Double decanted and drunk over two nights. Plenty of jammy black fruit with liquorice, juniper, earth, graphite, leather, and some peppery spices. Clocking in at 14.9%, the high alcohol is very noticeable on the nose, palate, and sides of the glass. While it doesn’t stick out too much, it is warming and not my style. A big wine on the palate. It’s glycerol sweetness is punchy and while velvety, the tannins are still a little powdery. Not my cup to tea, but for those who like bigger new world reds, this is pretty good and ready to go with a good decant.
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Coravan’d 3 glasses the first night, uncorking the remaining 2/3 of the bottle 3 nights later. There’s good fruit to this with a dry, flavorful finish dominated by syrupy graphite, w dark fruit that could one day develop into port but isn’t quite there yet. While this wine delivers a lot of flavor, the finish is disappointingly brief.
As it warms up and breathes in syrah stems, the wine picks up more weight and the finish lengthens, but there’s a negative trade off with a bit more alcohol as well.
Was hoping to to enjoy this even more, I’m pleased w it’s condition after 2 cross country moves
Still a ton of life left here. This is a big banger, definitely extracted and high alcohol. French oak abounds, and its very new world in nature. This is something you'd want to drink with a ribeye. I'd say this still has 10-15 years of life left.
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Way way way too young. I can’t understand the notes saying this is past its prime??!! I wish I had waited. Beautiful aromas and intense ripe fruits. But no tertiary flavors at all. Plenty of acid and tannin to go longer. Best on day 3.
Performing very well right now. Blackberries, blueberries, plums, licorice, and spice, with hints of minerals and floral in the nose. Flavor very much like the nose, along with black cherries and hints of chocolate. Full bodied wine with a medium to long finish.
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N: RIPE berries with some earth? Intensity lurking?
P: LM body; Nice, almost swtish frt met by some puckerish astringency which transitions into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a BITTERswtness to the remaining tannins. Might still improve through '19? Then POSS making its 20th? My EXC-,poss EXC. 92.4 pts [he uses a panel & averages the scores] from kenswineguide.com, 92 WE @ $65, 91 & 92 (2 diff reviewers) from Wine Review Online, 90 Tanzer, and 87 WS.
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Any tannin or astringency has melted away and the petite syrah has integrated beautifully to make a dark and delicious blend. The fruit masks the alcohol and begs for another sip. The broad shoulders here tells of a long life ahead.
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Pours very dark and has the mouthfeel of a 5 year old wine not 13. Probably will be better in 3-5 years and I would guess has the structure to still age another 10 years +-
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Delicious, but suffered by comparison to the '75 Heitz Martha's Vineyard we had just prior. My wife says this wine has a cocaine note on the nose. I have no idea! Liked it but hard to judge against that backdrop.
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Very romantic nose of s'mores, red raspberry, Italian cream soda, as well as hints of jasmine and a soft women's perfume. Dense freshly picked raspberries up front, raspberry palate with jasmine undertones. Cinnamon graham cracker falls in and carries a lengthy finish. This is soft, sensual, and unravels at a slow motion pace. Silky texture and very feminine; Keira Knightley in a silk dress. Elegant and beautiful.
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By no means a shy wine. Boasts rich and concentrated notes of roasted figs, black plum, and chocolate molten lava cake. A good deal of oak is present here, which may not please some, but I enjoyed the indulgent confectionary quality of this wine. On the palate, it shows a density of flavor that carries through to the finish, and just the right amount of acidity to cut through the richness. While drinking quite well now, this wine still has many years ahead of it. 90-91 points.
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A nice nose of syrah upon opening. I thought this would need more of a decant, but we were drinking several bottles and didn't have one to spare until 20 mins before consuming. Despite this the wine was in a good spot. Rum raisin on the nose with some ripe fruit. I would not say that this wine needs a lot more time in the cellar. Enjoy now.
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I think the key with Relentless is to give it close to a decade from the vintage date for the wine's dense core to open up and reveal itself. The 2004 is just getting to a good place, lots of beautiful florals, graphite and pure berry fruit. I think it will continue to improve over the next several years.
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Dark and opaque. Rich floral nose of dark fruit and cedar. Full-bodied taste of blackberries and a hint of blueberry. 2 hours in decanter softened the tannins and let the balance and softness of the wine shine.
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Not decanted but probably should have been... was pretty tight aromatically and on the palate initially, and I don't think it opened fully before we finished it.. dark fruits, nice acidity, a little bit of earthyness on the palate. A little meaty as well. Very balaned, not a big CA wine by any means despite being 14.9%. Good, but not great, but I suspect with a few hours in a decanter this may have blossomed a bit better.
I opened this after returning home from a long day of visiting friends. It had a ripe, fragrant bouquet of floral, chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, herb, pepper and spice aromas. The palate was velvety, dense and round with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, chocolate, herb, pepper and spice…thoroughly enjoyable. 91+
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Decanted 4 hours. Ripe black fruits on the nose with hints of pepper and spice. Massive wine on the palate with concentrated blackberry and blueberry fruit along with notes of smoked meat. Despite being huge and full bodied this wine delivers a great sense of purity with its elegance and precision. Maybe a little one dimensional but it is excellent nonetheless. Long finish with some grippy tannins still in evidence. Drank even better on day 2 when the secondory notes of smoked meat, mushroom, earth and pepper showed more prominently. This should last for years to come and is worth seeking out.
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Decanted for 3 hours - great mouthfeel, big rich bold chewy palate, has more oak/vanilla than expected, gobs of dark fruits and carmel but set off by an earthiness/savory/spiciness. Very balanced in terms of acid and tannins. Worked well with spicy food - but really just best enjoyed on its own.
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Intense, well-integrated wine. Inky, dark, it's a highly concentrated wine which packs a strong kick. The balance of petite syrah and syrah is good, and lends itself to a more fruit-forward wine with a good structure than I would have expected. Overall, a good, intense wine... not especially good with food, as it overwhelms just about anything.
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Winter 2012 Wine Dinner (SA - TX): 2012 Winter Wine Dinner: Number in () is number of favorite votes by guests. Number in [] is my ranking from 1(favorite) to 4. All wines were outstanding and this was very much splitting hairs.
2006 Two Hands Angels Share (5)[4] 2008 Carlisle Papa’s Block Syrah (3)[2] 2006 Rhys Syrah (2)[1] 2004 Shafer Relentless (0)[3]
Quick Notes: All of these were run through a Vinturi and left to sit in glasses about an hour before service. The Rhys was really outstanding and to be honest I expected to have it place 3rd in that lineup as I love the Carlisle and Shafer, but it was indeed my favorite. Well made and drinking beautifully. I’ve tasted the Carlisle and Shafer again day 2 and 3 as there were leftovers and these continue to improve.. just stunning wines in my opinion.
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Decanted for over three hours. This is a big wine. Dark and opaque. Nose floral with forest floor and mushrooms. Very soft mouthfeel with raging tannins tamed by bottle age and decanter time. Lots of dark fruit with a complex and long finish. 93-94
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Opend and decanted for 1 hr. Wow!!! Really dark in glass. Nose of dark fruits (blackberries, plums), pepper, vanilla and alcohol. On the palate burst of pure dark fruit, medium bodied, velvet texture and quite a bit of oak. This is a big wine and just too much oak for my palate. Not sure if it's necessary.
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Full bodied, black cherry color with purple rim. Very pleasant bouquet of blackcurrant, tobacco, plums and earth. In the palate it shows an amazing concentration of ripe black fruits, framed by flavours of oak, chocolate and spices. Has big chewy tannins and a crisp acidity. Good length. Cellaring should add balance and complexity to this excellent wine.
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What to do with wines like this... 80% Syrah 20% Petite Sirah. Gave it a two hour decant. Pitch black core with a purple rim. This is big, concentrated and oaky. The nose has so much oak it smells like a cherry cream soda. In my opinion, the nose on this wine has been greatly compromised by the oak. If you don't mind the vanilla smell, it won't bug you.
The frustrating part of this is once it gets in your mouth, the fruit is quite pure, and the structure is impressive, especially the grippy tannins. Great length, and this is clearly a well made bottle of wine. The oak, again just simply gets in the way. A flovor component which I imagine would manifest as stone fruit, tastes like tropical fruit due to the vanilla/coconut. We had this with a grilled flank steak celebrating our 60 degree January day in Seattle and the food made it a more pleasant experience.
This is getting 89 as I believe the fruit is pure, great structure, and there is great balance between them. Great length as well. The oak obscures so much of the wine that it knocks it below 90.
Again, what to do with wine like this?...
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What an unexpected bottle. For the first hour, the nose was a musty basement. That blew off to a smell of brown butter and dark chocolate. The taste was baker's chocolate and black current. Has a very nice texture. The tannins don't stand out and the finish wasn't anything to get excited about. It's well made, but it wasn't what I want in a syrah blend.
EDIT: I saved 1/2 bottle. Recorked it and stuck in the fridge. Uncorked 2 days later. Blackberries, plum and dark chocolate on the nose and palate. This is what I expected from this wine. I would bump this up to 91pts.
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Black/purple core with almost no lightening at the rim, intense nose of blackberry, smoke, tar and oak. Full-bodied, layered jammy fruit, some minerals, smoky oak, long big finish, well-covered tannins, outstanding.
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Opened and decanted for 2 hours. Drank with grilled lamb chops and it was fantastic. Complex notes of blackberries, black cherries, a little vanillin, some rocks and a great finish that mated with the lamb like they were made for eachother.
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Decanted 30 min. A bit warm-ish, due to 90+ outside temp, but a VERY nice wine. Big and black...hugely aromatic, blackberry pie, tobacco, and vanilla. Huge on the palate, and coating the mouth with blackberries, vanilla oak, and coffee. Delicious!
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Opened bottle for an hour and then decanted for 1 hour. Blackberry, pepper, earth notes. Medium finish. Disappointing versus the earlier bottle. Save the rest for a while.
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Drank at home with my friends "B. Dylan" and Sotiris G. Decanted and served after just a few minutes that were enough for some funky, reductive aromas to fade away. Compared to the M. Torres Reserva Real that was being drunk simultaneously, this was (even) denser, more complex and overall a more interesting wine. Very dark inky purple, almost impermeable. Dark plums, chocolate, roast meat and blueberries on the nose. Full-bodied, very dense with textbook tanins, huge fruit and perfectly balancing acidity. Being so concentrated and balanced on the same time is quite an achievment! Kudos to Elias Fernandez, the winemaker. Very long finish. Hedonistic.
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Deep purple, opaque. Very intense aromas, deep fruit, prunes and ink. Full bodied but very balanced. Very flavourfull, with excellent quality tanins. Acidity balances the weight of this wine - fruit, alcohol. The result is very balanced and hedonistic. Wonderful wine. Tasted at my friend Yiannis nameday gathering.
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Decanted 3.5 hrs. Opaque purple/indigo. Nose dominated by alcohol; charcoal, tar, blueberry pie, smoked meats, blackberry. Much better on the palate; rounded blue and black fruit with a charcoal and leather midpalate and a long finish with smooth tealike tannin and hints of cherry liquer and moccha and (much to my relief given the nose) absolutely no heat. Though listed at 80/20 syrah/petit, the petit sirah is really on display here. We found the alcohol on the nose a tad offputting - still hadn't blown off 5 hours in. This has very good texture and an excellent finish but the QPR here is not great.
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Another great showing for this monster. Purple/black color, intense nose of berries, smoke, tar, and oak. Full-bodied, palate-coating layers of ripe rich fruit, a little jammy but good balance, not flabby, nice finish with well-tamed tannins. Excellent.
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Decanted 1 hour. Very, very dark in the glass, almost black, and totally impenetrable. Smells of big blackberry and black cherry and blueberry fruit, very lush. Tastes of blackberry and cherry, mocha, and asphalt. This wine is just HUGE! Tannins are very well integrated, and the wine is quite smooth, given its huge flavor profile. The finish on this wine goes on forever...amazing. Glad I have another bottle on the way!
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Decanted a bit over an hour. Opaque deep red. Rich, lush nose. Taste of vanilla, coffee, chocolate, dark fruit and cedar. Full bodied, strong attack on the full palate. Still tasting youthful.
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Purple/black color, intense nose of dark berries, smoke, vanilla-y oak, and a bit of road tar. Full-bodied, layers or ripe fruit, smooth tannins, well-balanced but BIG in all diirections, nice long finish. Next day it starts to show a little alcohol on the nose but the rich fruit is still there as are the tanniins on the finish. Should drink well for another decade. Excellent.
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Opened and let sit for a an hour prior to consuming. Love the dark, inkiness in the glass. Deep nose. Great on the tongue with a medium finish. Its a little young, should age wonderfully.
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Based on other comments here, I decanted the wine for 3 hours prior to drinking. Powerful nose of mixed berries with earth undertones. Deep rich purple color. Taste of blackberry, chocolate covered cherry, pepper. Full bodied, elegant and complex. Medium length finish. First of these I've had and it was wonderful.
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Had this with veal porterhouse at the Charleston Grill. They nicely decanted the wine, but it took some time to open up. It really was only hitting its stride with the second glass toward the end of the meal. The flavors just came alive then, and I wished there was another bottle waiting.
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Very, very nice syrah blend. Excellent depth and fruit with nice zing from the petite sirah. Went well with a barbecue dinner and as an after dinner sip.
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Handed to me blind (by a wine rep) in a decent glass, I picked out the Petite Sirah immediately on the nose. I knew it was not 100% Petite Sirah, and that the rest was not a thin skin grape, so 80% Syrah was not much of a surprise. This is a big, complex, heavily extracted mouth full of flavor. I think I perceive American oak, probably too much. Even at 4.5 years from crush, and 3 years or so in the bottle, there is lots of oak. The Petite Sirah really compliments the Syrah. There are gobs of dark fruit. Long cherry, spicy, and cola finish.
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Not as good as the 2003 I had a couple months ago. That wine was one of the best, if not the best I had in 2008. Perhaps a little more time in the bottle will make it better.
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Not as good as I would have expected. Nice fruit, licorice and dark berries. Decanted an hour but still had a bit of a hot finish and tannins were not diminished. Good but not great.
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Decanted an hour and a half.... Wow. Awesome. Can't say much more than that. Smoooothhhh. Great fruit, firm tannins, little oak and cedar... all perfectly balanced. Yum. And it just kept getting better and better as the evening wore on. Such deep dark, lush fruit. Outstanding.
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SQN-like richness. Pure velvet mouthfeel. I was caught off-guard by how good this wine is while doing the tasting at Shafer. Apparently the name of the wine "Relentless" is a tribute to the tireless effort of the Shafer winemaker, Elias Fernandez.
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Such a delicious syrah blend. I would love to enjoy more of this with some grilled meats. Ruby red in color. Lots of red fruit on the palate with a silky finish. Shafer is the real deal.
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Dark, inky red with a bold first impression; misses on the finish as I wanted more from this. Lots of dark plum fruit, good structure. Not bad, just not great.
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inky and milky stains your glass purple. dark chocolate and cocoa, huge wine of dark choc covered cherry, blk cassis, blueberry, cayenne and hot korean ginseng; not too tannic, but a sltly bitter bakers chocolate finish.
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Petit Sirah. Brilliant dark purple color. Huge compilation of dark fruits on the nose with a touch of smokiness and very subtle pepper notes. This is a giant wine- buttery/vanilla notes but not overbearing. Really impressive structure that should keep this wine aging like a supermodel. Long, tongue coating with creaminess finish. Relentless on the wallet? Maybe. Relentless in its ability to bring you back for more. Definitely. foodandwineblog.com
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Tasting at Shafer: The 2004 Relentless is 80% Syrah and 20% Petite Sirah. Production was about 3,000 cases. Inky garnet color with intense aromas of earthy black fruit, blue frui and violets. Dense and chewy tannins, with flavors of black fruit, and a subtle minerality on the finish. 91-92 pts.
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Nicely balanced; big and fruit-forward. I would say this wine deserves the accolades it has received. It clearly eclipsed the Shafer One Point Five of the same vintage (drunk side by side). It is rich and full on the nose and palate, and it is drinkable now. Highly recommended.
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This was bottle number 4 following a 2006 Conundrum, a 1990 Haut Batailley, and a 2004 Shafer One Point Five. Out of the 4 bottles, this came in second. The 1990 Haut Batailley was a sweet, aged treat. The 2006 Conundrum was an adventure in fresh sweetness. The Relentless had a muted nose, and a black color. On the palate, however, there was a richness to this wine. Plums, raisins, prunes and a port-like richness. While still quite tanic, there was a depth to this wine, which really showed the weakness of the 2004 Shafer One Point Five. This was a nice, rich, decadant wine. New world, and complex. No where near the sweet, aged 1990 Haut-Batailley, but fun nonetheless.
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Restaurant purchase. Obviously needed decanting, and benefited from just a brief time in air. I appreciate the distinctive style of the Relentless: it's got a fairly cabernet-style profile, with currant highlighting the black berries. Nicely structured, but the tannins are pretty well hidden. I'm starting to think I like this as much as the 2002.
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Californian wines (FOF): Black color with a red rim. Warm, modern style nose, with licorise, roasted oak, blueberries and some ink. Lots of dark fruit on the palate and some dark bitter chocolate. Long taste that ends in a sweet punch. Powerful wine with sweet fruit, warmth and alcohol, but not as much tannins.
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Smooth and forward and frankly a surprise as I've found earlier vintages to be tightly wound. In addition to intense blue and blackberry, there's some red fruits that creep in as well. Some vanilla and chocolate round out the flavours. Clearly California and delicious.
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I'm starting to think I'm just not a huge fan of the syrupy Syrah/Shiraz, even one like this that's not over the top at all. Inky purple, muted nose. Extremely well balanced, with toned down jamminess and a real nice subtle finish. Lots of really good things going on, but not quite my style. Friend with me liked it more than the Damilano Barolo we had, and I agree it's likely to be more of a crowd pleaser to do its smoothness.
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Deep ruby red with purple reflections. Intense Nose: Cocoa, boysenberry, rasberry and strawberry jams, smoke, Faded flowers, herbs, Some animal scents. Full and rich in the mouth. (Dry, Warm, smooth + crisp, Moderately tannic, and sapid= Balanced wine) Intense wine that finishes well. Might serve Duck with cherry sauce with it. Can Drink now but probably another 5 years will give it more complexity.
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Initially very shy nose, but the midpalate is huge with blue and black fruit. After sitting in the decanter for forty-five minutes (when it was nearly gone), it showed some pure caramel notes on the nose, with some brown spices beginning to make a showing. This is still very young, tight, and primary, but it's delicious already and showing some real promise. I'm giving an optimistic point or two here in anticipation of that improvement (probably within the next six months).
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Sampled at the winery; bottle had been open but not decanted for about 3 hours prior to tasting. Typical dark Relentless coloring, with a firm grip on the stems. Deep black fruit aromas and flavors, with a very good balance between acids and tanins. Very fine-grained tanins evident. Enjoyable.
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Deep Ruby Color.Graphite nose. Soft tannins, mild heat, fullbodied as one would expect of Relentless. Young and still tight. Definite minerality make one picture: rocky soils.... in their minds eye. Fruit of the Gods: Nectarines./ Approached again 24 hours later(same bottle) and opened up nicely.
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4/28/2024 - JonathanP wrote: 91 Points
Double decanted and drunk over two nights. Plenty of jammy black fruit with liquorice, juniper, earth, graphite, leather, and some peppery spices. Clocking in at 14.9%, the high alcohol is very noticeable on the nose, palate, and sides of the glass. While it doesn’t stick out too much, it is warming and not my style. A big wine on the palate. It’s glycerol sweetness is punchy and while velvety, the tannins are still a little powdery. Not my cup to tea, but for those who like bigger new world reds, this is pretty good and ready to go with a good decant.
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8/31/2021 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 92 Points
Coravan’d 3 glasses the first night, uncorking the remaining 2/3 of the bottle 3 nights later. There’s good fruit to this with a dry, flavorful finish dominated by syrupy graphite, w dark fruit that could one day develop into port but isn’t quite there yet. While this wine delivers a lot of flavor, the finish is disappointingly brief.
As it warms up and breathes in syrah stems, the wine picks up more weight and the finish lengthens, but there’s a negative trade off with a bit more alcohol as well.
Was hoping to to enjoy this even more, I’m pleased w it’s condition after 2 cross country moves
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1/17/2020 - dslaven wrote: 93 Points
Amazing. Cassis and black pepper
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8/5/2019 - Margaux Bro wrote: 94 Points
Still a ton of life left here. This is a big banger, definitely extracted and high alcohol. French oak abounds, and its very new world in nature. This is something you'd want to drink with a ribeye. I'd say this still has 10-15 years of life left.
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6/18/2019 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:
Way way way too young. I can’t understand the notes saying this is past its prime??!! I wish I had waited. Beautiful aromas and intense ripe fruits. But no tertiary flavors at all. Plenty of acid and tannin to go longer. Best on day 3.
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2/1/2019 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Performing very well right now. Blackberries, blueberries, plums, licorice, and spice, with hints of minerals and floral in the nose. Flavor very much like the nose, along with black cherries and hints of chocolate. Full bodied wine with a medium to long finish.
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5/25/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group; Syrahs/Shirazes (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 80% Syrah & 20% P.S.; 14.9% ABV
N: RIPE berries with some earth? Intensity lurking?
P: LM body; Nice, almost swtish frt met by some puckerish astringency which transitions into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a BITTERswtness to the remaining tannins. Might still improve through '19? Then POSS making its 20th? My EXC-,poss EXC. 92.4 pts [he uses a panel & averages the scores] from kenswineguide.com, 92 WE @ $65, 91 & 92 (2 diff reviewers) from Wine Review Online, 90 Tanzer, and 87 WS.
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12/29/2017 - Go4it70 Does not like this wine: 87 Points
past it's prime. Decanted 2 hours but taste never improved
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11/1/2017 - WinoRick wrote: 92 Points
Any tannin or astringency has melted away and the petite syrah has integrated beautifully to make a dark and delicious blend. The fruit masks the alcohol and begs for another sip. The broad shoulders here tells of a long life ahead.
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7/30/2017 - Winokdub wrote: 94 Points
Pours very dark and has the mouthfeel of a 5 year old wine not 13. Probably will be better in 3-5 years and I would guess has the structure to still age another 10 years +-
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5/14/2017 - Delaney Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic. Good for another five years.
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6/20/2016 - mkubow wrote:
Past its prime.
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7/19/2015 - kmforster Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, but suffered by comparison to the '75 Heitz Martha's Vineyard we had just prior. My wife says this wine has a cocaine note on the nose. I have no idea! Liked it but hard to judge against that backdrop.
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5/2/2015 - daniel.jay wrote: flawed
Notable only for being the most corked example I've ever come across.
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3/15/2015 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very romantic nose of s'mores, red raspberry, Italian cream soda, as well as hints of jasmine and a soft women's perfume. Dense freshly picked raspberries up front, raspberry palate with jasmine undertones. Cinnamon graham cracker falls in and carries a lengthy finish. This is soft, sensual, and unravels at a slow motion pace. Silky texture and very feminine; Keira Knightley in a silk dress. Elegant and beautiful.
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12/27/2014 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark rich fruit, long finish.
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12/26/2014 - rpenn77 wrote: 93 Points
Rich, dark fruit. Long finish.
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10/5/2014 - daniel.jay wrote: 94 Points
30 min decant, had w/ ribs. Rich and powerful but easy drinking - big winner. Closer style-wise to napa cab than central coast syrah.
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4/20/2014 - fredman wrote: 92 Points
Really a knockout bottle tonight. Dark plum, cola, and spice all in harmony. Sweet tannin. Drink or hold for a few more years.
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2/15/2014 - ebert wrote: 89 Points
Deep flavors after decanting but tannic finish was disappointing.
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2/13/2014 - Paul Lin wrote: 90 Points
By no means a shy wine. Boasts rich and concentrated notes of roasted figs, black plum, and chocolate molten lava cake. A good deal of oak is present here, which may not please some, but I enjoyed the indulgent confectionary quality of this wine. On the palate, it shows a density of flavor that carries through to the finish, and just the right amount of acidity to cut through the richness. While drinking quite well now, this wine still has many years ahead of it. 90-91 points.
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12/7/2013 - fredman wrote: 90 Points
One hour decant. Dark, brooding fruits, some spice, a hint of black licorice. I see no reason not to enjoy this now.
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11/6/2013 - sayward Likes this wine: 92 Points
A nice nose of syrah upon opening. I thought this would need more of a decant, but we were drinking several bottles and didn't have one to spare until 20 mins before consuming. Despite this the wine was in a good spot. Rum raisin on the nose with some ripe fruit. I would not say that this wine needs a lot more time in the cellar. Enjoy now.
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10/16/2013 - Counselor Chris wrote: 93 Points
I think the key with Relentless is to give it close to a decade from the vintage date for the wine's dense core to open up and reveal itself. The 2004 is just getting to a good place, lots of beautiful florals, graphite and pure berry fruit. I think it will continue to improve over the next several years.
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6/2/2013 - grapist wrote: 93 Points
Dark and opaque. Rich floral nose of dark fruit and cedar. Full-bodied taste of blackberries and a hint of blueberry. 2 hours in decanter softened the tannins and let the balance and softness of the wine shine.
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5/18/2013 - Grape_ape wrote: 90 Points
Not decanted but probably should have been... was pretty tight aromatically and on the palate initially, and I don't think it opened fully before we finished it.. dark fruits, nice acidity, a little bit of earthyness on the palate. A little meaty as well. Very balaned, not a big CA wine by any means despite being 14.9%. Good, but not great, but I suspect with a few hours in a decanter this may have blossomed a bit better.
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3/24/2013 - garambler wrote: 92 Points
I opened this after returning home from a long day of visiting friends. It had a ripe, fragrant bouquet of floral, chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, herb, pepper and spice aromas. The palate was velvety, dense and round with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, chocolate, herb, pepper and spice…thoroughly enjoyable. 91+
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12/9/2012 - EvanRose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectaculear - incredibly smooth, soft ripe red fruit with a very long finish. Great with a grilled steak
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11/25/2012 - MichaelF Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great nose. Lavender, rosemary, black olive, and some dark fruit. Rich mouth feel. Not overbearing in the fruit. Very intriguing.
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8/11/2012 - Yamadori wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Ripe black fruits on the nose with hints of pepper and spice. Massive wine on the palate with concentrated blackberry and blueberry fruit along with notes of smoked meat. Despite being huge and full bodied this wine delivers a great sense of purity with its elegance and precision. Maybe a little one dimensional but it is excellent nonetheless. Long finish with some grippy tannins still in evidence. Drank even better on day 2 when the secondory notes of smoked meat, mushroom, earth and pepper showed more prominently. This should last for years to come and is worth seeking out.
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7/1/2012 - Chris Herron wrote:
No note taken. Bold, dark fruits, nicely structured. Tasted June 2012.
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4/14/2012 - daniel.jay wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 3 hours - great mouthfeel, big rich bold chewy palate, has more oak/vanilla than expected, gobs of dark fruits and carmel but set off by an earthiness/savory/spiciness. Very balanced in terms of acid and tannins. Worked well with spicy food - but really just best enjoyed on its own.
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2/20/2012 - DianeR wrote: 91 Points
Intense, well-integrated wine. Inky, dark, it's a highly concentrated wine which packs a strong kick. The balance of petite syrah and syrah is good, and lends itself to a more fruit-forward wine with a good structure than I would have expected. Overall, a good, intense wine... not especially good with food, as it overwhelms just about anything.
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2/20/2012 - VinoDiver wrote:
Winter 2012 Wine Dinner (SA - TX): 2012 Winter Wine Dinner: Number in () is number of favorite votes by guests. Number in [] is my ranking from 1(favorite) to 4. All wines were outstanding and this was very much splitting hairs.
2006 Two Hands Angels Share (5)[4]
2008 Carlisle Papa’s Block Syrah (3)[2]
2006 Rhys Syrah (2)[1]
2004 Shafer Relentless (0)[3]
Quick Notes:
All of these were run through a Vinturi and left to sit in glasses about an hour before service.
The Rhys was really outstanding and to be honest I expected to have it place 3rd in that lineup as I love the Carlisle and Shafer, but it was indeed my favorite. Well made and drinking beautifully.
I’ve tasted the Carlisle and Shafer again day 2 and 3 as there were leftovers and these continue to improve.. just stunning wines in my opinion.
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2/12/2012 - grapist wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for over three hours. This is a big wine. Dark and opaque. Nose floral with forest floor and mushrooms. Very soft mouthfeel with raging tannins tamed by bottle age and decanter time. Lots of dark fruit with a complex and long finish. 93-94
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2/3/2012 - Kevadera wrote: 93 Points
Rich, full bodied, excellent!
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9/10/2011 - pedwards wrote: 89 Points
Opend and decanted for 1 hr. Wow!!! Really dark in glass. Nose of dark fruits (blackberries, plums), pepper, vanilla and alcohol. On the palate burst of pure dark fruit, medium bodied, velvet texture and quite a bit of oak. This is a big wine and just too much oak for my palate. Not sure if it's necessary.
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6/10/2011 - GlenviewGSW wrote: 94 Points
Really great bottle of syrah - smooth, full bodied and rich. Really nice.
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4/5/2011 - Bakeman wrote: 89 Points
Great wine, but not as impressive as I once thought. Still one of my favorites, but maybe I have built it up so much and was expecting more.
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2/18/2011 - JoseLuis wrote: 93 Points
Full bodied, black cherry color with purple rim. Very pleasant bouquet of blackcurrant, tobacco, plums and earth. In the palate it shows an amazing concentration of ripe black fruits, framed by flavours of oak, chocolate and spices. Has big chewy tannins and a crisp acidity. Good length. Cellaring should add balance and complexity to this excellent wine.
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1/26/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote: 89 Points
What to do with wines like this... 80% Syrah 20% Petite Sirah. Gave it a two hour decant. Pitch black core with a purple rim. This is big, concentrated and oaky. The nose has so much oak it smells like a cherry cream soda. In my opinion, the nose on this wine has been greatly compromised by the oak. If you don't mind the vanilla smell, it won't bug you.
The frustrating part of this is once it gets in your mouth, the fruit is quite pure, and the structure is impressive, especially the grippy tannins. Great length, and this is clearly a well made bottle of wine. The oak, again just simply gets in the way. A flovor component which I imagine would manifest as stone fruit, tastes like tropical fruit due to the vanilla/coconut. We had this with a grilled flank steak celebrating our 60 degree January day in Seattle and the food made it a more pleasant experience.
This is getting 89 as I believe the fruit is pure, great structure, and there is great balance between them. Great length as well. The oak obscures so much of the wine that it knocks it below 90.
Again, what to do with wine like this?...
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12/24/2010 - balkmr@hotmail.com wrote: 88 Points
What an unexpected bottle. For the first hour, the nose was a musty basement. That blew off to a smell of brown butter and dark chocolate. The taste was baker's chocolate and black current. Has a very nice texture. The tannins don't stand out and the finish wasn't anything to get excited about. It's well made, but it wasn't what I want in a syrah blend.
EDIT: I saved 1/2 bottle. Recorked it and stuck in the fridge. Uncorked 2 days later. Blackberries, plum and dark chocolate on the nose and palate. This is what I expected from this wine. I would bump this up to 91pts.
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11/26/2010 - HOS wrote: 93 Points
Opened 1 hour before Thanksgiving dinner. Wonderful and consistent with my first note.
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11/15/2010 - dbg wrote:
Black/purple core with almost no lightening at the rim, intense nose of blackberry, smoke, tar and oak. Full-bodied, layered jammy fruit, some minerals, smoky oak, long big finish, well-covered tannins, outstanding.
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8/11/2010 - drycab wrote:
Opened and decanted for 2 hours. Drank with grilled lamb chops and it was fantastic. Complex notes of blackberries, black cherries, a little vanillin, some rocks and a great finish that mated with the lamb like they were made for eachother.
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7/25/2010 - RPerro wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 30 min. A bit warm-ish, due to 90+ outside temp, but a VERY nice wine. Big and black...hugely aromatic, blackberry pie, tobacco, and vanilla. Huge on the palate, and coating the mouth with blackberries, vanilla oak, and coffee. Delicious!
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5/15/2010 - HOS wrote: 88 Points
Opened bottle for an hour and then decanted for 1 hour. Blackberry, pepper, earth notes. Medium finish. Disappointing versus the earlier bottle. Save the rest for a while.
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1/7/2010 - Yiannis wrote: 95 Points
Drank at home with my friends "B. Dylan" and Sotiris G. Decanted and served after just a few minutes that were enough for some funky, reductive aromas to fade away. Compared to the M. Torres Reserva Real that was being drunk simultaneously, this was (even) denser, more complex and overall a more interesting wine.
Very dark inky purple, almost impermeable. Dark plums, chocolate, roast meat and blueberries on the nose. Full-bodied, very dense with textbook tanins, huge fruit and perfectly balancing acidity. Being so concentrated and balanced on the same time is quite an achievment! Kudos to Elias Fernandez, the winemaker. Very long finish. Hedonistic.
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1/6/2010 - Stefanos T. wrote: 95 Points
Deep purple, opaque. Very intense aromas, deep fruit, prunes and ink. Full bodied but very balanced. Very flavourfull, with excellent quality tanins. Acidity balances the weight of this wine - fruit, alcohol. The result is very balanced and hedonistic. Wonderful wine. Tasted at my friend Yiannis nameday gathering.
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10/11/2009 - Red Loki wrote: 92 Points
Great shape - inky purple, firm tannins balanced by acid, black fruit. Tasted with Shafer One point Five which was much more delicate and balanced.
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9/23/2009 - Bluedevil99 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 3.5 hrs. Opaque purple/indigo. Nose dominated by alcohol; charcoal, tar, blueberry pie, smoked meats, blackberry. Much better on the palate; rounded blue and black fruit with a charcoal and leather midpalate and a long finish with smooth tealike tannin and hints of cherry liquer and moccha and (much to my relief given the nose) absolutely no heat. Though listed at 80/20 syrah/petit, the petit sirah is really on display here. We found the alcohol on the nose a tad offputting - still hadn't blown off 5 hours in. This has very good texture and an excellent finish but the QPR here is not great.
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9/6/2009 - dbg wrote:
Another great showing for this monster. Purple/black color, intense nose of berries, smoke, tar, and oak. Full-bodied, palate-coating layers of ripe rich fruit, a little jammy but good balance, not flabby, nice finish with well-tamed tannins. Excellent.
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8/15/2009 - RPerro wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Very, very dark in the glass, almost black, and totally impenetrable. Smells of big blackberry and black cherry and blueberry fruit, very lush. Tastes of blackberry and cherry, mocha, and asphalt. This wine is just HUGE! Tannins are very well integrated, and the wine is quite smooth, given its huge flavor profile. The finish on this wine goes on forever...amazing. Glad I have another bottle on the way!
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7/19/2009 - grapist wrote: 92 Points
Decanted a bit over an hour. Opaque deep red. Rich, lush nose. Taste of vanilla, coffee, chocolate, dark fruit and cedar. Full bodied, strong attack on the full palate. Still tasting youthful.
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6/24/2009 - dbg wrote:
Purple/black color, intense nose of dark berries, smoke, vanilla-y oak, and a bit of road tar. Full-bodied, layers or ripe fruit, smooth tannins, well-balanced but BIG in all diirections, nice long finish. Next day it starts to show a little alcohol on the nose but the rich fruit is still there as are the tanniins on the finish. Should drink well for another decade. Excellent.
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6/20/2009 - Buckaroo wrote: 93 Points
Opened and let sit for a an hour prior to consuming. Love the dark, inkiness in the glass. Deep nose. Great on the tongue with a medium finish. Its a little young, should age wonderfully.
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5/18/2009 - HOS wrote: 93 Points
Based on other comments here, I decanted the wine for 3 hours prior to drinking. Powerful nose of mixed berries with earth undertones. Deep rich purple color. Taste of blackberry, chocolate covered cherry, pepper. Full bodied, elegant and complex. Medium length finish. First of these I've had and it was wonderful.
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5/1/2009 - JMeski wrote: 95 Points
Holy smokes! A truly wonderful wine. Probably the best Syrah Shafer has every made. Plum, chocolate, blackberry. Pepper.
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4/18/2009 - ebrumby wrote: 94 Points
Had this with veal porterhouse at the Charleston Grill. They nicely decanted the wine, but it took some time to open up. It really was only hitting its stride with the second glass toward the end of the meal. The flavors just came alive then, and I wished there was another bottle waiting.
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4/15/2009 - Mpoob wrote: 87 Points
WA = 91pts
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4/5/2009 - iamandyc wrote: 92 Points
Very, very nice syrah blend. Excellent depth and fruit with nice zing from the petite sirah. Went well with a barbecue dinner and as an after dinner sip.
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3/21/2009 - harrisxlt@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
Wow, fantastic Syrah, one of my all time favorites
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3/14/2009 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 93 Points
Handed to me blind (by a wine rep) in a decent glass, I picked out the Petite Sirah immediately on the nose. I knew it was not 100% Petite Sirah, and that the rest was not a thin skin grape, so 80% Syrah was not much of a surprise. This is a big, complex, heavily extracted mouth full of flavor. I think I perceive American oak, probably too much. Even at 4.5 years from crush, and 3 years or so in the bottle, there is lots of oak. The Petite Sirah really compliments the Syrah. There are gobs of dark fruit. Long cherry, spicy, and cola finish.
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1/25/2009 - jonysan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not as good as the 2003 I had a couple months ago. That wine was one of the best, if not the best I had in 2008. Perhaps a little more time in the bottle will make it better.
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12/25/2008 - wine a lot wrote: 95 Points
Awesome every time
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12/21/2008 - JCaress wrote: 88 Points
Not as good as I would have expected. Nice fruit, licorice and dark berries. Decanted an hour but still had a bit of a hot finish and tannins were not diminished. Good but not great.
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11/15/2008 - Red Loki wrote: 90 Points
Very dark fruit, somewhat monochromatic but bold nonetheless. More "Australian" than an other bottle in the same lot. Strange.
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11/8/2008 - pkbackman wrote: 94 Points
Decanted an hour and a half.... Wow. Awesome. Can't say much more than that. Smoooothhhh. Great fruit, firm tannins, little oak and cedar... all perfectly balanced. Yum. And it just kept getting better and better as the evening wore on. Such deep dark, lush fruit. Outstanding.
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9/1/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 94 Points
SQN-like richness. Pure velvet mouthfeel. I was caught off-guard by how good this wine is while doing the tasting at Shafer. Apparently the name of the wine "Relentless" is a tribute to the tireless effort of the Shafer winemaker, Elias Fernandez.
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8/27/2008 - JOsgood wrote: 93 Points
Such a delicious syrah blend. I would love to enjoy more of this with some grilled meats. Ruby red in color. Lots of red fruit on the palate with a silky finish. Shafer is the real deal.
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8/16/2008 - jtcseventysix wrote: 89 Points
Dark, inky red with a bold first impression; misses on the finish as I wanted more from this. Lots of dark plum fruit, good structure. Not bad, just not great.
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8/9/2008 - DianeR wrote:
Craig and Nita's Wine Barbecue: Intense - an inky, purple, teeth-staining wine with notes of chocolate, blackberry, tar, cherry, and pepper.
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7/26/2008 - rloomis wrote: 89 Points
inky and milky stains your glass purple. dark chocolate and cocoa, huge wine of dark choc covered cherry, blk cassis, blueberry, cayenne and hot korean ginseng; not too tannic, but a sltly bitter bakers chocolate finish.
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7/5/2008 - cmr wrote: 91 Points
Great body and structure, dark fruits, very well made, but nothing all that exciting for me that I can't find in bottles 1/2 the price.
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5/6/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote: 93 Points
Petit Sirah. Brilliant dark purple color. Huge compilation of dark fruits on the nose with a touch of smokiness and very subtle pepper notes. This is a giant wine- buttery/vanilla notes but not overbearing. Really impressive structure that should keep this wine aging like a supermodel. Long, tongue coating with creaminess finish. Relentless on the wallet? Maybe. Relentless in its ability to bring you back for more. Definitely. foodandwineblog.com
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5/5/2008 - Red Loki wrote: 92 Points
Very good fruit and tannin balance
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4/30/2008 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Tasting at Shafer: The 2004 Relentless is 80% Syrah and 20% Petite Sirah. Production was about 3,000 cases. Inky garnet color with intense aromas of earthy black fruit, blue frui and violets. Dense and chewy tannins, with flavors of black fruit, and a subtle minerality on the finish. 91-92 pts.
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4/13/2008 - rloomis wrote: 90 Points
inky layers of dark red plum, fresh red peppercorn, white pepper. explodes in the mouth with spices and plush dark red berry fruit. outstanding
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4/6/2008 - James B wrote: 91 Points
Nicely balanced; big and fruit-forward. I would say this wine deserves the accolades it has received. It clearly eclipsed the Shafer One Point Five of the same vintage (drunk side by side). It is rich and full on the nose and palate, and it is drinkable now. Highly recommended.
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4/6/2008 - A&C wrote: 89 Points
This was bottle number 4 following a 2006 Conundrum, a 1990 Haut Batailley, and a 2004 Shafer One Point Five. Out of the 4 bottles, this came in second. The 1990 Haut Batailley was a sweet, aged treat. The 2006 Conundrum was an adventure in fresh sweetness. The Relentless had a muted nose, and a black color. On the palate, however, there was a richness to this wine. Plums, raisins, prunes and a port-like richness. While still quite tanic, there was a depth to this wine, which really showed the weakness of the 2004 Shafer One Point Five. This was a nice, rich, decadant wine. New world, and complex. No where near the sweet, aged 1990 Haut-Batailley, but fun nonetheless.
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3/16/2008 - pgm wrote: 93 Points
Restaurant purchase. Obviously needed decanting, and benefited from just a brief time in air. I appreciate the distinctive style of the Relentless: it's got a fairly cabernet-style profile, with currant highlighting the black berries. Nicely structured, but the tannins are pretty well hidden. I'm starting to think I like this as much as the 2002.
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2/26/2008 - Terkel wrote: 91 Points
Californian wines (FOF): Black color with a red rim. Warm, modern style nose, with licorise, roasted oak, blueberries and some ink. Lots of dark fruit on the palate and some dark bitter chocolate. Long taste that ends in a sweet punch. Powerful wine with sweet fruit, warmth and alcohol, but not as much tannins.
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2/25/2008 - Rayburn wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Gripping tannins. Black/blueberry fruit with a fair dollop of oak. Long finish but this needs time. Very, very nice though.
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2/18/2008 - ken-yyz wrote: 93 Points
Smooth and forward and frankly a surprise as I've found earlier vintages to be tightly wound. In addition to intense blue and blackberry, there's some red fruits that creep in as well. Some vanilla and chocolate round out the flavours. Clearly California and delicious.
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2/3/2008 - yovinny wrote: 94 Points
WOW. Add roasted meats to previous tasting. Notching up on the "point scale". The "Gold Standard" for a Syrah. Hint of Nutmeg on the midpalate.
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2/2/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 90 Points
I'm starting to think I'm just not a huge fan of the syrupy Syrah/Shiraz, even one like this that's not over the top at all. Inky purple, muted nose. Extremely well balanced, with toned down jamminess and a real nice subtle finish. Lots of really good things going on, but not quite my style. Friend with me liked it more than the Damilano Barolo we had, and I agree it's likely to be more of a crowd pleaser to do its smoothness.
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12/11/2007 - scottreesman wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby red with purple reflections. Intense Nose: Cocoa, boysenberry, rasberry and strawberry jams, smoke, Faded flowers, herbs, Some animal scents. Full and rich in the mouth. (Dry, Warm, smooth + crisp, Moderately tannic, and sapid= Balanced wine) Intense wine that finishes well. Might serve Duck with cherry sauce with it. Can Drink now but probably another 5 years will give it more complexity.
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11/16/2007 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
Initially very shy nose, but the midpalate is huge with blue and black fruit. After sitting in the decanter for forty-five minutes (when it was nearly gone), it showed some pure caramel notes on the nose, with some brown spices beginning to make a showing. This is still very young, tight, and primary, but it's delicious already and showing some real promise. I'm giving an optimistic point or two here in anticipation of that improvement (probably within the next six months).
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11/10/2007 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Sampled at the winery; bottle had been open but not decanted for about 3 hours prior to tasting. Typical dark Relentless coloring, with a firm grip on the stems. Deep black fruit aromas and flavors, with a very good balance between acids and tanins. Very fine-grained tanins evident. Enjoyable.
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9/15/2007 - yovinny wrote: 93 Points
Deep Ruby Color.Graphite nose. Soft tannins, mild heat, fullbodied as one would expect of Relentless. Young and still tight. Definite minerality make one picture: rocky soils.... in their minds eye. Fruit of the Gods: Nectarines./ Approached again 24 hours later(same bottle) and opened up nicely.
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