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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.2 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 237 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by T.O.Wineaux on 12/2/2023 & rated 94 points: This has really benefited from 10 years in the cellar...an excellent NPV Syrah with dark berry flavors and a long finish. (650 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 3/17/2023 & rated 91 points: My last bottle of this vintage and the least favorite of 6 bottles. It was part of a Syrah night at a NYC steakhouse, and it was opened, but not decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. It was good, but I was expecting much more. It was my least favorite wine of the night. Still at 91 points, it is pretty good. Full bodied, dark color and a medium+ length finish. (1177 views) | | | Tasted by Ridgerunner on 2/22/2023 & rated 95 points: So this is in the spirit of a Napa field blend and with sufficient age it is spectacular. (1012 views) | | | Tasted by hkbob on 8/31/2022 & rated 96 points: This poured a deep red. A wow nose of sweet dark cherries, red and blue fruit, spice and smoky embers. The magic continued on the richly fruited palate with excellent inner-mouth perfume and a long spicy finish. This is still very much in the zone and likely has another 5 or more years of prime drinking ahead. Excellent. (1492 views) | | | Tasted by Mtnmd1 on 6/23/2022 & rated 94 points: Hour decant. The evolution continues. Fantastic!! (1617 views) | | | Tasted by cdp1276 on 12/7/2021 & rated 96 points: Velvety nuance full of blue and blackberry, soft earthiness and faint palo santo reverence. The Shafer craft is on point and ritualistic with 24 months in new French oak. (2147 views) | | | Tasted by mdvillaverde on 10/10/2021 & rated 92 points: Consistent with my past note. I've enjoyed many Shafers but this one underwhelmed. (1680 views) | | | Tasted by jshufelt on 5/31/2021 & rated 92 points: Decanted 30 minutes before service. In the glass, saturated magenta at the rim, fading immediately to dense, inky black. On the nose, blueberries, graphite, wet oak, and currants - in a blind tasting, I wonder if I would have mistaken this for a cab? On the palate, a mix of blueberries, dried herbs, and fresh ground pepper, with a tannic backbone that ramps up on the moderately long finish. It may not taste like a barrel sample, but given the tannins and lack of secondary nuance, it seems closer to that than to any drinking plateau that lies ahead. (2117 views) | | | Tasted by jweedin on 12/27/2020 & rated 94 points: Past it’s peak but still awesome (2369 views) | | | Tasted by apm1023 on 12/27/2020 & rated 93 points: - Crimsom color with slow forming legs - Decanted for two hours and the wine was perfect. Great fruit, mild tannins, super nose. Too bad its my last bottle. (2207 views) | | | Tasted by cjohnson2960 on 10/28/2020 & rated 94 points: Powerful and focused, an aptly-named wine to celebrate the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory in the World Series. The team never gave up, and this vintage of Relentless remains a very big wine. (2331 views) | | | Tasted by kstoddard on 9/9/2020: Not a fan (2466 views) | | | Tasted by VlgJeff on 9/4/2020 & rated 92 points: Decanted at 5:00 pm for dinner with some sediment. Here's how the wine progressed:
Initial: rather stark with very low fruit and lots of acidity. The 15.8% alcohol as well as some solid drying tannins also showed on the finish.
At 0.5 hours: some red and dark red fruits begin to emerge. The acidity is still quite high with obvious tannins and some alcohol on the finish.
At 1.0 hours: more fruit emerges as spice and pepper come forward with acidity and tannins receding.
At 1.5 hours: this is the wine we waited for. Lots of red and dark red fruits, lots of pepper and only touches of spice and tannin. This is - with air - a fruit driven wine that can probably hold for several more years. (1872 views) | | | Tasted by jc510 on 9/3/2020: Drinking really well now (1661 views) | | | Tasted by pinotpounder on 8/29/2020 & rated 91 points: 91 points (1564 views) | | | Tasted by jviz on 5/3/2020 & rated 92 points: The 2010 Relentless has rested in my cellar since release. At the time, the 08 was impossible to find having taken the WS wine of the year award. I built a small vertical and have started to open them. We visited Shafer in 2017 and tasted the 13 Relentless (which was only a shade behind Hillside Select in my memory. My major takeaway today is that these wines are built to be rich and voluptuous - they are not crafted with the end goal being a 20-30 year wine. So far, it’s holding up fine, and why wouldn’t it; with so much structure and alcohol? (Another conversation). But it is starting to throw a bit of sediment and the balance may be slowly tipping into overly oaky territory...
Tasted over 2 days at cellar temp (PnP night one and stood up in the fridge for #2) in Zalto BDX glass. Pours dark purple, less glycerine and glass coating legs compared to release. The aromas are of prominent oak, blackberry pie, and baked plum. The wine has a soft, full bodied texture and the 15.8% alcohol is so well integrated as to be unnoticed (my sensitivity on this is somewhat poor). The acidity is low to medium but it works here without any flabbiness. Still with some creamy lactic tones as it warms. It finishes medium with discernable wood tannins leaving a very mild bite (along with the sediment). So be sure to decant this one.
My impression is that this wine will become Wood dominant as the fruit fades (which the last few notes suggest is starting to occur). But when you start with mountains and gobs, that may take awhile. Maybe this turns out like the great petites from Ridge and others in the 80s, though I doubt it. One final point: there is nothing at all (in the wine) to alert you to the fact it is composed of 96% syrah. No olive, meat, lavender, pepper, or any typical signature of the grape. It’s a big red new world wine, and it’s still nice to drink, good people behind the label, etc; but no way on earth you could call the grape blinded. (2086 views) | | | Tasted by EM_MB on 2/23/2020 & rated 89 points: Disappointed relative to bottle I had a few years ago. Strong sour note permeated throughout overpowering all else. Wonder if post its prime? (2043 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 2/16/2020 & rated 92 points: Ever so slightly disappointing. I still liked it, but was expecting to love it. The fruit seemed a little muted. It just wasn't as big as Relentless usually is. (2109 views) | | | Tasted by moega on 1/19/2020 & rated 93 points: Dark berries on the nose. Palate showed dark berry, dark plums and licorice. A little bit of spice on the finish. Overall, fruit all abound. This was also better with food then without. (2007 views) | | | Tasted by Sanlucar on 1/11/2020 & rated 94 points: Camphor & anise with much tobacco, manure / organic matter, and dark berries. Very impressive but not quite the awe inspiring wine I remembered from previous tasting experiences. This one reminded me of Aussie Shiraz due to its baked blackberry, acidity, and road tar / asphalt notes. Greatly improves with several hours of air; we decanted for more than 5 hours and it was still going strong, and the 15.8% alcohol is barely perceptible. (2248 views) | | | Tasted by BigTex22 on 1/5/2020 & rated 90 points: This was a bit hot and tired. Last bottle of 3 bought at release. Drink now. (2101 views) | | | Tasted by Proof_Of_Life on 12/27/2019 & rated 95 points: Excellent when open for a while.
2 hour mark or more, it blossoms. (1697 views) | | | Tasted by mclanew on 12/14/2019 & rated 93 points: This is a monster of a wine. Bold nose of black fruits and spices. The wine is superconcentrated, full bodied with strong tannins and a long finish. There is noticeable oak treatment which I think will integrate better with time. While it’s a very good wine today, I think it’s too early to drink this and this will actually get better with age. (1809 views) | | | Tasted by markcic on 12/1/2019 & rated 92 points: Similar to my notes of last July. The difference being I slow ox'd for a few hours last night while I pnp'd in July. The nose is all fruit. The palate is berries, plums, licorice and spices. Finish was moderate to long. (1886 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 11/16/2019 & rated 95 points: USA Syrah tasting in Vino and Friends. (By JK in Maastricht): In the bouquet leather, red and dark berries, herbs and spices, a bit rustic and luxurious impressions. On the palate juicy red and dark berries, firm acidity and tannin, chocolate. Good freshness and a good bite. Beautiful wine with a future of several years. 94 - 95 (2063 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2014, IWC Issue #174
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Terroir Matters - Updated (Nov 2013)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: An Epic Vintage (Dec 2012)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley (Dec 2011)
(Shafer Vineyards Relentless Napa) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of 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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