2015 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap District Napa Valley 750 ml

Even as wine professionals, we were giddy in the lead-up to our lunch with Doug Shafer last spring. He is one of the true legends of the world of American wine, as was his father John before him. And the bottles bearing the Shafer name are some of the most critically lauded in the world. It turned out to be a transformative meal, and proved once again that more often than not, the best wines are produced by the nicest, most authentic people.

And the 2015 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon that was the centerpiece of the meal is among the greatest vintages of this cult classic that’s ever been crafted. Wine Advocate awarded it 98+ points, praising its “gregarious scents of crème de cassis, warm black cherries, plum preserves and Indian spices.” They added that it’s “full-bodied, rich, boldly fruited and wildly decadent…” James Suckling, in his own 98-point love letter, called it an “elegant and assertively pure cabernet.” As for us, we just couldn’t help smiling from the time we took our first sips.

Even with a track record as one of the most important wines in America, this particular one is a standout, a culmination of sorts for a project that’s been going on for decades.

It began as a collaboration between father and son nearly 40 years ago, when John Shafer, who founded the estate, and Doug began re-working the amphitheater of vines that would eventually grow Hillside Select. Over the years, they fine-tuned their practices, re-planting, working in an increasingly sustainable manner, and coaxing from their ancient land a Cabernet that is perennially ranked as among the best in the world, alongside such names as Latour, Screaming Eagle, and more.

In 2015, the 14 separate blocks that were incorporated into the wine produced fruit of exceptional concentration. Heat and drought meant that relatively small grapes grew on the vines that year. After harvest, winemaker Elias Fernandez (a legend in his own right who Food & Wine Magazine previously named “Winemaker of the Year”) vinified the pristine fruit and began the process of aging the wine in new French oak for 32 months. The result is an unforgettable Cabernet Sauvignon of power, decadence, and impressive structure. It’s a show-stopper already, and will continue to evolve in the bottle for decades to come.

Each year, Shafer Hillside Select is one of the most clamored-for wines in the world: Every sommelier and collector wants to get their hands on a bottle, but with just 2,400 cases produced on average, there is just never enough to go around.

But that day at lunch, over a bottle of miraculous 2015 Hillside Select, rib eyes, and lively conversation, we managed to acquire enough of the icon to offer to our members. This is an exceedingly rare opportunity to own a piece of California history. And an utterly delicious one at that.