From a hot vintage, the dark plum/garnet-colored 1984 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select had to be acidified significantly. All the baby fat has fallen away, leaving the acids to jut out. There are lots of spice box, red and blackcurrant, cherry and loamy soil notes, but the wine exhibits an unusual tart feeling that has kept it fresher than one might expect, albeit somewhat angular.

Made during the period when too much acidity was being added, the 1984 Hillside Select displays a youthful, dark ruby/purple color, and a stylish, restrained, perfumed nose of red fruits, oak, and minerals. Medium-bodied, crisp, and tart, with enough fruit poking its head through the wall of acidity to provide very good drinking, this Cabernet Sauvignon should be drunk over the next decade.