Shafer's 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select—the first vintage for which Elias Fernandez was officially named winemaker (he has been with the winery since 1984)—continues to impress every time out. It shows a touch of brick at the rim, while the nose delivers gorgeous cigar-box aromas of cedar, vanilla and tobacco, with black cherry fruit still hanging in there. It's full-bodied, soft and voluminous in feel on the palate, with a long silky finish. It has nowhere to go but down from here, so I would recommend drinking remaining bottles over the rest of this decade (large formats can probably hold longer). - Joe Czerwinski