Shafer Vineyards Shafer Relentless 2022 750ml

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 open after 2026.

The 2019 Relentless is mostly Syrah, yet the cuvée always includes a good bit of Petite Sirah, with 11% in the 2019. A deep purple-hued blockbuster of a Syrah, it offers loads of ripe blackberries, ground pepper, sappy herbs, and violet-like aromas and flavors. One of those wines that delivers richness and intensity with no sensation of weight of heaviness, it has terrific balance, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Enjoy bottles over the coming 10–15 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Powerful and compact with aromas of blackberry liqueur, dark plums, smoked meats, peppercorn and graphite. Full-bodied and deeply structured with dense dark fruit, savory spices and muscular tannins that build across the palate. Intense and age-worthy with a long, powerful finish. Made from 90% syrah and 10% petite sirah. Best from 2030.

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.

The 2018 Relentless is silky and polished. In 2018 the blend includes a relatively high percentage of Petit Syrah, but the wine does not taste like that at all. Ripe red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, rose petal, black pepper and sweet spice are laced into the super-expressive finish. This might be the most refined Relentless ever. (Antonio Galloni)

Rich and deep dark-fruited character with hints of roast bacon, chocolate and grilled herbs. Full-bodied with a broad, structured palate that has a deep core of dark berry fruit, and an array of plush, velvety tannins that lasts for minutes, leading to a polished, slightly chewy finish. 90% syrah and 10% petit syrah. Better from 2025.

A compelling blend that marries deep structure with richness and polish. Features accents of black cherry, grilled anise and smoked pepper, with refined tannins on the finish. Syrah and Petite Sirah. Drink now through 2032. 3,300 cases made. (Tim Fish)

The 2019 Relentless is a blend of 89% Syrah and 11% Petite Sirah that spent 30 months in 100% new French oak. The nose is a bit briary, with intriguing herbal complexities from the Syrah, vibrant purple-raspberry fruit and perhaps some blueberry fruit from the Petite Sirah. This is full-bodied, tannic, sturdy stuff that needs time to come around, but as it’s packed with fruit, that shouldn’t be an issue. Patience will be required. (Joe Czerwinski)

Harvested early in the heat, the 2022 Syrah Relentless (90% Syrah and 10% Petite Sirah) is ripe and juicy, with other red and black fruits, peppery herbs, violets, spice, and incense-like aromas and flavors. This richly textured, full-bodied 2022 has sweet, velvety tannins and a great finish.

Ripe and lush, with ample savory elements of dried violet, cured meat and wild herbs to complement the hibiscus-accented berry and plum center, while spiced chocolate notes fill out the broad finish. Syrah and Petite Sirah. Drink now through 2036. 1,300 cases made.

The 2021 Relentless is a blend of 97% Syrah and just 3% Petite Sirah, all aged 28 months in 100% new French oak. Like the rest of the Shafer red wines, it has effortlessly absorbed the oak treatment, delivering blackberries and blueberries on the nose. Full-bodied, sturdy and tannic, it finishes long and dusty. Give it another couple of years to smooth out and then drink it over the next 15 years.

Potent yet polished, with deeply structured flavors of black cherry, smoked pepper and dried sage that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Syrah and Petite Sirah. Drink now through 2030. 3,300 cases made. (Tim Fish)

Deep purple-black colored, the 2018 Relentless is a barrel-sample blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Petite Sirah. It sings of crushed black cherries, mulberries and black plums plus cracked pepper, garrigue, lavender, Indian spices and licorice hints. The palate is full-bodied, firm, spicy and energetic with rounded tannins and a long, peppery finish.