2006 Shafer Relentless

After a temperature drop from 76F to 22F, I was wanting red meat and red wine for dinner so I opened this bottle of Napa Valley 2006 Shafer Relentless Syrah while dinner was cooking. This wine is 84% Syrah and 16% Petite Sirah.
In the glass, it was a deep opaque purple with intense aromas of blackberry and blueberry, licorice and grilled meat. The intensity continued with rich, concentrated berry flavors and pepper being perfectly balanced with high levels of everything, acidity, alcohol (14.9 abv) and ripe tannins. It had a long+ smoky, spicy finish. Priced at approximately $60, this wine was tongue-staining, complex perfection.

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Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

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