1984 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
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Tasting notes
Realm Cellars historic Napa Valley tasting. Doug Shafer, son of John who established the estate in the 1970s, was not a vintner originally. According to Scott Becker of Realm, the vineyard is on the site of an ex brothel for miners. The wine, made a year after the arrival of Doug, had to be rebottled because of H 2 S. Current winemaker Elias Fernandez had arrived by 1984 but didn’t take over from Doug Shafer until the late 1980s. Very deep velvety crimson. The deepest colour of all 17 of these wines, some as young as 2023! Bit taut and tannic on the end. Very drying, sudden finish. The tannin definitively trumps the fruit but it’s still alive! Flavours of black berries – elderberries. A little simpler than some. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
From a hot vintage, the dark plum/garnet-colored 1984 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select had to be acidified significantly. All the baby fat has fallen away, leaving the acids to jut out. There are lots of spice box, red and blackcurrant, cherry and loamy soil notes, but the wine exhibits an unusual tart feeling that has kept it fresher than one might expect, albeit somewhat angular.