30 mins slow ox, using std syrah stems. Muted graphite, creosote, crushed stone and currants on the nose.
Everything's in balance tonight with no component outshining another, with the palate continuing what was evident on the nose. Finish lasts for 20+ secs, lightly coating the palate without resting heavily across it. While my last bottle there's still plenty of life left here. Enjoy!
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Good cork pop, not cork issues. Stained deep dark purple and closer to black. Prior to tasting, and having read reviews both pro and here, was expecting this to be a giant kick in the Head experience. It was not at all. This is smooth, balanced, with a heady bouquet. I can sense the higher alcohol but don't taste it. Tannins become considerable but not when aerated in mouth. Not much fruit. Evolved. Cherry or something bright. Interesting wine that tastes evolved. I think you could have this now. I don't see it getting better.
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The nose: Blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry. Lots of dark berries. Smoked meat or bacon fat. Liqourice. A fine integrated amount of oak.
The palate: Same notes as the nose, dark Berry forward, very lush, very fresh. It doens't taste like a 10 year old wine, but it does taste american. Fantastic palate, amazing wine. Acidity high Tannin high Full body
Decant maybe 3 hours or more. Also it feels like, it was a little too warm, so put it in the fridge until decanting and decant three hours.
But i'm 98 Points
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Big, bold, concentrated, rich, wine. 15.8% abv. This one is 97% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah. This proportion can change a fair amount between vintages. blackberry oak plum blueberry chocolate licorice This wine demands to be paired with something substantial, like the grilled NY strip steak I paired with it.
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Deep purple in color with slight bricking on the edge. This wine is very aromatic with black berries and plum with some red currant. On the palate the wine is rich with dark fruit, plum, a gaminess with hints of tea, smoke and spice. The tannins are silky smooth and well integrated. This may be at it's peak?
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This is my fourth bottle over the past several years. The nose and palate are quite in sync on this one. Purple fruits, meat components are integrated now rather than the star like in previous bottles, this bottle has developed some greener notes with mint and sage, pepper, some oak character coming through. Tannins are well integrated. Still a nice acidity. Finish is long, though not powerful. I look forward to the next bottle in a few years.
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This wine has gotten better and better each time I've revisited it. It doesn't taste like a Napa syrah-based wine anymore. It has loads of charcoal, salt, white pepper, crushed rocks that remind me more of the limestone driven syrahs of the central coast. I love the complexity of this wine.
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Galloni noted that this wine has "dark cherry, plum, spice, mocha and new oak are all pushed forward" and he is spot on. That said, this wine evolves amazingly in the glass, with additional dark berry flavors layering the longer it is open. An amazing wine that gets better and better and better the longer it is opened. Started two hours into a decant, but by hour 4...oh my.
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Deep ruby purple. Bit rough around the edges tannin wise the first sixty minutes. Opened up slowly to peak after four hours. Elegant tones of peppers, mint, plum and coffee. Entering a good phase right now.
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Purple ink, beginning to lighten on the edges. Earth and bramble on the nose, not as dark as I’d expect. Extremely dry at first, there doesn’t seem to be much fruit until the wine hits back palate and opens up.
2 hrs after opening (not decanted) it’s becoming more complex, adding depth, crushed stone, black and blueberry. Much better balance than when first opened.
I’d give this a 45min decant today for optimal drinking, good for 5-9 years
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Prep: Coravin, wine glass for 2.5 hours to bring up to room temp Color: Dark purple core with red/violet outer edge Aroma: Floral-violets, dark fruit/plum with a bit of ocean floor Taste: Full mouthfeel, coats your teeth with initial dark fruit; notes of dark licorice, black plum, mild spice mid palate which increases on finish. Light acidity provides balance. Summary: 2013 is akin to having a Missionary Baptist girl let her hair down, it's going to take a great deal of coaxing. Very good Syrah without the expected spice that should go with a high level Syrah. Definitely pairs with red meat; poultry and Italian food shouldn't be paired with this wine IMO. Cheers!
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This wine is deep ruby in color and highly aromatic. It imparts complex aromas of floral blackberry, black plum, coconut, licorice and game. On the palate, pronounced notes of dark berries, licorice, plum with hints of spice and smoke. This is a full bodied wine with medium tannins and high alcohol. Outstanding effort.
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Lots of vanilla, coconut, toasted chocolate on nose, rich, dense and extracted, even a little mint. Reminded me a little bit of Phelps insignia but has a much longer way to go
P&P and a good amount of tannins. Left in the glass for 30 minutes and the wine developed nicely with dark fruit. Much better than the previous btl. Drink or hold.
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Eight years from vintage and still just a baby. This was better on night 2, and the palate improved further on night 3. I'll wait 3-4 years before opening another bottle. A huge wine with plenty of structure.
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Not my preferred style. Tastes intensely dark and alcoholic. Flavor seems dominated by petite sirah, even though it's only 3% of the blend. Liquid is darkly opaque, as if it had a lot of suspended solids.
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Dark purple. Massive black fruits, plum, licorice. Full bodied, plush and rich. Balanced with integrated tannins and a long finish. Consistent, tasty big Napa Syrah/Petite Sirah.
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Approachable out of the gate, but clearly benefited from a 2 hour decant. A bit of barnyard on the nose, tannic, almost a syrupy texture to it that coats the glass. Cherry, berries, and cassis notes.
Tasted fully blind with a 13 L'Ecole Syrah from Washington, and a 13 Black Hills Syrah from BC. The L'Ecole exuded alcohol, the Black Hills exuded greenness, and the Relentless exuded its ego. We all picked the Relentless (blind) as our favourite, but not by much.
For the price tag, the Relentless underdelivers - if you factor price into your ratings subtract at least two points from my 91.
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Opened and slow ox for about an hour. Drank besides a 2012 Montes Folly and this was slightly preferred Syrah by the group (but it was close!). Fruit forward with black cherries and sweet cassis and chocolate. Round and full in the mouth but without a lot of spicy notes. This is also high alcohol so hard to remember the second half of the bottle!
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Hard to describe this wine, let’s just say not the best bottle. Started out great (90) and then went down hill. Dried up on the palate. Only drank half and discarded it. Very disappointing.
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Just simply outstanding.... Perfect marriage of fruit, spice , and oak that is well integrated.... Full flavor that lasts to a lengthy finish... Bummer is that was my last 2013....now on to the ‘14 vintage!!
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Tons of meat, some spice, and red fruit on the nose. Very light weight on the tongue but some alcohol heat on the back end. Palate is much darker than the nose. More of that meat and fat comes through. Quite acidic. Tannins very present, though not overbearing to me like I’m seeing in other recent reviews. Finish has tart fruit, maybe underripe plum, that lasts forever.
Four hour decant then drank on it for the next four. This isn’t blowing me away like my last bottle but it is still a great wine. Glad I have a few more in the cellar.
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Big blackberry, dark fruit with spicy, smoky finish. Even after a two hour decant, this wine has tight tannins that give this a tight structure. Imagine this has many more years of life in it and likely will get even better with some more age.
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What’s not to love.. Effusive exquisite (those are big words) nose..: Flavor is delicious fruit but well balanced with Minerality herbs spice ... So damn good... GET YA SUM
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2013, supposément un GRAND millésime pour ce coin de pays... j'ai trouvé capiteux et un peu trop moderme pour mon goût. Même après 3 heures de carafe et aération dans le verre, il n'a pas changé. C'est bien fait cependant et c'est évident que ça plait à beaucoup de gens, je respect ça. C'est dense et massif, pas très subtil en ce moment. Poivrons et herbal en ce moment avec des mures et du cassis. Les tannins son un peu asséchant et la finale hyper longue nous laisse avec de la chauffe et une impression de sucre. Possiblement dans 15-20-25 années pour ceux qui sont assez jeunes et qui peuvent l'attendre. Je passe, j'ai encore pas mal de vin de cette région des années 90 et 2000 qui commencent à entrer dans leur sweet spot!
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Shafer Vineyards with Doug Shafer (Zoom!): 97% Syrah, 3% Petit Sirah. So deep. Gorgeous lifted, floral nose. Pretty firm briary tannins, but enough fruit to cope. Lovely interplay between oak and spicy fruit. Lots of stuff happening on the finish - liquorice, lavender. Really nice mouthfeel, smooth and fat, but cool in flavour. Although this feels ready, am sure there's upside from here.
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Decanted and allowed to breathe for 30 mins. These notes are 2 hrs after decanting. Blueberry, asphalt and black fruit on the nose. Not as thick as many syrahs, this is dark rich but shows far more age than I'd guess....would've taken this as a'08 or '10 rather than a '13.
Exceptional wine if you are a fan of the style. Dense chewy fruit and heavily oaked but not overtly ripe. 2013 relentless kicked off my love affair with wine.
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Two hour slow ox. Very deep dark purplish magenta color. Black currant, blackberry, blueberry, plum, black pepper, rose petals, eggplant and sugar cookie dough on the complex nose. Smooth, tongue drying palate. It’s just a touch tart and flat. Firm, full, grippy tannins on the longish finish. Very nice, but likely to be better with a few hour decant. 97% Syrah and 3% PS
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Exceptional syrah that is still in its youth. Decanted for an hour, drunk over 3 hours. Deep, dark, inky black fruits predominate, but there are lighter more playful notes that linger on the rather lengthy finish. Tannins have mellowed from the last tasting, but are still unmistakably present. Had this with a spicy carne asada, and it was the perfect pairing with this super flavorful dish. Great wine that has not yet reached its peak. Next bottle 2021+
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Beautiful purple with a touch of deep red. Gorgeous nose of dark fruits and bacon fat. In spite of the dark color and deep complex layers of flavor it is not over extracted or heavy. Early in the drink window but with a decant is drinking very well now. My first bottle of this vintage, really happy I have more.
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Big tannin when opened up. Smoothed out with air and food. Big pepper, meaty but not quite on par with Cayuse territory. Dark blue fruit territory. Like it, but again fruit profile wise Paso is just more my jam than Napa.
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Drank my last bottle of this and it was fantastic. Just a really assertive wine without being too heavy which is what I like about a good Syrah compared to an overwhelming cab. Inky purple with light blue fruits and jam on the nose. Tannins well integrated but could have used a good decant. Very little heat for a high ABV (15+). Drinking quite well now.
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As you might imagine...this wine was slow to relent (someone had to say it!). It was a few hours before the fistful of tannins gave way and mellowed. This is not a typical California Syrah in that it's deep and rich and earthy and gamey, and while the fruit is certainly there - even at this youthful point - its fine integration and balance are already a wonder. Not a fruit bomb...not even close...but a substantial wine of rugged depth and grip. Extremely enjoyable...better in half a decade.
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Only waited a year to have my other bottle but this was trending more in line with what I was expecting given the rating. The nose was lovely and nuanced, with some dark, dank earthy tones mixed with some sweet spring flowers. First taste was tart and biting; the fruit was shy but I could tell it was there, the dust just needed to blow off. We let it sit in the decanter for another 20 minutes and then, with some coaxing in the glass, this started to strut its stuff. Big, fleshy, black and blue fruits, cardamom, cassis, and some toast rounded out this powerful wine, which needs to be paired with something rich and meaty otherwise it will plow over your food. I would buy again if I could find it for under $100.
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Wow! Huge, explosive wine. Wet leather and blackberries on the nose. Full, plush, velvety in the mouth with jammy plum, licorice and a 30 second long peppery finish. Can't get much better than this. Pulled this one a little early in honor of John Shafer.
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I love this wine year free year. Feel like I have had every vintage back to 2007. Lots of mocha, almost German chocolate cake (coconut) smashed on tarry asphalt upon opening. Decanted for an hour before second glass. For as powerful as the nose and palate are on this wine, it never seems sappy or over extracted to me. Second glass, more classic Syrah notes of black and blue fruit, pepper but also can detect some red lighter tones with still lively acidity. Not getting much violet/floral notes here, but Definitely a gaminess/meatiness presence on the nose with still some mild black tea like tannin and cocoa dusted berries. Time in decanter and glass seem to lighten this wine’s all out assault out of the bottle, but it’s core flavors never waiver. Wine later finished with cast iron ribeye steaks. For me, Doesn’t get much better for Napa Syrah. Will be diggin for more somewhere. this one still had many years of life!!
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Palate: Very Light on it's feet. Not really as heavy as you would imagine. Speads across the palate with a great finish. Confirm all the elements of the nose. Some more Blue Fruit.
Fantastic. Could definitely give this a few more years to meld together. But with a hour or so decant, this is drinking great. Another solid effort for Elias and Doug.
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Deepest inky purple..nose is smoky black fruit, herbs, licorice, complex nose that keeps giving more....mineral yet slightly sweet blackberry fruit concentrated to a real precision, tannins present but smooth...really great wine...
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Inky ruby in color and almost black. Medium viscosity. Nose is slightly vegetal with notes of subtle cedar, unripe blackberries, and plum. Palate contains a savory component of beef tartare combined with unsweetened dark fruits and a strong tannin backbone. This is balanced with a medium acidity and lingers for a solid 30 seconds with a gamey, ferric, and slightly bitter component that is quite pleasant. Would pair very nicely with meat dishes such as streak au poivre or wild game
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People who like Napa Syrah will like this; for me it lacked varietal character and terroir. Lots of alcohol and dark fruit, silky tannins. A nice wine and probably a crowd pleaser.
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Deep dark inky ox-blood, full bodied. Tons of dark berries, especially blue berries, jam notes Fresh and still youthful. Plums, medium plus finish, smooth, well balanced. An incredibly well balanced wine. Silky smooth. It 'tastes' classy and expensive, and will improve marginally with age. Good Stuff!
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This is crazy delicious. PnP. Nose a little muted on open, but still tasted great. Nose and palate evolved over an hour. Rich without feeling overly heavy or jammy. Notes of blackberry, licorice, mocha, a little iron or blood. Paired with a pizza at a friend's house (great), but would have been better with a steak. Wow. 93-94.
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Deep red-purple. After two hour double decant, open and in excellent balance. Berry, pepper, a bit in an unami note, spice. Great mouthfeel. Clean and long finish. Simple but good on the nose. Great with food, very nice alone, it will be interesting to see here this goes as it has the balance to age.
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Three hour decant. Nearly opaque, shimmering magenta color. Blueberry, wild flowers, almond abstract and black pepper on the aromatic nose. Smooth, dry, dusty, tongue-coating palate. Firm, grippy tannins on the long, spicy finish. This wine grew progressively more peppery over an hour of drinking. Fun, interesting Napa Syrah.
Dark royal maroon/purple. Rich, still seems young, juicy, with a ripe full nose of black cherry, spice, red plum, ripe raspberry. Weighty, in a good way, and long. More red fruit than expected, some leather mid palate, and very manageable refined tannin structure.
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Compared to the Donelan Obsidian of the same vintage the other night this was a bit of a lightweight. A nice pedigree but not the big, juicy premium California Syrah that I was expecting. Black pepper, blueberry jam, some tea, and a smattering of red fruits. Will definitely wait another 3-4 years to see if this one develops more secondary notes.
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Keowee Wine Mixer; 12/2/2017-12/3/2017 (Seneca, SC): Tasted blind. This was the last wine of the flight, so my discernment was getting difficult at this point, as I was not spitting. We ran out of space on the notes so I didn't have much else written as far as descriptors other than "pepper spice" and a score of 93.
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Double decanted for 6 hours and served at room temperature. Spectacular! Hard to imagine a Syrah being better than this. Paired with a ribeye steak, offered aromatics of blue fruit and Stag's Leap dust. Intense black pepper spice that blows you away followed by a silky smooth transition of soft blackberry and blue fruit before an abrupt end synonymous with a syrah. Highly recommend!
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Such a well balanced wine. Lots of blackberry and spice on the nose, smoke and pepper with black fruit taste and a very long finish. My favorite with steaks on the big green egg!
Popped and poured at City Oyster in Delray and enjoyed over 45 minutes. Deep inky purple. Big powerful nose of crushed black pepper, blackberry, cedar and sawdust. Taste is similar. Silky smooth but pretty powerful alcohol kick. Full bodied with medium well integrated tannins and medium acidity. Really good stuff.
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Didn't decant nearly long enough (about an hour), and tannins were a bit astringent. Great fruit backbone. Had alongside a 2006 Relentless, which was much more polished and elegant (2006 had been decanting for 3 hours). 2013 can be enjoyed now with 3+ hours in the decanter, but I think will improve substantially over the next decade or 2. Next bottle 2019+
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Great showing for this wine. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, leather, char and a bit of graphite. On the palate, this is lush and delicious. deep. Complex. Long finish. Special wine.
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Massive wine. All manner of charcoal, ash and camphor to meld with the blueberry fruit and spice in this wine. Inky dark. "Smoldering" is a good way to describe this wine. Excellent depth and complexity. Will hold my other bottles.
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Tasted at the Estate. Boldest of the Shafer offerings with a strong bouquet of black and blue fruit- very warm in nature. Palate is higher flesh than Merlot and 1.5, with warm fruit and some camphor. Finish is medium long. So Napa almost favors Syrah over Cab in my opinion.
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On back patio with Gary and Nicol while picking at cheese and charcuterie. Massive but super sophisticated and elegant. Silky smooth with an endless finish. Brilliant.
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Excellent wine but really, really tight at first with almost overpowering tannins - I was worried I'd wasted a good bottle by opening it before its time. Lucklily, over the course of two hours the wine really opened up and exhibited many of the dark fruit characteristics several other reviews have mentioned. I'll save the remaining two bottles for sometime after 2020.
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Third bottle at French Laundry, covering second half of menu. A powerhouse wine. Likely the best Syrah I've had outside of the rocks. Loads of fruit and perfectly put together.
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Nose : cherry, burned sugar, sweet, floral, Balsamico, explosive nose Mouth : tropical wood, Eucalyptus, a touch of alcohol, very ripe, even borderline overripe, full bodied, jammy, a bomb in the mouth, but it will become tiresome after the second glass
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Clearly New World style. Explosive wine. Very young, although decanted for 12 (!) hours. Super ripe and full, glass staining, intense color, sweet.
Raw power, take no prisoners winemaking. You love it or you hate it, I guess. A clear example of 'Parker wine', but expert winemaking although devoid of 'terroir'. Good for a few glasses, but it may be difficult to drink a whole bottle by itself. 15,8% alcohol!
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This wine is playing in the big league. Palpable quality. Fragrant aroma on opening, even when poured a few feet away. The nose shows berry reduction, cheese rind, grilled meat, and dusty oak. The palate follows with much of the same, with a persistent black pepper finish. 15.8% alcohol is well concealed behind waves of crushed black and blueberry fruit. Massive intensity and a rather silky mouthfeel. Expertly crafted and a bit indulgent. Rhone influence is certainly there. Scores seem to range from 95-100 -- I think they are well justified and most tasters seem to agree. Could this be better than the 2008 WS wine of the year? We'll see, but I predict a spot in the top 10
Purple and blue in the glass. Tasted over two days. Bouquet of ripe muddled blueberry, effusive purple fruits, magic marker, (oak imparted) thick coconut oil, hints of pepper, and strong, almost ether-like, alcohol. The wine tastes exactly like it smells, each element coming forward separately, other than the omnipresent alcohol, in tsunami-like waves. The 15.8 reported abv was especially obtrusive on the second day. A higher proportion of Petite Sirah would have made the wine more interesting. Inky, fruit drenched oak aficionados, who have no qualms with exhaling fire after each taste, might swoon over this now. Otherwise, it needs time to settle, evolve, and hopefully, develop into the sum of its component parts. Recommend holding for 15 to 20 years; the alcohol alone will preserve it for that long. 92-93.
This vintage is nothing like the 2012, which featured eleven percent Petite Sirah, intriguing nuance, and appealing substance, including phosphorus, coniferous forest floor, and strong terroir markers.
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Definitely agree with other reviews of being young but certainly drinkable now without disappointment. Metal undertones hint at copper or iron. Deep crimson color. An increable smooth heavy finish that just glides across your tongue.
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Descriptions here seem accurate but tar overtones made this less enjoyable to our group. But I don't see this noted in any other comments here, so perhaps it is just this bottle. I'll wait a few years on my other bottle- perhaps this one was a fluke.
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Agree with other posters that this is still too young, but it is so remarkably good. Deep purple with a brightness to it. Black fruits on the palate with a hint of iron. Tight tannins and surprisingly little overt sign of the high ABV (no sting in the nose or palate to betray it's there). Will be hard to wait to open another.
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Plenty of upside on this wine. I drank a lot of these back 15 years ago and the Petite used to really stand out. Not much sign of it at this stage. This drinks like a big if very tight Napa Syrah. Sort of a middle ground in style for California. Purple in color. A nose of black raspberries, black pepper, some floral notes and leather. Great texture. On the palate, this has a nice acidity. Very tight though. I would not open these for five years more. A few bottles of this were opened at a party and they all were the same. Delicious but really tight.
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Utterly epic, this is my favorite vintage yet. Gobbs of fruit and tannin, which are all balanced and delightful. Black pepper, blueberry, spicy mustard, bacon fat, lilac, gravel and used coffee grounds. A forceful entry, and a perfectly gliding finish. Alas, I am left contemplating how this is the best Syrah-based wine from Napa - period. This keeps evolving and changing in the glass. Truly exceptional. Drink 2018 - 2038.
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Deep purple color. Intensely dark aromas of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry topped in charcoal, magic marker, black pepper glaze and vanilla. Massive texture on the palate, this has a glycerin-like feel with grippy tannins and just enough acidity. Dense blackberry and blueberry fruit doused in shaved coconut, espresso, mint chocolate chip, black pepper glaze and sarsaparilla. Wow this is so delicious but so young. Can’t wait to see what happens to it in five to eight years. Aged 30 months in all new French oak, this contains 3% Petite Sirah.
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Opened at Thanksgiving dinner #2. Just painfully young. I knew that going in but still wanted to try. Give this years and years and I'm pretty sure there will be a reward.
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12/24/2023 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
30 mins slow ox, using std syrah stems. Muted graphite, creosote, crushed stone and currants on the nose.
Everything's in balance tonight with no component outshining another, with the palate continuing what was evident on the nose. Finish lasts for 20+ secs, lightly coating the palate without resting heavily across it. While my last bottle there's still plenty of life left here. Enjoy!
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10/28/2023 - pmarlo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good cork pop, not cork issues. Stained deep dark purple and closer to black. Prior to tasting, and having read reviews both pro and here, was expecting this to be a giant kick in the Head experience. It was not at all. This is smooth, balanced, with a heady bouquet. I can sense the higher alcohol but don't taste it. Tannins become considerable but not when aerated in mouth. Not much fruit. Evolved. Cherry or something bright. Interesting wine that tastes evolved. I think you could have this now. I don't see it getting better.
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10/20/2023 - mckillop Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very yummy. Drink up! No point holding any longer.
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9/16/2023 - Vailman Likes this wine: 95 Points
In a word: sublime.
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8/16/2023 - tob100 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours
The nose:
Blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry. Lots of dark berries. Smoked meat or bacon fat. Liqourice. A fine integrated amount of oak.
The palate:
Same notes as the nose, dark Berry forward, very lush, very fresh. It doens't taste like a 10 year old wine, but it does taste american. Fantastic palate, amazing wine.
Acidity high
Tannin high
Full body
Decant maybe 3 hours or more. Also it feels like, it was a little too warm, so put it in the fridge until decanting and decant three hours.
But i'm 98 Points
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8/15/2023 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big, bold, concentrated, rich, wine. 15.8% abv. This one is 97% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah. This proportion can change a fair amount between vintages. blackberry oak plum blueberry chocolate licorice This wine demands to be paired with something substantial, like the grilled NY strip steak I paired with it.
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7/3/2023 - MattB72 wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic. Drinking beautifully right now.
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6/3/2023 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big and luxy with elegant structure and velvety mouth feel with long lingering finish. Extremely well balanced, plum, blue and black fruit on palate.
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6/2/2023 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just a powerhouse of a wine, yet tannins have definitely smoothed out and wine is drinking perfectly at present.
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4/24/2023 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep purple in color with slight bricking on the edge. This wine is very aromatic with black berries and plum with some red currant. On the palate the wine is rich with dark fruit, plum, a gaminess with hints of tea, smoke and spice. The tannins are silky smooth and well integrated. This may be at it's peak?
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4/20/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich, dark fruit, tasty with Berkshire pork chop on the grill a good mouthfeel. Hold, Drink, Buy
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3/26/2023 - Craig15 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is my fourth bottle over the past several years. The nose and palate are quite in sync on this one. Purple fruits, meat components are integrated now rather than the star like in previous bottles, this bottle has developed some greener notes with mint and sage, pepper, some oak character coming through. Tannins are well integrated. Still a nice acidity. Finish is long, though not powerful. I look forward to the next bottle in a few years.
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3/21/2023 - Jonathan T Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine has gotten better and better each time I've revisited it. It doesn't taste like a Napa syrah-based wine anymore. It has loads of charcoal, salt, white pepper, crushed rocks that remind me more of the limestone driven syrahs of the central coast. I love the complexity of this wine.
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12/17/2022 - Barsacpinci Likes this wine:
Quite delicious. Lots of Syrah flavor. Olives and mushrooms on the nose. Plums on the palate.
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11/22/2022 - TGOT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Galloni noted that this wine has "dark cherry, plum, spice, mocha and new oak are all pushed forward" and he is spot on. That said, this wine evolves amazingly in the glass, with additional dark berry flavors layering the longer it is open. An amazing wine that gets better and better and better the longer it is opened. Started two hours into a decant, but by hour 4...oh my.
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10/16/2022 - victorpb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep ruby purple. Bit rough around the edges tannin wise the first sixty minutes. Opened up slowly to peak after four hours. Elegant tones of peppers, mint, plum and coffee. Entering a good phase right now.
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4/1/2022 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purple ink, beginning to lighten on the edges. Earth and bramble on the nose, not as dark as I’d expect. Extremely dry at first, there doesn’t seem to be much fruit until the wine hits back palate and opens up.
2 hrs after opening (not decanted) it’s becoming more complex, adding depth, crushed stone, black and blueberry. Much better balance than when first opened.
I’d give this a 45min decant today for optimal drinking, good for 5-9 years
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2/5/2022 - jda8600 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Prep: Coravin, wine glass for 2.5 hours to bring up to room temp
Color: Dark purple core with red/violet outer edge
Aroma: Floral-violets, dark fruit/plum with a bit of ocean floor
Taste: Full mouthfeel, coats your teeth with initial dark fruit; notes of dark licorice, black plum, mild spice mid palate which increases on finish. Light acidity provides balance.
Summary: 2013 is akin to having a Missionary Baptist girl let her hair down, it's going to take a great deal of coaxing. Very good Syrah without the expected spice that should go with a high level Syrah. Definitely pairs with red meat; poultry and Italian food shouldn't be paired with this wine IMO. Cheers!
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1/29/2022 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lush and fruity, with no tannins to speak of, but backed with minerality to offset the blackberry, blueberry and mocha notes
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1/26/2022 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is deep ruby in color and highly aromatic. It imparts complex aromas of floral blackberry, black plum, coconut, licorice and game. On the palate, pronounced notes of dark berries, licorice, plum with hints of spice and smoke. This is a full bodied wine with medium tannins and high alcohol. Outstanding effort.
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12/27/2021 - jviz wrote: 92 Points
Lots of vanilla, coconut, toasted chocolate on nose, rich, dense and extracted, even a little mint. Reminded me a little bit of Phelps insignia but has a much longer way to go
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11/9/2021 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
P&P and a good amount of tannins. Left in the glass for 30 minutes and the wine developed nicely with dark fruit. Much better than the previous btl. Drink or hold.
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9/19/2021 - signotim Likes this wine: 93 Points
Eight years from vintage and still just a baby. This was better on night 2, and the palate improved further on night 3. I'll wait 3-4 years before opening another bottle. A huge wine with plenty of structure.
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8/11/2021 - mac-eye wrote: 90 Points
Not my preferred style. Tastes intensely dark and alcoholic. Flavor seems dominated by petite sirah, even though it's only 3% of the blend. Liquid is darkly opaque, as if it had a lot of suspended solids.
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8/1/2021 - mvande21 wrote: 93 Points
Dark purple. Massive black fruits, plum, licorice. Full bodied, plush and rich. Balanced with integrated tannins and a long finish. Consistent, tasty big Napa Syrah/Petite Sirah.
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7/3/2021 - Vino Loco Likes this wine: 91 Points
Approachable out of the gate, but clearly benefited from a 2 hour decant. A bit of barnyard on the nose, tannic, almost a syrupy texture to it that coats the glass. Cherry, berries, and cassis notes.
Tasted fully blind with a 13 L'Ecole Syrah from Washington, and a 13 Black Hills Syrah from BC. The L'Ecole exuded alcohol, the Black Hills exuded greenness, and the Relentless exuded its ego. We all picked the Relentless (blind) as our favourite, but not by much.
For the price tag, the Relentless underdelivers - if you factor price into your ratings subtract at least two points from my 91.
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5/2/2021 - JohnnyandtheNors wrote: 91 Points
Just don't love this. Drank by mistake (or opened by mistake!) instead of a Shafer Chardonnay. Oh well...I've never been a fan of this bottling.
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4/30/2021 - wlcoleman wrote: 95 Points
Opened and slow ox for about an hour. Drank besides a 2012 Montes Folly and this was slightly preferred Syrah by the group (but it was close!). Fruit forward with black cherries and sweet cassis and chocolate. Round and full in the mouth but without a lot of spicy notes. This is also high alcohol so hard to remember the second half of the bottle!
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4/21/2021 - jlgnml Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Hard to describe this wine, let’s just say not the best bottle. Started out great (90) and then went down hill. Dried up on the palate. Only drank half and discarded it. Very disappointing.
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3/18/2021 - moega Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really, really enjoyed this. Dark purple, extremely fruit forward. Very smooth and full mouth feel. In a perfect place right now.
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12/23/2020 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 96 Points
Just simply outstanding....
Perfect marriage of fruit, spice , and oak that is well integrated....
Full flavor that lasts to a lengthy finish...
Bummer is that was my last 2013....now on to the ‘14 vintage!!
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9/27/2020 - Craig15 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tons of meat, some spice, and red fruit on the nose. Very light weight on the tongue but some alcohol heat on the back end. Palate is much darker than the nose. More of that meat and fat comes through. Quite acidic. Tannins very present, though not overbearing to me like I’m seeing in other recent reviews. Finish has tart fruit, maybe underripe plum, that lasts forever.
Four hour decant then drank on it for the next four. This isn’t blowing me away like my last bottle but it is still a great wine. Glad I have a few more in the cellar.
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9/3/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big blackberry, dark fruit with spicy, smoky finish. Even after a two hour decant, this wine has tight tannins that give this a tight structure. Imagine this has many more years of life in it and likely will get even better with some more age.
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8/29/2020 - JohnnyShiraz Likes this wine: 90 Points
So tannic I could not enjoy it. Very disappointed. I will open my next bottle in late 2022.
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7/5/2020 - Indywinefan Likes this wine: 94 Points
I always like the Relentless. Nice big wine. Some pepper and meaty notes.
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6/24/2020 - KJD45$ wrote: 94 Points
What’s not to love..
Effusive exquisite (those are big words) nose..:
Flavor is delicious fruit but well balanced with
Minerality herbs spice ...
So damn good...
GET YA SUM
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6/13/2020 - EM_MB Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes. 4 hour slow ox. Throughly enjoyable with or without food. Lacked any sort of wow factor though.
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6/10/2020 - maxima wrote: 88 Points
2013, supposément un GRAND millésime pour ce coin de pays...
j'ai trouvé capiteux et un peu trop moderme pour mon goût.
Même après 3 heures de carafe et aération dans le verre,
il n'a pas changé.
C'est bien fait cependant et c'est évident que ça plait à
beaucoup de gens, je respect ça.
C'est dense et massif, pas très subtil en ce moment.
Poivrons et herbal en ce moment avec des mures et
du cassis. Les tannins son un peu asséchant et
la finale hyper longue nous laisse avec de la chauffe
et une impression de sucre. Possiblement dans 15-20-25 années
pour ceux qui sont assez jeunes et qui peuvent l'attendre.
Je passe, j'ai encore pas mal de vin de cette région des années 90 et 2000 qui commencent à entrer dans leur sweet spot!
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5/4/2020 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Shafer Vineyards with Doug Shafer (Zoom!): 97% Syrah, 3% Petit Sirah. So deep. Gorgeous lifted, floral nose. Pretty firm briary tannins, but enough fruit to cope. Lovely interplay between oak and spicy fruit. Lots of stuff happening on the finish - liquorice, lavender. Really nice mouthfeel, smooth and fat, but cool in flavour. Although this feels ready, am sure there's upside from here.
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5/4/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and allowed to breathe for 30 mins. These notes are 2 hrs after decanting. Blueberry, asphalt and black fruit on the nose. Not as thick as many syrahs, this is dark rich but shows far more age than I'd guess....would've taken this as a'08 or '10 rather than a '13.
Great wine, very enjoyable.
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5/1/2020 - ejg3333 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Exceptional wine if you are a fan of the style. Dense chewy fruit and heavily oaked but not overtly ripe. 2013 relentless kicked off my love affair with wine.
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4/29/2020 - GaryHOhio Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely Syrah.
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4/12/2020 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid syrah. Dark, smoky, slightly brooding. Nice finish.
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2/17/2020 - Wine Buergler Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking exceptionally well
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1/2/2020 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 92 Points
Two hour slow ox. Very deep dark purplish magenta color. Black currant, blackberry, blueberry, plum, black pepper, rose petals, eggplant and sugar cookie dough on the complex nose. Smooth, tongue drying palate. It’s just a touch tart and flat. Firm, full, grippy tannins on the longish finish. Very nice, but likely to be better with a few hour decant. 97% Syrah and 3% PS
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10/3/2019 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Exceptional syrah that is still in its youth. Decanted for an hour, drunk over 3 hours. Deep, dark, inky black fruits predominate, but there are lighter more playful notes that linger on the rather lengthy finish. Tannins have mellowed from the last tasting, but are still unmistakably present. Had this with a spicy carne asada, and it was the perfect pairing with this super flavorful dish. Great wine that has not yet reached its peak. Next bottle 2021+
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9/19/2019 - gregbohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Would buy again
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9/16/2019 - PTCwinenerds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great Syrah that needs hours in a decanter thus young. Dark fruit and leather. Balanced acid with soft tannins.
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5/24/2019 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Beautiful purple with a touch of deep red. Gorgeous nose of dark fruits and bacon fat. In spite of the dark color and deep complex layers of flavor it is not over extracted or heavy. Early in the drink window but with a decant is drinking very well now. My first bottle of this vintage, really happy I have more.
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5/24/2019 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big tannin when opened up. Smoothed out with air and food. Big pepper, meaty but not quite on par with Cayuse territory. Dark blue fruit territory. Like it, but again fruit profile wise Paso is just more my jam than Napa.
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5/6/2019 - SteveN100 wrote: 94 Points
Drank my last bottle of this and it was fantastic. Just a really assertive wine without being too heavy which is what I like about a good Syrah compared to an overwhelming cab. Inky purple with light blue fruits and jam on the nose. Tannins well integrated but could have used a good decant. Very little heat for a high ABV (15+). Drinking quite well now.
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4/20/2019 - JohnnyandtheNors Likes this wine: 92 Points
As you might imagine...this wine was slow to relent (someone had to say it!). It was a few hours before the fistful of tannins gave way and mellowed. This is not a typical California Syrah in that it's deep and rich and earthy and gamey, and while the fruit is certainly there - even at this youthful point - its fine integration and balance are already a wonder. Not a fruit bomb...not even close...but a substantial wine of rugged depth and grip. Extremely enjoyable...better in half a decade.
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3/23/2019 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 94 Points
Only waited a year to have my other bottle but this was trending more in line with what I was expecting given the rating. The nose was lovely and nuanced, with some dark, dank earthy tones mixed with some sweet spring flowers. First taste was tart and biting; the fruit was shy but I could tell it was there, the dust just needed to blow off. We let it sit in the decanter for another 20 minutes and then, with some coaxing in the glass, this started to strut its stuff. Big, fleshy, black and blue fruits, cardamom, cassis, and some toast rounded out this powerful wine, which needs to be paired with something rich and meaty otherwise it will plow over your food. I would buy again if I could find it for under $100.
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3/6/2019 - DrBad Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow! Huge, explosive wine. Wet leather and blackberries on the nose. Full, plush, velvety in the mouth with jammy plum, licorice and a 30 second long peppery finish. Can't get much better than this. Pulled this one a little early in honor of John Shafer.
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3/4/2019 - Joe Sak wrote:
Rest In Peace John
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3/1/2019 - adammichael Likes this wine: 95 Points
I love this wine year free year. Feel like I have had every vintage back to 2007. Lots of mocha, almost German chocolate cake (coconut) smashed on tarry asphalt upon opening. Decanted for an hour before second glass. For as powerful as the nose and palate are on this wine, it never seems sappy or over extracted to me. Second glass, more classic Syrah notes of black and blue fruit, pepper but also can detect some red lighter tones with still lively acidity. Not getting much violet/floral notes here, but Definitely a gaminess/meatiness presence on the nose with still some mild black tea like tannin and cocoa dusted berries. Time in decanter and glass seem to lighten this wine’s all out assault out of the bottle, but it’s core flavors never waiver. Wine later finished with cast iron ribeye steaks. For me, Doesn’t get much better for Napa Syrah. Will be diggin for more somewhere. this one still had many years of life!!
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1/11/2019 - BROpus One Likes this wine: 93 Points
Underrated wine. Great value and competes with the big hitters.
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1/11/2019 - BROpus One wrote: 93 Points
Always a pleasure. Many, many years of life left in this vintage.
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12/25/2018 - tjross Likes this wine: 96 Points
Third wine of night. Decanted and poured. Was the evening standout. Drinking really well from start. Love this wine.
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11/30/2018 - cridershow Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sight: super dark. Super concentrated.
Nose: Dark Fruit/Dried Violets/Savory Elements
Palate: Very Light on it's feet. Not really as heavy as you would imagine. Speads across the palate with a great finish. Confirm all the elements of the nose. Some more Blue Fruit.
Fantastic. Could definitely give this a few more years to meld together. But with a hour or so decant, this is drinking great. Another solid effort for Elias and Doug.
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10/29/2018 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deepest inky purple..nose is smoky black fruit, herbs, licorice,
complex nose that keeps giving more....mineral yet slightly sweet blackberry fruit concentrated to a real precision, tannins present but smooth...really great wine...
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10/21/2018 - catlady Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed a LONG decant to get it to soften but worth the wait. Probably had years to go in the bottle but I only had one!
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10/17/2018 - Tmud Likes this wine: 94 Points
Inky ruby in color and almost black. Medium viscosity. Nose is slightly vegetal with notes of subtle cedar, unripe blackberries, and plum. Palate contains a savory component of beef tartare combined with unsweetened dark fruits and a strong tannin backbone. This is balanced with a medium acidity and lingers for a solid 30 seconds with a gamey, ferric, and slightly bitter component that is quite pleasant. Would pair very nicely with meat dishes such as streak au poivre or wild game
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10/4/2018 - Quiet Lion wrote: 92 Points
People who like Napa Syrah will like this; for me it lacked varietal character and terroir. Lots of alcohol and dark fruit, silky tannins. A nice wine and probably a crowd pleaser.
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7/19/2018 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark inky ox-blood, full bodied.
Tons of dark berries, especially blue berries, jam notes
Fresh and still youthful. Plums, medium plus finish, smooth, well balanced. An incredibly well balanced wine. Silky smooth. It 'tastes' classy and expensive, and will improve marginally with age. Good Stuff!
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6/28/2018 - Decanthor Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is crazy delicious. PnP. Nose a little muted on open, but still tasted great. Nose and palate evolved over an hour. Rich without feeling overly heavy or jammy. Notes of blackberry, licorice, mocha, a little iron or blood. Paired with a pizza at a friend's house (great), but would have been better with a steak. Wow. 93-94.
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6/23/2018 - Craig15 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still very young. Needs hours to open up. Nice meat and pepper. Many layers on the nose and palate.
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4/8/2018 - Rechrom wrote: 93 Points
Deep red-purple. After two hour double decant, open and in excellent balance. Berry, pepper, a bit in an unami note, spice. Great mouthfeel. Clean and long finish. Simple but good on the nose. Great with food, very nice alone, it will be interesting to see here this goes as it has the balance to age.
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3/30/2018 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 90 Points
Three hour decant. Nearly opaque, shimmering magenta color. Blueberry, wild flowers, almond abstract and black pepper on the aromatic nose. Smooth, dry, dusty, tongue-coating palate. Firm, grippy tannins on the long, spicy finish. This wine grew progressively more peppery over an hour of drinking. Fun, interesting Napa Syrah.
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2/22/2018 - jviz wrote: 95 Points
Wasn’t quite as fresh as my bottle last year, but still performed well. A bruiser of a wine.
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2/13/2018 - smphelps wrote: 91 Points
Dark royal maroon/purple. Rich, still seems young, juicy, with a ripe full nose of black cherry, spice, red plum, ripe raspberry. Weighty, in a good way, and long. More red fruit than expected, some leather mid palate, and very manageable refined tannin structure.
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2/2/2018 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 93 Points
Compared to the Donelan Obsidian of the same vintage the other night this was a bit of a lightweight. A nice pedigree but not the big, juicy premium California Syrah that I was expecting. Black pepper, blueberry jam, some tea, and a smattering of red fruits. Will definitely wait another 3-4 years to see if this one develops more secondary notes.
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1/7/2018 - KendraPM wrote: 96 Points
Still very oaky and heavy tannins, but we love this in a wine. Hopefully was can save enough of it to see how it balances with age.
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12/12/2017 - MEP2 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectacular Shiraz!
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12/3/2017 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 93 Points
Keowee Wine Mixer; 12/2/2017-12/3/2017 (Seneca, SC): Tasted blind. This was the last wine of the flight, so my discernment was getting difficult at this point, as I was not spitting. We ran out of space on the notes so I didn't have much else written as far as descriptors other than "pepper spice" and a score of 93.
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9/30/2017 - jda8600 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Double decanted for 6 hours and served at room temperature. Spectacular! Hard to imagine a Syrah being better than this. Paired with a ribeye steak, offered aromatics of blue fruit and Stag's Leap dust. Intense black pepper spice that blows you away followed by a silky smooth transition of soft blackberry and blue fruit before an abrupt end synonymous with a syrah. Highly recommend!
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9/15/2017 - KendraPM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Such a well balanced wine. Lots of blackberry and spice on the nose, smoke and pepper with black fruit taste and a very long finish. My favorite with steaks on the big green egg!
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9/3/2017 - RockyII Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured at City Oyster in Delray and enjoyed over 45 minutes. Deep inky purple. Big powerful nose of crushed black pepper, blackberry, cedar and sawdust. Taste is similar. Silky smooth but pretty powerful alcohol kick. Full bodied with medium well integrated tannins and medium acidity. Really good stuff.
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8/26/2017 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Didn't decant nearly long enough (about an hour), and tannins were a bit astringent. Great fruit backbone. Had alongside a 2006 Relentless, which was much more polished and elegant (2006 had been decanting for 3 hours). 2013 can be enjoyed now with 3+ hours in the decanter, but I think will improve substantially over the next decade or 2. Next bottle 2019+
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8/18/2017 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine, sweet nose, berry flavors, great balance.
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8/16/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Great showing for this wine. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, leather, char and a bit of graphite. On the palate, this is lush and delicious. deep. Complex. Long finish. Special wine.
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8/12/2017 - KendraPM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep flavor profile. Paired with ribeye cap. Amazing!
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8/6/2017 - bigredPA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Massive wine. All manner of charcoal, ash and camphor to meld with the blueberry fruit and spice in this wine. Inky dark. "Smoldering" is a good way to describe this wine. Excellent depth and complexity. Will hold my other bottles.
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7/29/2017 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank this a while ago ... absurdly delicious.
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7/20/2017 - farinas Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted at the Estate. Boldest of the Shafer offerings with a strong bouquet of black and blue fruit- very warm in nature. Palate is higher flesh than Merlot and 1.5, with warm fruit and some camphor. Finish is medium long. So Napa almost favors Syrah over Cab in my opinion.
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7/1/2017 - tjross Likes this wine: 96 Points
On back patio with Gary and Nicol while picking at cheese and charcuterie. Massive but super sophisticated and elegant. Silky smooth with an endless finish. Brilliant.
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6/24/2017 - jmorgand Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stellar as always.
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6/3/2017 - KendraPM wrote: 94 Points
Wine is still heavily packed and tannic. Great body and finish but needs to cellar longer.
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6/3/2017 - twwatson100 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent wine but really, really tight at first with almost overpowering tannins - I was worried I'd wasted a good bottle by opening it before its time. Lucklily, over the course of two hours the wine really opened up and exhibited many of the dark fruit characteristics several other reviews have mentioned. I'll save the remaining two bottles for sometime after 2020.
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5/7/2017 - EricDilda Likes this wine: 98 Points
Absolutely love this wine. Chocolate notes, deep inky purple. Fantastic bottle
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4/9/2017 - tjross Likes this wine: 96 Points
Third bottle at French Laundry, covering second half of menu. A powerhouse wine. Likely the best Syrah I've had outside of the rocks. Loads of fruit and perfectly put together.
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4/6/2017 - RayT Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a huge wine. This had some big tannins. This will definitely be better with a few years in the bottle.
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4/6/2017 - Kris G wrote: 92 Points
Nose : cherry, burned sugar, sweet, floral, Balsamico, explosive nose
Mouth : tropical wood, Eucalyptus, a touch of alcohol, very ripe, even borderline overripe, full bodied, jammy, a bomb in the mouth, but it will become tiresome after the second glass
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3/26/2017 - Vinogan(s) wrote: 92 Points
Clearly New World style. Explosive wine. Very young, although decanted for 12 (!) hours. Super ripe and full, glass staining, intense color, sweet.
Raw power, take no prisoners winemaking. You love it or you hate it, I guess. A clear example of 'Parker wine', but expert winemaking although devoid of 'terroir'. Good for a few glasses, but it may be difficult to drink a whole bottle by itself. 15,8% alcohol!
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3/18/2017 - jviz Likes this wine: 97 Points
This wine is playing in the big league. Palpable quality. Fragrant aroma on opening, even when poured a few feet away. The nose shows berry reduction, cheese rind, grilled meat, and dusty oak. The palate follows with much of the same, with a persistent black pepper finish. 15.8% alcohol is well concealed behind waves of crushed black and blueberry fruit. Massive intensity and a rather silky mouthfeel. Expertly crafted and a bit indulgent. Rhone influence is certainly there. Scores seem to range from 95-100 -- I think they are well justified and most tasters seem to agree. Could this be better than the 2008 WS wine of the year? We'll see, but I predict a spot in the top 10
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3/9/2017 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Purple and blue in the glass. Tasted over two days. Bouquet of ripe muddled blueberry, effusive purple fruits, magic marker, (oak imparted) thick coconut oil, hints of pepper, and strong, almost ether-like, alcohol. The wine tastes exactly like it smells, each element coming forward separately, other than the omnipresent alcohol, in tsunami-like waves. The 15.8 reported abv was especially obtrusive on the second day. A higher proportion of Petite Sirah would have made the wine more interesting. Inky, fruit drenched oak aficionados, who have no qualms with exhaling fire after each taste, might swoon over this now. Otherwise, it needs time to settle, evolve, and hopefully, develop into the sum of its component parts. Recommend holding for 15 to 20 years; the alcohol alone will preserve it for that long. 92-93.
This vintage is nothing like the 2012, which featured eleven percent Petite Sirah, intriguing nuance, and appealing substance, including phosphorus, coniferous forest floor, and strong terroir markers.
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2/26/2017 - cdp1276 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Definitely agree with other reviews of being young but certainly drinkable now without disappointment. Metal undertones hint at copper or iron. Deep crimson color. An increable smooth heavy finish that just glides across your tongue.
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2/16/2017 - ElSol Likes this wine: 90 Points
Descriptions here seem accurate but tar overtones made this less enjoyable to our group. But I don't see this noted in any other comments here, so perhaps it is just this bottle. I'll wait a few years on my other bottle- perhaps this one was a fluke.
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1/30/2017 - bigdogsteve Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow. Outstanding fruit without it being a bomb. Succulent. Wish I had more.
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1/27/2017 - robertmadok Likes this wine: 98 Points
Excellent. One of best Syrahs I have ever had. Truly Outstanding. Wish I had bought a case.
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1/21/2017 - SteveN100 wrote: 94 Points
Agree with other posters that this is still too young, but it is so remarkably good. Deep purple with a brightness to it. Black fruits on the palate with a hint of iron. Tight tannins and surprisingly little overt sign of the high ABV (no sting in the nose or palate to betray it's there). Will be hard to wait to open another.
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1/21/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Plenty of upside on this wine. I drank a lot of these back 15 years ago and the Petite used to really stand out. Not much sign of it at this stage. This drinks like a big if very tight Napa Syrah. Sort of a middle ground in style for California. Purple in color. A nose of black raspberries, black pepper, some floral notes and leather. Great texture. On the palate, this has a nice acidity. Very tight though. I would not open these for five years more. A few bottles of this were opened at a party and they all were the same. Delicious but really tight.
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1/20/2017 - alaskanick Likes this wine: 99 Points
Espresso, dark fruit, bacon, dark fruit, popcorn. Shockingly good.
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12/23/2016 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 98 Points
Utterly epic, this is my favorite vintage yet. Gobbs of fruit and tannin, which are all balanced and delightful. Black pepper, blueberry, spicy mustard, bacon fat, lilac, gravel and used coffee grounds. A forceful entry, and a perfectly gliding finish. Alas, I am left contemplating how this is the best Syrah-based wine from Napa - period. This keeps evolving and changing in the glass. Truly exceptional. Drink 2018 - 2038.
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12/2/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Deep purple color. Intensely dark aromas of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry topped in charcoal, magic marker, black pepper glaze and vanilla. Massive texture on the palate, this has a glycerin-like feel with grippy tannins and just enough acidity. Dense blackberry and blueberry fruit doused in shaved coconut, espresso, mint chocolate chip, black pepper glaze and sarsaparilla. Wow this is so delicious but so young. Can’t wait to see what happens to it in five to eight years. Aged 30 months in all new French oak, this contains 3% Petite Sirah.
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11/24/2016 - Fid wrote:
Opened at Thanksgiving dinner #2. Just painfully young. I knew that going in but still wanted to try. Give this years and years and I'm pretty sure there will be a reward.
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10/22/2016 - flashpwb Likes this wine: 100 Points
Wow! Epic wine.
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