2007 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select

Deep purple-black colored, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select exudes beautiful notions of violets, dark chocolate, black olives, spice cake and cedar chest with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry pie, plum preserves and fragrant earth plus a waft of unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied, super concentrated and jam-packed with multilayered black and blue fruits, it has a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long with tons of exotic spice and savory sparks.

Saturated bright ruby. Very deep, dark, almost liqueur-like aromas of cassis, black cherry, cocoa powder and mocha. A huge, chocolatey-ripe wine with an obvious warmth and compelling sweetness to its fine-grained cherry liqueur and dark berry flavors. Big but harmonious tannins spread out to saturate the entire palate on the very long back end. This wine is just now embarking on its plane of peak maturity and will probably remain there for quite some time. Some critics of flamboyantly ripe Napa Cabernets may find this wine a bit extreme (as is the case with numerous other 2007s) yet it manages to retain its balance--and its depth of fruit is extraordinary. (ST)

(15.5% alcohol): Deep red with ruby tones. Classic Stags Leap nose combines dark plum, black cherry, currant, mocha, dried herbs, cigar box, leafy underbrush and cocoa powder; I thought of a fresh-baked doughnut. Very densely packed and youthful but showing considerably more personality--and more consistent ripeness--than the 2006 edition. This seriously structured wine finishes with substantial but ripe tannins and excellent length. I wouldn't pull the cork for at least another few years. From a vintage featuring small clusters and small berries.