
Red wine
Shafer Vineyards, Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
RRP £129
A cool year, but ‘I’ve never seen such pretty clusters,’ says Shafer, who’s not a fan of this vintage. A really classic Cabernet nose: the first aroma is hay, then plum skin, then a rather washed palate. Hard, rather unforgiving tannins at end – very reserved and austere. This is an outlier. Of course we want freshness, but Napa should bring perfume, and a certain lushness. Those are the qualities that we expect from Hillside Select. Then again, terroir is weather, as well as rock and wind, so if this is what the vintage brings, then you should be true to it.
Score
Wine Details
Colour
Red
Wine Style
Still
Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol
0%
Drink dates
2020 - 2030
Origin
Country
USA
Region
California
Sub-region
Napa Valley AVA
Area
Stags Leap District AVA
Tasting Information
Blind
No
Tasted by
Adam Lechmere