Shafer - Relentless Napa Valley 2016

The 2016 Relentless offers deep, elegant, meaty, gamey aromas and flavors that are pure Syrah. These are fused with blueberry, black pepper, wet stone, and black tea. The vintage offers an ideal balance of immensity and energy, along with a beautiful, silken texture in the mouth, a lengthy finish, and ripe tannins that promise many rich, memorable years ahead.

Elias Fernandez - Winemaker

I’ve consistently loved the Relentless cuvée from this team, which is always from a single vineyard and is Syrah-dominated, with about 10% Petite Sirah in the blend. The 2016 Relentless is sensational. Dense purple-hued with a sweet bouquet of jammy blackberries, ground pepper, charcoal, and some smoky, meaty notes, it’s a full-bodied, powerful, yet plush, even elegant Syrah that does everything right. 

This combination of 90% Syrah and 10% Petite Sirah is memorable in its mix of wild herb and violet. Bright, thick layers of blackberry and blueberry dance along a mineral-laden core of crushed rock, wet stone and supple tannins. (VB)