shafer hillside select cabernet sauvignon 2016

shafer's story begins in 1972, when after a 23-year career in publishing, john shafer moved to the napa valley to start his new life in wine. far from being a spur of the moment move, he had long wanted to be self-employed and had planned ahead. on 85 hectares in the stag's leap district, the hardest part was replanting the vines that dated back to the 1920s. at the time, john shafer only thought of growing grapes, but never imagined he could make wine. in 1978, on the advice of a friend, he bottled the first cabernet sauvignon in old mondavi bottles, rewriting "shafer 1977" on the label. the following year the crop was excellent and the wine became iconic. it won international acclaim and even passed in some competitions ahead of bordeaux châteaux, including chateau margaux, chateau latour and chateau palmer. doug shafer, his son, took over in 1983, working hard with his assistant elias fernandez to create elegant wines. new parcels have been added since then, at carneros and oak knoll. "we have this rather conservative idea that wine should be good. forget the notes, forget the critics. like food, wine has a responsibility to be good," said john shafer. in 1994, doug shafer became president of the company and elias fernandez became cellar master, but john shafer continued to travel until recently, visiting importers and receiving customers with his legendary good humour and kindness. today, shafer's vineyards cover 80 hectares and after a modest start with 1000 cases in 1978, the estate produces 32,000 cases of cabernet, merlot, chardonnay and syrah. very deep, vibrant purple-black colored, the 2016 cabernet sauvignon hillside select strides confidently out of the glass with expressive notions of blueberry preserves, black forest cake, cassis and cedar chest with touches of pencil lead, licorice, violets and sandalwood plus a an exotic waft of indian spices. the rich, densely packed, full-bodied palate is at once thrillingly hedonic and perfectly poised, featuring a rock-solid frame of firm, exquisitely ripe tannins and tons of freshness, finishing epically long and with stunning opulence. bravo! ---wine advocate