2011 has been much maligned, yet top producers ignored the bad press and proceeded to make their usual top-notch wine. I actually think this is one of the best Hillside Select bottlings since 2005. It’s got all the ripeness and full flavor that devotees expect, and it’s not showing the heat that it has in previous vintages. Instead, it goes more into the zone that I like – moderate fall spice, faint dried herbs, stony minerality and oodles of black fruit that doesn’t go over the top in ripeness. It finishes long, and has a long life ahead, and compared to its direct competition amongst the cult cognoscenti, it represents a good value.
Shafer, Stag’s Leap District (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
By Rich Cook