Relentless 2018 Shafer

Tasting Notes

As you pour the wine, the nose shows blueberry compote, black pepper and a smoky burn of new oak. The flavor is dense but not heavy, with ripe plums and blackberries overlaid with mocha and dried violets. The Petite Sirah's grip emerges mid-palate and intensifies over the long, peppery finish. The tannins are ripe but serious. It's drinkable now if you let it air, but it should mature for another 5-8 years.

Grape Varieties

The Relentless wine is dominated by Syrah (usually around 83% in 2018), with Petite Sirah filling out the rest. Why this particular blend? Syrah brings pepper, blueberry and flavorful exuberance. Petite Sirah brings the structure, tannins and inky depth characteristic of Napa hill fruit. Lack either of these and the wine loses its shape.

Cellaring Potential

Drink between 2026 and 2040; the 2018 wines have tannic grip and acidity, and the concentration from a long, cool growing season will not disappear immediately. Store at 12-14°C if possible. Expect the smoked meat and pepper notes to deepen with time and the fruit to move from blackberry to dried fig.

The Producer

Shafer is a Napa-based name built on Cabernet, and Hillside Select has put them on the map for collectors around the world. But Relentless is a wine that shows what winemaker Elias Fernandez is capable of when he doesn't follow the Cabernet template. Fernandez joined the company in 1984 and has been making wine since the mid-1990s. The wines are named after his work ethic; in early 2022, the family sold Shafer to a newly formed corporation, but Doug Shafer and Fernandez stayed on. Best of Wines believes that continuity is more important than a change in ownership.

Terroir & Climate

The Stags Leap District AVA was approved in 1989, becoming Napa's first sub-AVA defined by soil rather than political boundaries. Why is this important to Relentless? The Stags Leap neighborhood faces the Vaca Mountains, where the Palisades rock outcrops radiate midday heat into volcanic loamy soils. This provides the heat needed for Syrah and Petite Sirah to reach full ripeness. However, sea air blown in from San Pablo Bay quickly lowers nighttime temperatures, keeping the acidity and peppery flavors characteristic of Syrah in cooler climates.

Winemaking

The deciding factor for Relentless is time. It spends about 30 months in French oak, with a much higher percentage of new oak than most Napa red wines. Why so long? Petite Sirah's tannins are aggressive when young, but they level off with extended aging in oak. Fernandez ferments both grapes separately, blends them late in the vintage and uses an optical sorter to leave only pure fruit. The result is a wine that tastes oaky on release, but mellows out nicely after a few years.

Food Pairing

Big tannins, big fruit, big food. Try:

• Smoked brisket sprinkled with pepper.
• Grilled lamb chops with rosemary.
• Braised short ribs in red wine.
• Aged gouda or sharp cheddar after dinner.

Serve at 17-18°C. If the wine is opened young, decant for 60-90 minutes.