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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 85 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by _Xenon on 5/19/2024 & rated 96 points: Annual Gentlemen's Dinner (Home): What a treat. Everyone was smelling at the wines in this blind tasting and this one was already the groups favorite. Wonderful matured, expressive, vanilla, class, wood, fruit. Luckily this is on the market for 77€ at the moment (famous shop in Sylt), so I already bought more. Definitely in my top 10 list (being a humble wine drinker) (200 views) | | | Tasted by Francophile1 on 3/20/2024 & rated 89 points: Similar to my tasting note in 2022. Fruit forward and primary. Does not scream Syrah varietal. Just drinks like a good well made California new world wine. Not a memorable wine, however. (784 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 3/10/2024 & rated 93 points: First of 3 ($66@) from an auction lots just over a year ago. On the nose, black and blueberries, black currants, violets, rocky minerality, mixed ground herbs, smoked meats, tobacco and tar. Purplish black, full bodied, thick legs. Potent tannins becoming silkier and integrating with time, medium acidity, no heat. VG+ complexity, intensity and persistence. Well, I was looking for a Rhone varietal and may not have chosen this one but for 1) recent notes saying it was ready, 2) a lack of older choices, and 3) having 2 more, so a bit of experimenting wasn’t going to be fatal. This came out tarry, tannic and pretty tight, loosening its grip steadily but not completely over 2 nights so that the last glass was best. I’m bullish on this bottling (and Shafer generally) as I like where it sits in the Syrah pantheon, certainly not a cool climate variant, but also unlikely to be confused with its Central Coast cousins, often delicious but so big as to be hard to pair and often at Cab-like nosebleeding prices. The backbone here made it a hit with stuffed poblanos one night and orzo another, in each instance suffused with chicken, although I think this would stand up well with red meat and spicier dishes. This was quite nice as I was finishing it, but unless you have multiple bottles, can give it significant air or like pretty stiff tannins, I’d give this another 18 months-2 years—I will for my next bottle—before popping at which point I think my score may add another point of 2. Nicely done. 93+ (825 views) | | | Tasted by ajm2573 on 2/16/2024 & rated 93 points: Lots of blackberry notes on the nose. Long finish some tannins on finish. Dark fruit jam on palate with a spicy finish. Great wine but decant for 3 hours. (939 views) | | | Tasted by kitkat4 on 2/4/2024 & rated 93 points: Rich jammy and full of dark fruit....elderberry, black raspberry, blackberry. Touch of sandlewood and herbs. Perfumed nose with a touch of violet. (1028 views) | | | Tasted by econnertx on 12/20/2023 & rated 87 points: Deep ruby purple, dark cherry aftertaste, some dried plum; minor tannins, did not scream Syrah blend (1339 views) | | | Tasted by parrothead on 11/23/2023 & rated 93 points: Fantastic wine. Enjoyed with Thanksgiving dinner, baby back ribs, not turkey. (1218 views) | | | Tasted by iguessitshank on 10/5/2023 & rated 95 points: Terrific nose, dark fruit, tobacco, clove.
A lot of fruit up front without being cloying.
Tannins were round and sweet. Peppercorn, coffee, anise, clove. Inky, sweet, long.
Am going to buy more and keep for another 5-10 years. Complexity was good (9 years) and think there is more to come.
Would recommend a 3+ hour decant, drank great at 5 hours. (1634 views) | | | Tasted by SirJ on 9/16/2023 & rated 93 points: Plum, black cherry, smoked meat, black olives. I'm luckt to have one more in my cellar. Very drinkable now, it really grows during the evening, this is pure class from Shafer. But will be evan better within 5 years. (1477 views) | | | Tasted by DigitalC on 8/23/2023: Excellent (1706 views) | | | Tasted by johhenrik on 6/24/2023 & rated 95 points: Otrolligt bra. Detta är ett sånt vin som man kan sitta och lukta på en hel kväll. Otroligt stort. Världsklass. Vi körde det till hamburgare och steak, vilket passade som handen i handsken. (1881 views) | | | Tasted by Adamb2 on 3/18/2023 & rated 92 points: I thought this was really well structured and had great balance and fruit. I really enjoyed! (2052 views) | | | Tasted by Shugs_Claret on 1/15/2023 & rated 90 points: Still some oak on the nose and palate yet to integrated. Dark fruits and rounded palate. (2230 views) | | | Tasted by greedy on 1/13/2023 & rated 88 points: Not bad. Never had this wine before and it was OK. Not sure what else I can say… Don’t think I’ll be in a rush to buy this again. I think there’s better options for 140 cad$ (2141 views) | | | Tasted by dlcass on 1/2/2023 & rated 94 points: Beautiful elegant nose. Very nice texture and mouth feel. Early notes: some tannins but elegant mineral driven style. We'll see how it evolves. (2177 views) | | | Tasted by Francophile1 on 11/29/2022 & rated 90 points: Better than I remember from the last time I had it. Some bottle age has rewarded the wine. While improved, it is still very primary and fruit forward. (2169 views) | | | Tasted by SirJ on 10/15/2022 & rated 94 points: Had this wine togther with 6 other wines, but the fruit was remarkable. Plum, black cherry, smoked meat, black olives. I'm luckt to have one more in my cellar. Very drinkable now, but will be evan better within 5 years. (2145 views) | | | Tasted by Cablover1982 on 10/8/2022 & rated 96 points: Dark ruby/purple. Elias’ Syrah is so bold, full-throttle, aggressive, in your face, and .. relentless! The name is apt and for Elias’ work ethic year after year at Shafer. Expressive and dark notes of black fruits, wild flowers, pepper, smoke, olives, leather, grilled meats, and fried herbs. Chewy tannins on a long warm finish. This can go another 5-8 years! cheers! (2018 views) | | | Tasted by xboomer on 9/27/2022 & rated 92 points: Very good Syrah (1829 views) | | | Tasted by Bbrown82 on 7/2/2022 & rated 94 points: Dark ruby almost purple. Blackberry and oak on the nose. Blackberry, cherry, and oak on the palate. Notes of pepper mild tannins. Really good Syrah. (1929 views) | | | Tasted by ralaspech on 6/5/2022 & rated 93 points: Nose of black berry fruit and oak. Tastes of purple and black berries with oak spice, red meat and vanilla. Deep mid-palate with long finish. Medium acidity. Medium tannins. Great match with burgers, Swiss and mushrooms on the grill. Terrific bottle of wine! 92-93. (1722 views) | | | Tasted by MichelNL on 4/26/2022 & rated 94 points: Had it at a tasting. No note but absolutely loved it. (1721 views) | | | Tasted by CubFan4Life on 3/15/2022 & rated 87 points: Ended my 30 day detox today with this bottle tonight. Purple color with the slightest hint of some brown. Red fruit on the nose along with pepper and maybe bacon fat. Long thick legs. Little tannins which surprised me. Finish was long. On the palate I experienced more generic red fruit, pepper, tobacco, with a bitter aftertaste. It’s possible that this will benefit from more air but glass one was a disappointment at this price point. Will update notes if the wine evolves over the next several hours. (1870 views) | | | Tasted by AGELVIS on 3/10/2022 & rated 93 points: Two hour decant. Nearly opaque electric magenta color. Oreo cookie, black cherry compote, wild strawberry, anise, and subtle salami on the nose. Smooth, dry, full bodied palate, with good acidity. Full tannins on the longish finish. (2369 views) | | | Tasted by Kbentley007 on 3/4/2022 & rated 95 points: Deep purple and inky, no sediment, 90 minute decant. Just excellent vintage of Relentless. Drinking really well now, tannins integrated. (1382 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Napa Valley’s 2017s (1/31/2020)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless) Login and sign up and see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (1/17/2020)
(Shafer Vineyards Napa Valley Relentless, Red, United States) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth (Jan 2020) (1/1/2020)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets (Dec 2018) (12/1/2018)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Brilliance in Napa Valley: 2016 & 2015 Cabernets (Jan 2018) (1/18/2018)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and JamesSuckling.com and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Shafer Producer website
John Shafer and his family founded Shafer Vineyards, located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, in 1979. From the Shafers' first wine, a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon,
their wines have won much acclaim. Today, the Shafers farm 200 acres of vineyard in the Stags Leap District, Carneros and Oak Knoll regions. Their flagship wine, Hillside Select,
is produced from selected blocks of the family's hillside vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. They also produce Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Merlot, One Point Five
(Cabernet Sauvignon) and Relentless (a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend), which was named #1 wine of the year by Wine Spectator's "Top 100" of 2012.Syrah BlendThe 2018 is 40% Merlot and 60% Syrah.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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