We had the double magnum of this at Xmas, it's smaller brother is wow...rocks all the boxes and more... subtle, tabac, berries, yup yup and yup W64 40 yo yos — a year ago
Dark tawny center with amber color and clear rims. Barely translucent. Massive nose of tobacco and Cuban cigar with notes of sweet black fruit, moist dark soil, unsweetened chocolate, pencil lead, old cedar desk wood and a little barnyard. Great mouth feel and texture. Very much alive. Opened and slow-ox’d for a few hours, then put in a decanter an hour before. This powered up all night. Last sip was the best. I’ve probably had more LB than any other Bordeaux (young and old, mostly old), and this was head and shoulders better than any previous bottle. Great juice! — 4 years ago

Wow, incredible, and still holding up after all these years. Upon opening, basically no fruit, all secondary characteristics, especially on the nose. As it opened up, some dark cherry appeared and eventually the nose and palate came together. A sensory journey 48 Years in the making and a pleasure to partake. — 8 years ago
Everything you'd expect and more. All the rich dark fruit, chocolate and lush purple flowers, but none of the sticky over-ripe flavors. So balanced. — 9 years ago
Pours Mangue in color. ON THE NOSE: lime, strawberry and floral accents ON THE PALATE: citrus, strawberry, minerality with a nice burst of acidity on the finish. light body with a medium finish. — 10 years ago
2002 SHAFER Cabernet Sauvignon
"Hillside Select"
Napa Valley, California
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Silky smooth.
Soft, lush tannins.
Dark, Black Fruit.
Blackberry and Blueberry Flavors.
All Elements in harmony.
Great Balance.
Extra long finish.
"Wine of the Night".
Still has another 5 - 10 years of life ahead. — 11 years ago

One of my Fav's of ALL time — 11 years ago
Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Nose of red and black fruits with light wood, tobacco and chocolate notes.
Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, light oak, licorice, chocolates, spices and earth.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Grenache blend is starting to drink very nicely now, with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.
Elegant and rich. Interesting and engaging. A very traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape in style.
Well balanced and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with food.
A blend of all 13 allowed grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but mostly Grenache. Hand picked and whole cluster. Aged for 2 years in large French oak barrels.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$110. — a year ago
2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — a year ago
A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 7 years ago
Facemelting. That is all. — 8 years ago
Surprisingly dark after all these years. Currant, mint & grandpa's baseball glove. Fantastic! — 9 years ago
Another level... Still dense at the core, with steady, attractive bricking: Wonderfully dense nose of blackcurrents, pencil shavings, fine tanned leather, and a hint of woodland floor (fine moss, leaves, and fresh soil after an autumn shower). Velvety tannins and great acidity. Along with the '66 this is one of my all-time favourite Bordeaux vintages. Seems to be keeping up better than the '61s I've had over the last few years!
We drank half of it from the coravin before waxing the top in case the cork had lost too much elasticity to self-seal. I'll have the rest with my brother in a few weeks' time! — 10 years ago
This is indeed quite a lovely old school rioja, the nose awash with savoury leafy tones, tobacco and warm earth, dried plums and unfortunately the coconut dill of american wood....very refined palate, mid-sized, fluent and sweet n sour throughout, delicious peat moss and mud tones, plenty of dried fruit, however a creaminess to the texture and a splash of cedar on the finish detracts from its otherwise unmistakable beauty. I just can't help but feel this would be so much better without the american oak. I can only wait for the day all top riojan wines cast aside the shadow of their past, and believe wholesomely in the grandeur of their unique terroir. — 11 years ago
1995 from Mag. A beast that evolved all night. — 11 years ago
Gamay all day, every day! With some aging on it. Good to drink, still good to keep. — 12 years ago
This was a well-stored example and the cork was in pretty great shape; extracted with the aid of a Durand. Opened about an hour before service and poured into a decanter. Enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 1981 pours a garnet color with a slight orange-ish rim; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with mostly desiccated notes of dark and red fruit: red currants, confected cherry, organic earth, mushroom, leather, eucalyptus, baking spice. Umami AF. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. While showing its age, this is very much alive. The entire bottle was enjoyed by all. Drink now. — a year ago
So beautiful and clear in its purpose, titillating on the nose and fulfilling its promises beyond. Balanced and velvety dark red fruit, hints of black tea and cassis but all in a more Old than New World Gestalt. Lots of secondary stuff emerging you just want to sip it slowly. If anybody wonders how well these age, track one down, it’s so worth it. Kudos @Cathy Corison for making this distinctive and enduring bottle! — 8 years ago
An off vintage that shouldn't have improved! @ £47 this 07 is drinking lovely right now w/ all tannins soft & integrated 👍
🍇 70% Cab S, 27% Mer & 3% Cab F
🍷 Opaque ruby
👃 Mineral & pencil lead driven earthy spiced blackcurrant & dark plum w/ leather, wet leaves, mint & smokey cedar/oak
👄 Med+ body of creamy smooth blackcurrant & dark plum w/ mocha & minerals, all well integrated now
🎯 Med+ ripe dark fruit, mocha & mineral coating — 9 years ago
Cherries, blackberries, macerated raspberries and slight smoke, with present tannins, yet ultra smooth. Wonderful finish. Very mild, but boasts a red and black rush of berries, all while completely mellow. Masterful. — 10 years ago
Still has wonderful fruit after all@these years. — 10 years ago
Añada 2007 de mi vino favorito all time. Tremendo año en Phelps y California. #BestWineEver — 11 years ago
Z-Best!!! My personal fav of all time!!!! — 11 years ago
Marc Melser
We had the 2012 Vintage on 7/12-13/25. With 13 Years of aging, all the tannins have been smoothed out. Tastes of blueberry, plum, leather and spice. Medium to full bodied. Still fruit forward. Very good — 10 months ago