Shelter Cabernet

The holy grail for many Cabernet collectors might be something like finding a Cult Cabernet at less than 1/2 the auction price. While that is unlikely to happen given the demand for those wines, we have discovered a new wine – Shelter “The Butcher” 2005 Cabernet – that makes us feel like we have found just such a thing.
We rated this impeccable wine 95 points originally but are prepared to raise the rating after now having tasted the actual bottling. The truth is we do get a bit nervous when we exalt the virtues of a new wine without have a long history with the winery. In the past, we have fallen in love with a winery “sample” only to later feel duped when the real bottles arrive and bear no resemblance to the juice we adored. The Shelter is even more impressive than we remember from our tasting. Everything starting from the aromas to the depth of flavors to the finish is memorable. (All humility aside) we really have been fortunate to sample enough of the so-called Cult Cabernet to know that serious wine collectors are going to flip out over this wine.

TASTING NOTES:
Dense purple in color, with a nose of graphite, dark berries, creme de cassis, and hints of truffle, the wine shows remarkable fruit intensity, cocoa powder, tobacco, dense body, sweet and plushy tannins, vibrant acidity, and a stunning, seamless, long finish that last a full 60 seconds. We predict this wine will deliver a captivating experience over the next decade, peaking around 2012 in our estimate. 95 points.

BUY: Shelter Cabernet Sauvignon ‘The Butcher’ 2005

Shelter Cabernet

Dense purple in color, with a nose of graphite, dark berries, creme de cassis, and hints of truffle, the wine shows incredible fruit intensity, cocoa powder, tobacco, full body, sweet and plushy tannins, vibrant acidity, and a stunning, seamless, long finish. 95 points
About Shelter Wines:
The Shelter label was created when the two former sommeliers from a world famous Napa restaurant in Napa were approached by one of their high-profile cult winemaker friends. This unnamed winemaker had some extra wine which was identical to their top Cabernet. Rather than raise their production and go through the hassle of re-bottling, ordering new labels, capsules, etc–they decided to sell it in bottle to be re-corked as the Shelter Wine Co. The wine “Shelter” sells for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of the identical wine bottled by this unknown producer. It is a wine for those customers who know quality Cult Cabernet when they taste it, but would rather drink a wine for a fraction of the price than pay extra just for the renowned label.