2014 Shafer Relentless

Community Tasting Note

jmcnewjersey Likes this wine:

92 Points

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 - Solid wine as usual, but other vintages were stronger for sure. (Dec. 24, 2020 @ Mason, OH)

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Comment posted by srh:

12/30/2020 3:35:00 PM - "...other vintages were stronger for sure." A friend with quite a bit of experience with these has said the same. Would you mind sharing whether or not you decanted this & how you paired it? Unfortunately, my experience with the 1st/2 cellared bottles left much to be desired. 😕
Comment posted by jmcnewjersey:

12/30/2020 4:19:00 PM - Hi SRH - - My notes were written a few days after tasting the wine, which is why they lack specifics and detail. To answer your question, I did not decant the bottle (which probably would have been a good idea) but I drank the wine over a period of 2-3 hours. I am a big fan of Shafer wines, and Relentless in particular (my favorite was the 2002 vintage), although I have not been as thrilled with Relentless vintages starting in 2012. Not sure why, such as whether the winemaking has changed.
Comment posted by srh:

12/30/2020 5:15:00 PM - MANY thanks for having taken the time to respond, jmc! 🙂 My only vintage tasting a Relentless, I *loved* it the 1st 2x, not NEARLY as much the last 2, + I'm QUITE flummoxed concerning how to PAIR it. 😕
Comment posted by jmcnewjersey:

12/30/2020 7:53:00 PM - I am no expert food pairer, but suspect that Relentless would go well with the "usual suspects" (lamb, beef, pork) - - although on the night that I had this wine, it went pretty well with leftover meatballs and honey-baked ham.
Comment posted by srh:

12/31/2020 11:33:00 AM - THANK you *much* for the additional info, jmc! 🙂