The Relentless 21st Century

Shafer Vineyards released its first vintage of Relentless, its Napa Valley Syrah blend, in 1999. This week, for the first time, father and son John and Doug Shafer lined up every vintage through 2007—plus barrel samples of 2008 and 2009—to see how the wine ages.

Turns out they age quite well. Not a big surprise, given the amount of alcohol, tannin and fruit we're dealing with here. Relentless ranges from 14.8% to 15.5% alcohol, and 20% of this unusual blend is the never-petite Petite Sirah. Shafer doesn't make dainty wines.

Relentless is made to age from 10 to 15 years, but is also advertised as drinkable upon release. But based on this tasting, the next time I get my hands on a bottle, I'm going to lay it down and wait ten years. My favorite wines were the unmistakably the 1999 and, especially, the 2000. The huge flavors of dark fruit had receded, and secondary flavors of tar, twig and tobacco came to the fore, and balance the palate out. Furthermore, the nose had opened and released wonderful scents of sagebrush and cooked fruit. The noses on the younger wines were still quite closed. Age also seemed to bring the wines together. The looser assemblage of tannin, juicy fruit and acidity found in the recent vintages wove into a harmonious blend. The big tannins never receded, but they integrated themselves. The 2000, a bit tight at first, just got better as it received more time and air.

Doug Shafer also liked the 2005, which was indeed drinking well. It was full (they were all full) and ripe, with notes of tobacco among the cherry, plum, prune and such. It will likely go a long way.

Relentless ages for 26-30 months in French oak, and then eight months in bottle. It's all new barrels now, but in the past there were some older casks. Much of the Syrah and Petite Sirah are co-fermented.

The Relentless wines are remarkably consistent, just as all Shafer wines are. From 2007 to 1999, there were differences from vintage to vintage, but it was always recognizably the same savory wine taking a long, slow journey into maturity.

A California Chard I Like

The words "California" and "Chardonnay" in one sentence do not naturally excite my interest. I imagine a big, oaky, butterball; wince; and then reach for the Riesling.

Shafer's 2007 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, however, is an impressive exception. The white by the famed Napa producer of Cabernet is hardly low-key: it clocks in at 14.9% alcohol. And it's got plenty of oak; the wine spent 14 months in 75% new-oak barrels, of which 85% were French and 15% American. (The overall barrel regime includes 25% stainless steel barrels.)

But there are some important deviations in the viticulture and vinification that make all the difference. The wine is drawn from small-clustered clones selected for low yields. The juice matures on the lees for the entire 14 months, resulted in more varied and profound flavors. But most importantly, the wine undergoes no malolactic fermentation. I believe the lack of malolactic allows the Chard to keep a lot of its natural acidity, and prevents it from combining with the effect of the wood to become too smooth, too buttery and slick.

The color is sunshiney, yellow crossed with green. It's a full nose: yeast, some butter, and grass in equal amounts, with touches of tropical fruit, guava and ginko. The palate has melon, tangerine, green apple and white flowers, and it all stands up straight due to the wonderful acidity. It's a great wine with outstanding structure and solidity. Almost worth the $48 it costs to buy a bottle. Bring it down to $35 and I'd call it a bargain.