John Shafer's debut release remains a remarkable example of California Cabernet Sauvignon. It is probably a steal should any well-stored bottles appear at any of the increasing number of wine auctions held in the United States. Made during a period when John Shafer was aiming for maximum extraction, with the grapes picked at politically incorrect sugars well over 24 brix, the 1978 remains an extraordinarily rich, blockbuster style of Cabernet Sauvignon with another 20 years of evolution. The color is an opaque purple/garnet, with slight amber at the edge. The spectacular bouquet offers up intense scents of melted chocolate, hickory wood, herbs, and sweet, blackcurranty fruit. The wine is unctuous, with great concentration and intensity (a la a 1961 or 1982 Bordeaux), amazing freshness and fullness, and a huge, thick, rich, spicy finish. There are no signs that this wine is 17-years old, other than some slight amber in the color. The fruit is in extraordinary condition. This fleshy, exotic, full-bodied wine offers thrilling drinking. Should any well-preserved bottles show up in the auction markets, do not think twice about purchasing it.0

The first vintage, the 1978 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, has turned out to be one of the strongest wines made during the first decade of this vineyard. It comes across like a Pauillac-styled red with notes of cedarwood, loamy soil, blackcurrants, fruitcake and tobacco leaf. It could easily be mistaken for a second or third-growth wine from the Pauillac/St.-Julien border given its sweet tannin, spice box, and loads of medium to full-bodied fruit. For this debut vintage, some American oak was used in the wine’s upbringing (a practice that was terminated).