Red Wine: 2009 | Shafer Vineyards | Relentless

Brimming with dark, rich berry, loamy earth, crushed rock and espresso, this is a powerful expression that’s also tapered and sophisticated, ending with all kinds of subtle nuances that come alive on the finish.

Order from the Largest & Most Trusted Premium Spirits Marketplace!

Featured in

• ROLLING STONE
• MEN’S JOURNAL
• US WEEKLY

NOTICE: Many other small liquor store sites may end up cancelling your order due to the high demand, unavailability or inaccurate inventory counts. We have partnerships consisting of a large network of licensed retailers from within the United States, Europe and across the world ensuring orders are fulfilled.

Producer: Shafer Vineyards

Ratings: WA | 93 JD | 94

Vintage: 2009

Size: 750ml

ABV: 15.8%

Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz

Country/Region: United States, California

Brimming with dark, rich berry, loamy earth, crushed rock and espresso, this is a powerful expression that’s also tapered and sophisticated, ending with all kinds of subtle nuances that come alive on the finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2009 Relentless (Syrah/Petite Sirah) wraps around the palate with serious depth. Dark cherries, grilled herbs and menthol take shape in the glass followed by sweet floral notes that add lift on the finish. A rich, round and voluptuous wine, the 2009 impresses for its overall sense of harmony. It isnt terribly varietal, but is quite pretty if taken on its own terms. The 2009 is 82% Syrah and 18% Petite Sirah. Personally, I prefer the subsequent vintages, where Syrah plays more of a leading role.

• Jeb Dunnuck: A field blend of 82% Syrah and 18% Petite Sirah that saw 30 months in 100% new French oak barrels, the 2009 Relentless is always a supremely rich, full-flavored effort that somehow manages to stay in check and deliver a beautiful drinking experience. The 2009 is no exception, and if anything has a slightly toned down level of texture and a silky, elegant feel for such a big wine. It offers up layers of sweet black fruits, licorice, charred meat, and crushed flower like qualities, as well as a full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully textured mouth feel.

Producer Information

Shafer Vineyards is a family-owned wine producer in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley. It is particularly known for its Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, regarded as one of the very finest wines in California. With the first wines appearing in 1978, Shafer Vineyards is one of the founding estates of and a benchmark in quality for the Stags Leap District AVA. Shafer has around 57 hectares (140 acres) of vines in the Stags Leap District, spread out across several vineyards. The Hillside Estate vineyard has shallow, free-draining soils tha produce small, intensly flavored berries. The best blocks are used to make the Hillside Select, a plummy, cherry-laden wine with ripe tannins that will age well for a decade or more. Shafer’s other vineyards, including the Borderline and Ridgeback & Schoolbus sites, provide fruit for the other Cabernet Sauvignon wines, while the La Mesa vineyard is planted to Syrah and Petite Sirah for Shafer’s Relentless cuve. The Red Shoulder Ranch in Carneros is planted to 27ha (66 acres) of Chardonnay, which is fermented in stainless steel and makes a zesty, complex wine. Shafer began life in 1972 when John Shafer arrived in Napa with the hope of growing his own wine. He bought a plot of land in the Stags Leap hills, and terraced and replanted the steep vineyards. The first vintage of Cabernet was 1978, and Shafer’s wines have gone on to great critical acclaim. John’s son Doug Shafer took over the winemaking reins in 1983.