Shafer, Hillside Select 1988

What you might call a great expression of old-fashioned new-wave California. Under the late John Shafer and his son Doug, the excellent Hillside Select has changed little in style over the years. The nose on the 88 is creamy and opulent with notes of sweet tobacco and fig; it’s definitely aged – there are hints of river mud in the aroma – but its acidity is sprightly yet. Napa purists sometimes criticise it for being too sweet, but that’s mere cavilling – this is a world-class wine.