2014 Relentless

Shafer is timeless. The 2014s have aged exquisitely, as readers will see in the accompanying tasting notes.

There is so much to like in these new releases from Shafer. Sure, the Hillside Select Cabernet gets most of the attention, but the more times passes, the more I am impressed with the mid-tier wines. The last few vintages of the Syrah-based Relentless have been terrific, while the One Point Five Cabernet remains one of the best Napa Valley Cabernets in its price range. Shafer's new Merlot-based TD-9 is another wine that delivers superb quality for the money. Longtime winemaker Elias Fernandez describes 2015 as a year with rapid sugar accumulation. The effects of four years of drought resulted in smaller canopies that allowed more sun penetration. Because of the quick ripening, the skins were quite thick and the tannins were a bit aggressive. Fernandez did not do much in the way of extended maceration for fear of overextracting some of the less desirable elements in the fruit. In 2016, on the other hand, spring rains led to healthier, larger canopies and more gradual ripening that was about ten days later than 2015. Tasted from barrel, the 2016s show superb finesse and harmony for wines that are naturally still very young.

Shafer is one of Napa Valley's best oiled machines. Year after year the wines deliver the goods in a rich, sumptuous style that defines the very essence of contemporary Napa Valley at its very best. The 2012s are terrific, but Shafer really shines in 2013 and 2014, two vintages in which the wines have a bit more energy and delineation than 2012, a year with mostly mid-weight wines built on forward fruit, but with less varietal character. Winemaker Elias Fernandez describes 2013 as a year with a generous crop. Unlike the vast majority of his colleagues, Fernandez opted for shorter macerations in 2014, a year with smaller berries and wines that extracted more quickly than in 2013, when the wines spent longer on the skins. Quite frankly, it's hard to go wrong with any of these wines, including the just-released 2011 Hillside Select, which is gorgeous.