2003 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

(13.5% alcohol): Good dark red. The nose conveys an herbaceous element not shown by the 2002 or 2001, offering scents of plum, milk chocolate, tobacco leaf and wild herbs; I might have picked this blind as Merlot. Thick and chunky on the palate but slightly angular. I find this concentrated wine a bit medicinal, even brutal, on the back end. Suggests a wide range of ripeness. Following a disrupted flowering, the estate did a lot of vineyard work to attempt to even out the ripeness. "But we had too much canopy for too little fruit and had to pick quickly during warm conditions at the end," noted Doug Shafer.

The 2003 is a singular style of wine, but by no means wimpy or undernourished. The 2003 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select has a dense, purple color, notes of creosote, graphite, blackberry and cassis fruit, charcoal and scorched earth. It has a full-bodied mouthfeel and excellent purity, while some rather noticeable tannins kick in on the finish. This wine seems to be moving from adolescence to that early mature stage, where I would expect it to hold for at least another 10-15 or more years. Clearly not one of the superstars in what was a rather astonishing qualitative lineup, but it’s outrageously good Cabernet Sauvignon, and I expect myself, as well as any of my readers, would drink this 24/7.

The style – powerful, ultra-rich and hedonistic – is not for everyone, yet it agrees with many American palates. It’s a fine example of how a big, ripe wine can remain surprisingly balanced for all its opulence. Aromas of forest floor, cedar, cassis and black cherry lead to a palate awash in ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit. Tannins are velvet-soft, yet background toast and brisk acidity keep the wine remarkably fresh. At 14.9 per cent alcohol, there is very little heat. (LM)