1993 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(13.5% alcohol): Good medium red. Enticing lift to the aromas of redcurrant, black pepper, sage, mint, spices and flowers. Concentrated and fresh if not hugely expansive, conveying a slightly aggressive quality to its nicely delineated flavors of plum, redcurrant, spices and herbs. The tannins are firm but fairly sweet, and the finish persistent. This wine held up nicely in the glass. This vintage began with a cold, rainy flowering and irregular clusters, and the estate did extensive work to even out the ripeness of the fruit.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The deep purple-colored 1993 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is somewhat disjointed on the palate. Although there are some attractive blue and black fruits in the nose, along with some new oak in the background, the bouquet reveals a lack of focus. This tough vintage has turned out an outstanding Hillside Select, but it is not one of the superstars of 1993. Medium-bodied and intact aromatically and flavor-wise, there is an overall sense that something is missing.
The deep purple-colored 1993 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is somewhat disjointed on the palate. Although there are some attractive blue and black fruits in the nose, along with some new oak in the background, the bouquet reveals a lack of focus. This tough vintage has turned out an outstanding Hillside Select, but it is not one of the superstars of 1993. Medium-bodied and intact aromatically and flavor-wise, there is an overall sense that something is missing.||Shafer’s Hillside Estate Vineyard consists of 54 acres all on steep, amphitheater-like, rocky outcroppings and knolls. It receives the full benefit of southeasterly sunlight, and enjoys the afternoon breezes that blow up from the San Francisco Bay channel. An unusual geographic feature, this vineyard is basically a box canyon. The top soil is virtually non-existent as the bed roots that go into the white tofu volcanic soil base rarely extend more than 18 inches before hitting bedrock. This no doubt is a significant reason for the intense flavors achieved by the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, and why it is able to spend 32 months in 100% new French oak without a woody taste. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014
About the producer
The site of Shafer has been around since 1880, and grapes continued to be grown here, even during prohibition. It is said that some wine was made here during that time. In 1972, John Shafer bought the property in the Stag’s Leap district, he immediately began planting the Cabernet on the hillside.