The house of Delaforce is a long-time specialist in tawny Ports and Colheitas in particular. Along with Niepoort it is one of the two Port houses most famous for these wines. Today Delaforce is part of The Fladgate Partnership which also includes Taylor Fladgate Fonseca and Croft. Delaforce's wines typically have a delicacy that's particularly complimentary to the tawny style.

Anamorphosis Shiraz

Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity 2008

Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Winemakers comments: These sandy north-facing slopes were planted with the CS14 and CS163 clones in 1991. In 2009 the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked on 4 different days between March 12th and March 24th. After 5 days of cold maceration the primary fermentation was started with a specific yeast from Anchor, WE 372. Delestage and mainly remontage (depending on the phenolic ripeness of the batch) was done 3 times per day for just under 2 weeks. The temperatures during fermentation are slightly higher than with the Syrah and peaks at 30-31°C. 100% new French oak (Sylvain) is used for the Cabernet Sauvignon seeing that the fruit has structure and depth to support 27 month of maturation in 100% new French oak.

TASTING NOTES: Dense black fruit with complex spice, chalkiness, cedar and Eucalyptus on the nose. Tobacco, mulberry, black olives and dark cherry fills a bold palate with an endless backbone of acidity lined with a core of firm ripe tannins. This is certainly denser, richer and creamier than the elegant 2008 vintage, but classically styled with tremendous balance and perfume. Seductive, polished and refined.

Analysis:
Alc: 14.11 % vol
RS: 0.8 g/l
TA: 6.0 g/l
VA: 0.70 g/l
pH: 3.86

Cabernet Sauvignon

Dense black fruit with complex spice, chalkiness, cedar and Eucalyptus on the nose. Tobacco, mulberry, black olives and dark cherry fills a bold palate with an endless backbone of acidity lined with a core of firm ripe tannins.

2007 Shafer "Hillside Select" Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

RP-98 / JS-97 / ST-96

98+ points Robert Parker:"The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select has the potential to be a perfect wine in 5 to 6 years. Although it has shut down since I tasted it last year, it is unquestionably Shafer’s finest Hillside Select since the 2001 and 2002. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and should keep for 35+ years. This selection is made from the Eisele clone of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in a choice 50-acre parcel. It takes concentration, graciousness and complexity to its highest level in Napa Valley. An inky/blue/purple color is followed by sweet aromas of blueberries, blackberries, charcoal and subtle toast. The wine possesses fabulous concentration, a seamless/flawless personality, a textbook integration of alcohol, wood, tannin and acidity, an almost endless finish and a voluptuous texture. Exhibiting more tannin and structure than it did last year, this is a colossal wine that will still be going strong in 2050." (12/10)
96 points Stephen Tanzer: "(25th anniversary bottling)Good full ruby.Captivating aromas of cassis, blackberry and violet show an almost liqueur-like ripeness. Then rich, sweet, highly concentrated and large-scaled, with compelling flavors of dark berries, brown spices and sexy oak complicated by powerful soil tones. This drenches the mouth with flavor, with the wine's tannins melting into its powerful fruit. Showing spectacularly today but this will evolve for decades."

“Shafer, of course, has been one of Napa’s most reliable wineries, routinely producing great wines, chief among them its Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet from Stags Leap.” – James Laube, Wine Spectator

We are thrilled to offer 2007 Hillside Select as the 25th vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon from our rugged vineyards. This release displays classic Stags Leap District beauty with rich, perfumy aromatics that seem to push out of the bottle. The flavors of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, warm plum pie, dark chocolate, and a touch of vanilla are elegant and mouthfilling. The tannins are ripe and refined, holding out great promise for decades of cellar age.

Hillside Select is made of 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon fruit sourced from rugged hillside vineyard blocks on our Stags Leap District Estate. Truly a "wine of a place," this Cabernet exemplifies the extraordinary richness and suppleness consistently produced in our little valley within a valley.

Hillside Select is aged a full four years prior to release (three years in Alliers and Tronçais oak barrels and one year in the bottle). While enjoyable today, this wine will gain richness and maturity with up to 20 years of careful cellaring.

Growing season
The 2007 vintage in Napa Valley has long been celebrated as one of the best of the decade so far. The growing season started with a dry, warm spring leading to an early budbreak and ideal conditions for set, the point when vine flowers turn to berries.

In spite of the early start to the season the fruit matured at a leisurely pace thanks to a long cool summer with no weather-related surprises.

With no worries for high heat or incoming rain, we left fruit on the vine until the best possible moment. The lack of rain early in the year gave us smaller clusters, which by harvest time resulted in smaller berries with outstanding concentration.

Winemaker’s Notes
"Our 25th vintage of Hillside Select offers aromatic elegance and classic Stags Leap District flavors of black fruit, mocha, black plums, cassis, juicy black and red cherry, black tea, with spice and warm toast. Ripe, silken tannins result in a pleasing, lengthy finish, smooth texture, and a refined structure which offers the potential for very long term aging."
– Shafer winemaker Elias Fernandez

2008 Marquis Philips The Grail of Lisa Shiraz

About the Winery Marquis Philips
With veteran vigneron Chris Ringland now in charge of the winemaking, I can state unequivocally that this is the finest collection of Marquis Philips wines since the label was started in 2000. Nevertheless, these wines will be controversial because all but one of the non-Roogle wines is over 16% alcohol. The small but vocal crowd of Australia bashers will have a field day taking these wines to task as they do with the Mollydooker wines (which seem to sell out anyway). Ringland is concerned about flavor and balance which is what these wines are all about. Those seeking low alcohol, subtlety, and finesse should of course look elsewhere. Those who want a big mouthful of sensual pleasure should read on. The Roogle Series is meant to be a bargain-priced introduction to the Marquis Philips upper level wines. The Marquis Philips wines are predominantly sourced from McLaren Vale while the Roogle wines are multi-regional.

92 points, Wine Advocate
December 2009
The same can be said for the 2008 Shiraz The Grail of Lisa which carries 18,3% alcohol. Purple/black and brooding aromatically, it is thick, rich, and port-like on the palate but dry. It is a voluptuous wine with a 60-second finish. How something like this will evolve is anyones guess. Id opt for drinking it over the next 4-6 years.

This wine is OUTSTANDING.
I compared this wine next to three top rated Shiraz today. After one taste of this wine, you could not go back to the others.
This is as concentrated as it gets.

The color on this Shiraz in the glass is near black, when swirled its the darkest shade of purple.

The aromas displayed intense clove, fresh burnt crme brule, a large selection of dark fruits, and the essence of fresh cocoa.

On the palate the term "rich and mouth-filling" would be an understatement. Ripe but not overly ripe fruits are the beginning of this amazing shiraz followed by layer after layer of coffee, chocolate covered Carmel, then gradually fading to a movie theater buttered popcorn, all accompanied by an elegant vanilla essence that lasts all the way through its perfectly toasted oak finish. This flavor profile I described lasts nearly 2 minutes.
This is one of the best wine's my palate has had the opportunity to try.

Don't let the 18.3% alcohol content mislead you, as it is undetectable while using a proper glass. I suggest using a 28-30 OZ Bordeaux, if you use a glass that is too small you will risk exposing the higher level of alcohol.

Purple Angel is a blend of 92% Carmenre and 8% Petit Verdot from the Colchagua Valley. Of this, half of the Carmenre comes from Montes La Finca de Apalta estate, bringing sophistication and elegance (the Petit Verdot also comes from this vineyard). The other half of the Carmenre comes from Montes Archangel estate in Marchige, adding potency and strength. The grapes are hand picked, normally early in the morning to make sure that cold temperature is achieved to crush the fruit. The clusters go through a berry selection, in which only good fruit is allowed into the tank. During the 18 months of barrel aging in new French (50%) and American (50%) oak, the wine is racked 3 times to get rid of lees, and allow some oxygen to interfere in the evolution and maturation of this wine.

When the final blend is made, if the wine is totally clear, and have no microbiological pressure, there is no need for filtration or fining so the wine goes unfiltered to the bottling process. The bottles are laid down for 1 year before releasing the wine to the market.