wines in Napa". Today, Sifford is considered to be a full-scale winery, having expanded over the years to over 80 hectares of vineyards. Today, Sifford produces red and white wines with an annual production of 360,000 bottles. Located in the Stag's Leap AVA, the vineyards of Sifford Vineyards are situated in the southeast of Oakville in the middle of Napa Velley, with the Vaca Mountains to the east and the rolling hills and Napa Valley to the west, hence the name "Valley within a Valley". The soil of Deerleap is divided into two types, a volcanic ash layer to the east and a river alluvium layer to the west, consisting of more fertile soils with sub-clay. The vineyards are planted mainly with Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The location on the hillside means that the sunshine, the oceanic fog streams in the evening and the cool nights are ideal for perfect ripening of the grapes. Standing at the foot of the hill and looking upwards, the vineyards slope downwards and, because of the steepness of the slope, the vines need to grow downwards in a desperate attempt to root, allowing the grapes to gain more nutrients and flavour. The long growing period means that the grapes ripen better, with smaller grains and lower yields, resulting in a richer flavour. In order to save energy and reduce the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere, Château Sèvres has installed solar power and does not use the electricity grid at all. In addition, the winery has been growing its grapes organically since the 1980s. The Shafer, Stag's Leap District Hillside Select is one of the top wines of the estate and one that has put it among the top wines in the world. Made from the ripest, most perfect Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the wine is fermented and then matured for 2-3 years in new oak barrels. The wine has a concentrated fruitiness, heavy tannins and a majestic presence. Since 1990, Château Sifford's Deer Leap Mountain Selection has never scored low with the major names, with Parker rating it 100 and 99 points in 2002 and 2001 respectively, and 94-97, 95-97, 97 and 95 points in 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003 respectively.