Shafer Hillside Select Stags Leap District Napa Cabernet 2017 Rated 98+WA

Wine Advocate Review
Rated 98+
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select displays a deep garnet-purple color, bursting from the glass with scents of blueberry pie, creme de cassis, black cherry compote and chocolate box plus nuances of cedar chest, clove oil, lavender and menthol. The richly fruited, full-bodied palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring gorgeous ripe, velvety tannins and fantastic freshness to support all the spicy black fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed. An absolute triumph! Drink 2022-2047.

Jeb Dunnuck Review
Rated 98
In the running for the wine of the vintage, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is an incredible success and offers more depth, opulence, and purity than just about every other wine out there. Revealing a dense purple color as well as a killer nose of blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries, scorched earth, tobacco, violets, and exotic spices, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, pure, incredibly layered mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great, great finish. As with most top 2017s, it stays tight and compact on the palate, with notable structure and impressive concentration. It has some up-front appeal given its purity of fruit and balance, yet it's going to take 7-8 years to hit prime time and will be a long-lived bottle of Napa Cabernet. Hats off to Doug Shafer and the team for yet another magical Cabernet Sauvignon!

VinoUS Media Review
Rated 97
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is an insanely beautiful wine. The aromatics alone are pure seduction. Juicy, red berry fruit, crushed flower, cinnamon, blood orange and spice give the 2017 quite a bit of complexity, but it is the wine's textural finesse and impeccable balance that elevate it to its place among the very finest wines of the year. Stylistically, the 2017 is a bit more red-toned in profile. Texturally, it is a bit lighter and less opulent than the norm, but that is not a bad thing. The 2017 has always been stellar from barrel, but the from-bottle tasting is the proof in the pudding. It's a tour de force from Proprietor Doug Shafer and Winemaker Elias Fernandez. (Antonio Galloni)

Wine Tasting Notes
From the ideal 2017 vintage comes a rich, profound expression of Hillside Select that is lifted, fresh, and vibrant. This Cabernet Sauvignon fills the glass with aromas of blackberry, cassis, currant, wet stone, chocolate, briar fruit, and all spice. In the momentous mouth, from a foundation of lush, dark fruit, there emerges juicy red plum, raspberry, black pepper, and touches of lavender and anise. The tannins are ripe and silky, ready for right-now drinking, while offering the promise of beautiful things to come with cellaring. The finish stays with you both in the mouth and in the memory for a long, long time.