Single Product

Made entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2009 Hillside Select has a deep garnet color. Wow—it explodes from the glass with this atomic nose of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake, baked plums and boysenberries plus hints of licorice, mocha, cedar chest and pencil lead with a waft of garrigue. Full-bodied, the palate is a concentrated, full-on behemoth, possessing fantastic balance and expressiveness, finishing with epic length and a fantastically velvety texture. Rating: 98+

Ripe and rich with exquisite plum, blueberry, rich cassis and sweet oak; beautifully structured, built to last with hints of licorice and spice; long, elegant and polished.

As always a decidedly extravagant wine and one that marches right to the very brink of being too much of good thing, the latest Hillside Select will be frowned upon by those who find unabashed richness and size to be faults and joyously celebrated by those of us who do not. It is powerful stuff that is marvelously deep in near-juicy fruit, and it is lavishly appointed with lovely oak, but for all of its largesse, it is solidly built with the structure to age for years. We have seen how its fully ripe predecessors have flourished with time, and we have no doubt that this one will do the same.