2002 Shafer, Hillside Select, Stags Leap District, Case of 6 btls

Robert Parker | 100 Points

"In contrast to the more linear, structured, but massive 2001, the 2002 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is pure fruit-bomb material, but stunningly proportioned, beautifully pure, with notes of melted chocolate, blackcurrant jam, sweet black cherries, licorice, camphor and charcoal. Very full-bodied, like the 2001, but much more lavishly fruited, it is more accessible and hedonistically, as well as intellectually, satisfying. If the 2001 is the long-distance runner, this comes across more like a middle-distancer. It had performed fabulously well since it was released by the winery, and even though it’s still an adolescent in terms of its evolution, this wine is a head-turner in wine tastings, and a spectacular effort from Napa. "

Jeb Dunnuck | 100 Points

"Pure perfection in red wine, the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is world-class in every way, and it’s such an incredible tasting experience. Still deep ruby/plum-hued, it offers a sensational array of darker currants, truffly earth, camphor, chocolate, and assorted spices to go with a full-bodied, lavish, opulently textured style on the palate. Drinking at point, with both fresh fruit as well as plenty of secondary nuances, it shows the heights Napa Valley Cabernet can hit."

Hillside Select is Shafer's flagship, and has been since John Shafer planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon vines back in 1978. The fruit comes from a cluster of small blocks tucked into an amphitheater of volcanic rock behind the winery in the Stags Leap District, where topsoil is almost nonexistent and the vines have to fight for everything they get. That stress is the whole point. Smaller berries, more concentration, and a wine that can handle 32 months in 100% new French oak without ever tasting like a barrel.

Robert Parker actually underrated California 2002 out of the gate, then came back years later, tasted it again, and admitted he'd gotten it wrong. This bottle is the reason why.

What was once dismissed as a lesser year produced one of the most decorated Hillside Selects Shafer has ever released, a wine Parker and Jeb Dunnuck both eventually scored 100 points, and one CellarTracker members currently rate higher than any other vintage in the wine's history.

Two decades in, it's fully resolved but still has real runway left, drinking beautifully now with room to hold for another 15 to 20 years for those who want to wait it out.