Shafer
2018

Shafer ‘Relentless’ Napa Valley Syrah

Syrah & Petite Sirah
California Napa Valley United States North America
Tasting Notes
Technical Details
Attributes
Reviews

The ideal 2018 vintage has produced a Relentless that balances richness and vivacity. There’s heft and structure along with mouth-coating flavors that go on and on. Uncork this bottle and you’ll find layers of blackberry compote, red and black spice, dried black fruit, black tea, tobacco, and earthiness. All this liquid midnight comes with an undercarriage of ripe tannin that promises much more beauty and opulence in the decades ahead.

Syrah & Petite Sirah grape blend.
This wine contains allergens, sulfites.
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The Estate

Shafer Vineyards traces its beginnings to 1972 when John Shafer left a 23-year career in the publishing industry and, with his family, moved to the Napa Valley to pursue a second career in wine. After purchasing a 210-acre estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the Shafer family faced the arduous task of replanting the existing vineyards, which dated to the 1920s, and terracing the steep and rocky hillsides, eventually expanding vineyard acreage to its current 50 acres.

Wine Making

A lengthy, cool, steady growing season created ideal conditions for the fruit to hang on the vine a long time in the summer sun developing rich color, alluring aromas, and luxuriant flavors.

Food Suggestions

Pairs well with beef, lamb, deer, venison, and poultry dishes.

• Available Size: 750mL (12 pc)
• Family-Owned
• Historic Vineyards & Winery
• Sustainable
• Type: Wines
• Sub-type: Wines
• Class: Red
• ABV%: 15.8

Jeb Dunnuck – 98

"A blend of 94% Syrah and 6% Petite Sirah, the 2018 Relentless looks to be just about sensational, offering a dense purple color as well as rich, loaded notes of blackberries, currants, smoked meats, peppery spice, and violets. Reminding me of a great Cornas on steroids with its gamy, exotic character paired with beautiful richness, it has fabulous purity, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. This will undoubtedly be a great vintage for this cuvée, and my money is on it being one of the best yet."

James Suckling – 97

"A young wine with superb depth and polish that shows great depth and brightness. Full and focused with blue fruit and long, fine tannins that are compact and energetic. Slate. Graphite. Sophisticated and curated. So beautiful to try now, but be patient and Best after 2026."

Tasting Panel – 96

"In its 20th vintage - and possibly its most dynamic - this blend of 76% Syrah and 24% Petite Syrah aged 30 months in new, 60-gallon French oak barrels. Teeth-gripping, chalky tannins and dried violets flourish while white-peppered blueberry preserves and anise envelop the palate, whose balanced and structured density is mind-blowing."
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