2022 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District Napa Valley 3pk 3x750ml

Every vintage of Shafer Hillside Select is a trophy — the kind of Napa Cabernet that defines what Stags Leap District does at its best. Steep hillside vineyards, a winemaking family with four decades of precision, and a track record that speaks for itself.

The 2022 vintage arrived as a true Mediterranean year in Napa — warm, even, the kind of growing season that lets Cabernet ripen slowly and completely. The result is a wine critics have scored 96 to 97 points: 97 from James Suckling, 96 each from Jeb Dunnuck, Vinous and Wine Advocate (a barrel-sample note). That range is no accident; it's the fruit of terroir that's been studied and farmed by the same hands since the 1980s.

In the glass, expect layers: dark blackberry, cassis, and black cherry anchored by cocoa, espresso, cedar, and warm spice. The tannins are silky but built to last, the finish long and refined. This is dense, full-bodied Cabernet with super-ripe dark red and purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, and sweet oak threading through every sip. The balance of opulence and freshness is what makes it unmistakable.

I'd cellar this for five years minimum, then pull the cork for a milestone dinner — dry-aged ribeye, a board of aged cheddar, the kind of night you remember. It'll hold beautifully for two decades, but it's already showing the power and polish Hillside Select is known for.