2005 Shafer One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon

Fran's birthday is here and what better way to celebrate than with an absurdly priced bottle of wine? This one ran seventy bones and is actually a lower end offering from Shafer (their “regular” Cab retails at over $200).

This is a nose – like opening a cigar box lined with ripe blackberries. This clearly shouts expensive because with just a couple of ounces in the glass and a few seconds of swirling you can smell this wine with the glass half a foot away from your face.

I don't know much about many “ageworthy” wines but as my wine drinking experience deepens, I think I'm beginning to get it – this wine is clearly a fantastic wine but it's not quite perfect – there needs to be a bit more harmony and some hard tinged aspects need time to mellow. That being said with a few hours in the decanter this has opened nicely – more of that cigar box, cedar chest, tobacco, quite a bit of herbs (rosemary, sassafras, and a potent amount of sage), with some chocolate. Lots of acid here – this wine almost requires a steak. The fruit comes closer from the background as the bottle opens – the only thing I could detect at first was some very mild blackberry but after a bit some blueberry and black cherry notes are coming through..

Chocolate lingers on the finish which is surprisingly short.

A short finish on a $70 bottle? Hmmm. So here's the thing – if you found this page because you're well to do and you buy this by the case (or you're absurdly rich and want to see how this cheap stuff compares to the regular stuff) then my opinion will be woefully inept. If you're like me and occasionally splurge on this sort of thing, then to be blunt, I don't know – I've had bottles at this pricepoint that have kicked my ass all over my apartment – this one is good, damn good, but I'm simply not blown away. If I stumbled upon this for cheap or received it as a gift I'd put it away for five years or so and then give it a shot.

Wine: 9
QPR: N/A