2011 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is intensely aromatic and bright. Rose petal, sage, mint and blood orange give the 2011 crazy aromatic presence. Still very fresh and nuanced, the 2011 has aged impeccably and also has the energy to drink well for another decade. The 2011 will always be a lithe, understated Hillside Select, but the pedigree is very much there. The introduction of optical sorting for the first time surely helped.

(15.5% alcohol): Dark red with ruby tones. Musky aromas of mocha, coffee, leather, licorice, creosote and herbs. Juicy and intense but without the explosive fruit of the 2010; a touch of asparagus gives the wine a greenness in the middle palate but there's also plenty of supporting dark fruit and graphite minerality. Doug Shafer noted that this fruit was picked at up to 26 degrees Brix, but I still find it a bit light. Finishes with chalky tannins and a continuing element of greenness. Shafer described 2011 as "London in Napa Valley: it would not dry out." This was the first year the estate used its new optical sorter.

Openly rich and plush, with a dense core of mocha-laced blackberry, charry oak, subtle spice, hot brick and cedary, earthy notes, this hints at a rustic character and is edgy at points, yet the core intensity persists. Ends with drying tannins.