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2010 Shafer - Relentless

UNITED STATES / CALIFORNIA / NAPA
  • 97 WA
  • 95 WS
  • 91 IWC
  • Variety
    Proprietary Blend
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SKU: 59040-2010
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  • Wine Advocate | Rating: 97

    The extraordinary 2010 Relentless (96% Syrah and 4% Petite Sirah) offers up notes of graphite, subtle wood charcoal, barbecue smoke, blackberry, blueberry and raspberry fruit, and hints of spice and meat. This full-bodied, supple-textured, exceptionally rich Syrah already has a certain accessibility, but should age well for two decades.
    Author: Robert Parker

  • International Wine Cellar | Rating: 91

    (15.8% alcohol; a 96/4 blend of syrah and petite sirah): Saturated full ruby. Pungent, expressive aromas of blackberry, minerals, spices and game. Densely packed, concentrated and sweet, showing very good energy to its dark berry and licorice flavors. Finishes with sweet tannins and lovely length. Wears its high alcohol gracefully and comes across as a bit more serious than the equally strong 2009 bottling.
    Author: Stephen Tanzer
    Issue: May/June 2014

  • Wine Spectator | Rating: 95

    Firm, rich and dense, this combines power with finesse, offering a deep mix of chewy dark berry, dark chocolate, black licorice, road tar, tobacco and loamy earth flavors, tightly wound and leading to a long finish. Syrah and Petite Sirah.
    Author: James Laube
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  • Self | Rating: 93

    Author: Danl

  • Self | Rating: 93

    Not as concentrated as earlier vintages. More red currants and even some raspberries. Good body and a soft finish.
    Author: Litig8tr
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John Shafer began working and replanting steep, rocky vineyards in Napa Valley's Stags Leap District in 1972, and has since built Shafer into one of the most sought-after labels from Napa. John, his son Doug, and winemaker Elias Fernandez call themselves farmers, and are proud of it. Doug took over the vineyards in 1989, and within a year began to integrate organic techniques into his vineyards while the term "organic" still elicited sideways looks. "My soils were getting tired," Doug says. "They had been farmed since 1922." He installed solar panels in 2004, and now enjoys watching his batteries send power back to the grid. Elias was hired by Shafer in 1984 and named winemaker in 1994. Shafer Hillside Select is a benchmark wine of the Stag's Leap District, with a string of awards too long to list. Aged a full four years prior to release, it is, in the words of Robert Parker, "One of the world's, as well as Napa's, most profound Cabernet Sauvignons."

Click here to listen to GrapeRadio's podcast about Shafer (Show #93, 32:01 min 15 MB)
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California is the heartland of wine production in the US, and the state that brought prestige to American wine thanks to the pioneers who built early wineries like Staglin, Beringer, Ridge, Mayacamas and Chateau Montelena in the 1800s. Its large geographic area ensures a great diversity in growing sites, varieties grown, and quality levels. Generalizations about the state's wines have numerous exceptions; however, a few key facts generally hold true—ample sunshine, dry weather during the growing season, and moderate winters prevail. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon continue to dominate the state's production—albeit in continually smaller percentages, as growers continue to diversify. More than 100 different varieties can be found throughout the state.

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Collector Data For This Wine

  • 408 bottles owned
  • 83 collectors
  • Average collector rating: 93
    (Out of 83 collectors)