I was just given an offer from the waiting list so I pulled up wine searcher, should I pay 250 to shafer or 180 to winebid…
FWIW, the 1998 is a fantastic wine from a weak vintage, and my guess is that the 2011 will be the same. Yes, the price is much higher than the '98 was at release, but if you’re a fan of Hillside Select you might want to grab a couple.
Dont forget tax, fees and license etc.
Bonus: youll make the list for 2012 and 2013.
Easy math. 210.60 after 17%. Shipping is cheaper for winebid since they offer ground (about $3/btl for me) so we’re at 213.60.
Shafer for 1 bottle works out to 304.59.
This 2011 is for $350
I jumped off the list after 2010. I think this was released last year, so you’re getting this plus the 2012 soon to release? I have no doubt it’s a wonderful wine relative to its 2011 peers, but it’s still 2011. I’d pass.
I’d bet the '11 HSS is fantastic. Normally at this point I’d ask if anyone wants somebody to go in with them, but (a) I stopped buying HSS in favor of One Point Five, (b) I’m on a self imposed buying freeze, and (c) there are bottles I’d rather spend $250 each on now.
By no means am I saying it’s a bad wine or I don’t want it (I ordered a bottle off the list because I want a chance at the 12/13). I’ve just never been offered a wine from the maker where I can source it significantly cheaper on the secondary market simultaneously.
Joe I have no idea why there are 6 bottles at $180 and 1 at $350, but the 180 seems to be more in line with other recent ‘non-100’ years.
At the Auction Napa Valley event a few years ago, I liked the 2011 enough to buy a case. Plus, I get a pretty nice allocation by being on the mailing list. I’m thrilled I have as a result a hefty amount of the 2011 to drink. I’ve avoided 2011’s like the plague, but this one is damn good. It’s an early drinker, which means you have something to enjoy while your other bottles age. If you have the chance to buy it, my guess is that you will also be quite happy with the outcome.
Seems to be a familiar statement about most 2011’s.
This is the game we all play.
Do I buy 2011 to get 2012 and 2013?
Furthermore we are buying based on reviews. 2011 as not a good year…reviewers
That said producers like Shafer in my opinion make very good …maybe great wines in the worst of years.
I hope that some like Helen Turley decide if their wine in a particular year is not worthy of their name they dont release any wine. No 2008 pinot from Marcassin.
I’m with Dennis (not that I buy the HSS) in preferring the OnePointFive. Compared to the $250 Hillside Select, the One Point Five is a downright steal at only $80. For those that want their red wines as dark as possible, the One Point Five abides; it is an opaque, glass-coating deep purple. You just can’t help but smile as you stick your nose into the glass to take a sniff. The aromas of cassis, blueberries, blackberries, shaved graphite, rosemary, and white and purple flowers seamlessly continue into your mouth. This is without a doubt a big, bold wine, but it is still so smooth and elegant. There are tannins, but they don’t attack your tongue as much as add structure to the abundant fruit. Though the One Point Five does not have the big tannin structure of the Hillside Select, I actually prefer the One Point Five to its more expensive sibling because I usually find it fresher, brighter and more enjoyable. Don’t let the high alcohol (whopping 15.5%) scare you away; there isn’t a hint of it anywhere on the nose or palate. It is not bogged down with weight of oak and massive ripeness that I sometimes find with the Hillside Select. If you have the 2012 One Point Five, there is no reason to not enjoy it now, but if you decide to hide it somewhere it will still be singing beautifully for years to come.
Yep, the 2012 is open for business and probably will be for a decade or two. All it needs is a decant. Gonna put it and it’s older sibling (2001 Shafer Napa 
) together for a head to head comparison soon.
KL Wine Insider has '11 HSS for $199.99. Definitely having trouble moving '11 inventory.