SHAFER RELENTLESS - 2008

Syrah and Petite Sirah blend from Napa Valley, CA.  15.6% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Big, bold, vibrant and youthful.  Dark inky red with blackberry, black cherry, black licorice, black pepper. Silky but tannic.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS
The critics have gone wild for this wine scoring it 95 points or higher but it definitely does not reach that kind of altitude for me, at least not yet.  Perhaps this wine will inspire awe years from now, but it is not hitting its stride. It has promise.  The deep concentrated, saturated red doesn't quite come together with tannin and alcohol. The oak is in check. The fruit is there. For $55 a bottle I'd recommend Gorman's Evil Twin over this offering which is already performing like a 1st round draft pick.

E. GUIGAL GIGONDAS - 2007

This is a classic GSM - Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah blend with 14% alcohol.  From Rhone, France.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich dark purple color and flavors with earth, mushrooms, fig, minerals, tobacco leaf, black licorice, plum, black pepper and dark berries. Polished and smooth with wonderful complexity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

92 PTS
What a great wine for $25.  You get a terrific old world bottle with length, elegance and depth.  There are so many flavors that bounce around and wine quickly evolves on pop and pour. The next day yields  a further evolution and subtle shifts in the flavors and aromas.  I really love this wine.  The fact that you can buy it today and that it has 5 years of bottle age and can last another 5 to 7 makes it extra special.