With a finished PH of 3.41 (still too low for any top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon), this wine's rich fruit is able to fight its way through the wall of tartness. The healthy, medium to dark ruby/purple color is followed by an elegant yet restrained nose of spice, tobacco, and red currants. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with excellent richness, good spice, and a clean, compact, long, rich finish. At its finest, this is an elegant, classic, sculptured Cabernet Sauvignon that can be drunk now or over the next 10-15 years.

Too much sterile filtration was clearly an issue with the 1985 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, which did not have the aromatics, textural dimensions or expansiveness of the later (and greater) Shafer Hillside Selects. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent wine with a deep ruby/plum/purple color, tart acids, spice box, tobacco leaf, red and blackcurrant and earthy characteristics. The acids will never subside, and as the baby fat continues to dissipate, this wine will become more and more angular.