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Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2011 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Napa Valley
subappellation
Stags Leap District
WA
96
JS
96
WE
95
VM
94
WS
93
Additional vintages
WA
96
Rated 96 by Wine Advocate
Possibly the Cabernet Sauvignon of the vintage is Shafer’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Last year I thought it was a strong effort, but it’s even better now that it’s been bottled. With an opaque black/purple color and notes of subtle burning charcoal embers, blueberry, blackberry and graphite, the wine has a certain Bordelais minerality, but then the richness of Napa kicks in. It’s full-bodied (somewhat unusual for a 2011) with lighter tannins, and no doubt the wine will be on a faster evolutionary track than vintages such as 2010, 2012 and 2013. Nevertheless, the Shafers and Elias said this was the toughest vintage they’d ever experienced. To be able to produce a compelling wine like this is a testament to their extraordinary skills and craftsmanship. This wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 15-20 years. ... More details
Image of bottle
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Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2011 750ml

SKU 904013
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$1588.68
/case
$264.78
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
WA
96
JS
96
WE
95
VM
94
WS
93
WA
96
Rated 96 by Wine Advocate
Possibly the Cabernet Sauvignon of the vintage is Shafer’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Last year I thought it was a strong effort, but it’s even better now that it’s been bottled. With an opaque black/purple color and notes of subtle burning charcoal embers, blueberry, blackberry and graphite, the wine has a certain Bordelais minerality, but then the richness of Napa kicks in. It’s full-bodied (somewhat unusual for a 2011) with lighter tannins, and no doubt the wine will be on a faster evolutionary track than vintages such as 2010, 2012 and 2013. Nevertheless, the Shafers and Elias said this was the toughest vintage they’d ever experienced. To be able to produce a compelling wine like this is a testament to their extraordinary skills and craftsmanship. This wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 15-20 years.
JS
96
Rated 96 by James Suckling
Extremely minty with dried flowers, dark berries and currants. Full body but refined, with super-integrated tannins. The wood, ripe fruit, tannin and acid balance is beautiful. Wonderful potential here.
WE
95
Rated 95 by Wine Enthusiast
This mighty icon of the Napa Valley shows it can handle a cool vintage with as much power and velvety grace as in any other year, providing plenty of grippy tobacco, leather and cedar atop a tannic backbone and mouthwatering mouthfeel. A 100% varietal wine fromvarious estate-farmed vineyard blocks, it guards its minerality with a steely gaze, rationing out black currant, clove and tobacco in measured waves. Drink now through 2021. (Cellar Selection)
VM
94
Rated 94 by Vinous Media
The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is intensely aromatic and bright. Rose petal, sage, mint and blood orange give the 2011 crazy aromatic presence. Still very fresh and nuanced, the 2011 has aged impeccably and also has the energy to drink well for another decade. The 2011 will always be a lithe, understated Hillside Select, but the pedigree is very much there. The introduction of optical sorting for the first time surely helped.
WS
93
Rated 93 by Wine Spectator
Openly rich and plush, with a dense core of mocha-laced blackberry, charry oak, subtle spice, hot brick and cedary, earthy notes, this hints at a rustic character and is edgy at points, yet the core intensity persists. Ends with drying tannins. Best from 2017 through 2027. 2,400 cases made.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
United States
region
California
appellation
Napa Valley
subappellation
Stags Leap District
Additional vintages
Overview
Possibly the Cabernet Sauvignon of the vintage is Shafer’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Last year I thought it was a strong effort, but it’s even better now that it’s been bottled. With an opaque black/purple color and notes of subtle burning charcoal embers, blueberry, blackberry and graphite, the wine has a certain Bordelais minerality, but then the richness of Napa kicks in. It’s full-bodied (somewhat unusual for a 2011) with lighter tannins, and no doubt the wine will be on a faster evolutionary track than vintages such as 2010, 2012 and 2013. Nevertheless, the Shafers and Elias said this was the toughest vintage they’d ever experienced. To be able to produce a compelling wine like this is a testament to their extraordinary skills and craftsmanship. This wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 15-20 years.
barrel

Vintage: 2011

The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines. In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
green grapes

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

There is little doubt about the fact that the most familiar red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, seen listed on bottles from more or less every single wine producing country across the globe. Part of the reason for this is the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is a particularly hardy grape, resistant to both frost and rot, and can grow well in a number of climatic conditions so long as it receives enough sunlight and water. Of course, this is only half the story – we cannot ignore the fact that wines made from the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal are prized not only for their strong acidic fruit flavors, spicy and earthy notes and high tannin content, but also for the fact that they age beautifully in oak, resulting in wines which are on another level from those made from lesser grapes. Aged wines made using primarily Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are widely recognized to be the finest in the world. The aging process rounds out the tannins, softens the acidity and allows a wide range of fascinating and complex flavors and aromas to come through, making them an unquestioned highlight of the red wine world.
barrel

Region: California

Since the 18th century, California has been a hugely important and influential wine region, acting as a trailblazer for other New World wine regions and utilizing an important blend of traditional and contemporary practices, methods and techniques relating to their wine production. Split into four key areas – the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast and the Central Valley – Californian wineries make the most of their ideal climate and rich variety of terrains in order to produce a fascinating range of wines made with a long list of different fine grape varietals. Today, the state has almost half a million acres under vine, and is one of the world's largest wine exporters, with Californian wines being drunk and enjoyed all across the globe.
fields

Country: United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Napa Valley

Anybody with an interest in New World wines is surely in agreement with the fact that Napa Valley in California is now, without much doubt, one of the world's premier wine regions. With an ideal climate for viticulture, fertile and mineral rich soils, and a dedication for quality and expression of terroir, Napa Valley wines consistently impress on the world stage with their flavors, aromas and overall character. The wineries of the valley have had plenty of success with a wide range of grape varietals, which flourish in the heat and ripen fully in the Californian sunshine each year, and the innovation and experimentation undertaken by the vintners of the region has helped create a wine culture and reputation in the valley which is unique, yet classic – a perfect blend of the new and the old.
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More Details
Winery Shafer
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Vintage: 2011

The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines. In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
green grapes

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

There is little doubt about the fact that the most familiar red wine grape varietal in the world is the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, seen listed on bottles from more or less every single wine producing country across the globe. Part of the reason for this is the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is a particularly hardy grape, resistant to both frost and rot, and can grow well in a number of climatic conditions so long as it receives enough sunlight and water. Of course, this is only half the story – we cannot ignore the fact that wines made from the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal are prized not only for their strong acidic fruit flavors, spicy and earthy notes and high tannin content, but also for the fact that they age beautifully in oak, resulting in wines which are on another level from those made from lesser grapes. Aged wines made using primarily Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are widely recognized to be the finest in the world. The aging process rounds out the tannins, softens the acidity and allows a wide range of fascinating and complex flavors and aromas to come through, making them an unquestioned highlight of the red wine world.
barrel

Region: California

Since the 18th century, California has been a hugely important and influential wine region, acting as a trailblazer for other New World wine regions and utilizing an important blend of traditional and contemporary practices, methods and techniques relating to their wine production. Split into four key areas – the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast and the Central Valley – Californian wineries make the most of their ideal climate and rich variety of terrains in order to produce a fascinating range of wines made with a long list of different fine grape varietals. Today, the state has almost half a million acres under vine, and is one of the world's largest wine exporters, with Californian wines being drunk and enjoyed all across the globe.
fields

Country: United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Napa Valley

Anybody with an interest in New World wines is surely in agreement with the fact that Napa Valley in California is now, without much doubt, one of the world's premier wine regions. With an ideal climate for viticulture, fertile and mineral rich soils, and a dedication for quality and expression of terroir, Napa Valley wines consistently impress on the world stage with their flavors, aromas and overall character. The wineries of the valley have had plenty of success with a wide range of grape varietals, which flourish in the heat and ripen fully in the Californian sunshine each year, and the innovation and experimentation undertaken by the vintners of the region has helped create a wine culture and reputation in the valley which is unique, yet classic – a perfect blend of the new and the old.