2011 Shafer Vineyards, Relentless, Napa Valley, California, USA

2011 Shafer Vineyards, Relentless, Napa Valley, California, USA

Product: 20118017549
 
2011 Shafer Vineyards, Relentless, Napa Valley, California, USA

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

The 2011 Syrah Relentless is certainly one of the lighter versions of this wine, but still merits an outstanding 92-point rating. A blend of 91% Syrah and 9% Petite Sirah, this wine shows more of a French style than other vintages because there is a hint of austerity and structural tannin that can be noticed through the roasted herbs, meaty blackberry and blackcurrant flavors and hints of blueberry and lavender. This is spicy, earthy, medium to full-bodied and probably will be the easiest and quickest to mature fully of any vintage of Relentless to date. Consume it over the next decade.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 31/10/2014

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Wine Advocate92/100
The 2011 Syrah Relentless is certainly one of the lighter versions of this wine, but still merits an outstanding 92-point rating. A blend of 91% Syrah and 9% Petite Sirah, this wine shows more of a French style than other vintages because there is a hint of austerity and structural tannin that can be noticed through the roasted herbs, meaty blackberry and blackcurrant flavors and hints of blueberry and lavender. This is spicy, earthy, medium to full-bodied and probably will be the easiest and quickest to mature fully of any vintage of Relentless to date. Consume it over the next decade.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 31/10/2014 Read more

About this WINE

Shafer Vineyards

Shafer Vineyards

Shafer Vineyards is one of the star wineries, not only in Napa Valley but in all of California. It began in 1972 when John Shafer left a career in Publishing and moved to the Napa Valley with his family to pursue a career in wine.  The family purchased a large estate in the Stag’s Leap District, and set to work on replanting all the existing vineyards, which had been there since the 1920s. 

In 1978, the Shafers had their first harvest of Cabernet grapes, and began construction of their first winery in 1979. The Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon was of a high standard, and rose above other wines that were in competition. Their Chardonnay never undergoes malolactic fermentation: 75% is barrel-fermented and the other quarter in stainless steel. The Stags Leap One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon has won much acclaim, while the flagship wine in the Shafer portfolio is Hillside Select, a 2,400-case cuvée of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 32 months in 100% new French oak.

Doug Shafer graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in oenology and viticulture in 1983, and a year later Elias Fernandez joined the company as assistant winemaker. The two work together to produce consistent, high quality and elegant Shafer wines.

Find out more
Napa Valley

Napa Valley

North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of ‘cult’ status.

Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. 

The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:

Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.

Both the “Napa Valley” designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.

Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.

Find out more
Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah/Shiraz

A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries.

It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness.

South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.

Find out more