2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five
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I continue to love this vintage, which is always a more open, sexy, extroverted style compared to the more dense, concentrated, and formidable 2013s. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five gives up a healthy purple/ruby hue as well as a more rounded, expressive, incredibly seductive profile that carries lots of spiced red and black currants, cedarwood, toasted spice, graphite, and loamy earth. Full-bodied, rich, supple, and straight-up seamless on the palate, it has velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a thrilling finish. This is the real deal and will shock you in a blind tasting, as it reminds me of some top 2009 Bordeaux releases. It's drinking brilliantly today yet will cruise for another twenty years as well.
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Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
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Dark plum, mocha, red cherry, spice and tobacco are some of the many notes that blossom in the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five. The 2012 is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon built on voluptuous fruit, power and pure resonance.
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Pint Five is a big-time winner, a blend of almost all Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Malbec and Petit Verdot. The wine has an opaque bluish/purple color, almost indigo, and is full-bodied with dense chocolaty crème de cassis notes, licorice and a touch of minerality. The wine has well-integrated wood, is full and seems balanced and rich enough to age for two decades or more.
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five is round, sexy and immediate. I don't quite see the personality of either the 2010 or 2011, but there is a sense of suppleness and openness to the 2012 that is undeniably attractive. Like many 2012s, the One Point Five is a bit raw today, so it will be interesting to see what the next year brings. The blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, plus drops of Merlot and Petit Verdot.
About the producer
The site of Shafer has been around since 1880, and grapes continued to be grown here, even during prohibition. It is said that some wine was made here during that time. In 1972, John Shafer bought the property in the Stag’s Leap district, he immediately began planting the Cabernet on the hillside.