The cool fruit is fantastic. Tar, raspberry, blueberry and hints of coffee. Subtle and rich. Goes on for minutes on the palate. This comes mostly from vineyards on the flat land of southern Stags Leap and shows a minerally undertone. Some violet and oak nuances too. Makes you want to drink it. Slightly more than 15% alcohol but remains fresh and crisp. Why wait?

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. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Crushed blackberries compete with a hearty bouquet of violet in this gigantically powerful and structured wine. Soft and leathery, it features spikes of black pepper, vanilla and pungent black earth amid a dense, concentrated finesse of tannin and oak, with a lengthy finish awaiting. This is power at its best, a reflection of an idyllic vintage in the hands of a skilled producer.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five shows just how compelling this bottling was at the time. Still quite fresh, the 2012 presents the effusive personality of the year, along with the first signs of aromatic development, making it a very fine choice for drinking now. Hints of cedar, leather, tobacco and mint linger. Readers still cellaring the 2012 are in for a treat. -- Antonio Galloni

Very much made in the rich, close-to-flamboyant style that we have come to expect from Shafer, the latest One Point Five is an outgoing Cabernet of extraordinary richness and depth. For all of its lavish, explicitly ripe fruit and sweet oak, it sports plenty of gruff tannins, and its back-palate coarseness is more than enough to dissuade drinking any time soon. Put it aside for six to ten years with complete confidence, and, given the winery’s track record in proving that ripeness is in no way antithetical to lengthy aging, we rather expect that it will continue to grow for a good many more after that.