James Suckling (97)
A supersaturated, deep, almost thick wine that coats the mouth with potent dark fruit flavors and wraps them in a full body and firm, gripping tannins that need time to resolve. It's syrah with a 3% boost of petite sirah, bringing all the deep color, dark blue fruit and peppery spices of the Rhone. Grilled meat, charcoal and dried blackberries, too.
Vinous (95)
Dark cherry, plum, licorice, cloves, game, scorched earth and black pepper explode onto the palate. Swaths of tannin wrap it all together. This intense, structured Syrah-based blend clearly needs a few years in bottle to be at its best. It's pretty impressive, even in the early going. The 2021 spent six more months in barrel than originally projected because of the delayed 2023 harvest. My impression today is that the extra time in wood robbed the wine of some freshness.
Jeb Dunnuck (96)
Another gorgeous wine in the lineup is the 2021 Relentless, a Syrah-dominated red delivering awesome red, blue, and black fruits supported by ground pepper, bacon fat, and chocolaty notes. It shows the vintage's purity and has full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a great finish.
Decanter (95)
In this vintage, winemaker Elias Fernandez celebrates his 40th year crafting wine at Shafer. The 2021 Relentless is a blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, sourced from ridgetop and foothill sites along the Vaca Mountains, just south of the Stags Leap District AVA. Aged for 20 months in 100% new Allier and Tronçais French oak, the wine is remarkably restrained in 2021, showing elegant cherry and spiced plum fruit alongside sandalwood and rose petal nuances. This full-bodied Syrah leads with pronounced mineral tension, revealing cool wet slate and forest berry fruit. The tannins are sleek, polished, and well-integrated, framing a juicy, balanced finish. Despite its 15.8% alcohol, the wine maintains excellent poise and grip, with no noticeable heat.
