Shafer Relentless

Wine Spectator tastes thousands of wines a year and crowns one. In 2012 it was Shafer Relentless, the 2008 vintage, named Wine of the Year with 96 points, a Syrah and Petite Sirah blend from a winery the world knew for Cabernet. The Shafer family grows it on a single rugged ridgetop vineyard bordering the Stags Leap District and named the wine for their longtime winemaker, Elias Fernandez, and his relentless pursuit of quality. It's a dark, muscular pour, blackberry, black cherry, espresso, cracked pepper, with big but fleshy tannins. As an executive wine gift, the name alone does work no tasting note can.

Send it for promotions, deal closings, and gifts to founders, rainmakers, and anyone whose identity involves outworking the competition.

• The name is the message. "Relentless" on the label makes it the rare bottle that doubles as a compliment.
• Its credentials are easy to cite, Wine Spectator's #1 wine of 2012, from one of Napa's most respected family wineries.
• The backstory lands well. It honors Elias Fernandez, the son of vineyard workers who became one of Napa's most decorated winemakers.
• A Syrah blend from Cabernet country stands out in a stack of December gift bags, and drinks beautifully with steak or braised short ribs.

Send Relentless to the closers on your list; Prime Wines gift-wraps and delivers every bottle across the US and Canada, invoiced once.

Is Shafer Relentless a good executive wine gift?

Yes. The name reads as a tribute to the recipient's drive, the wine was Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 2012, and Shafer is one of Napa's most respected family producers. Prime Wines delivers it gift-wrapped with your personal message anywhere in the US and Canada.

Is Shafer Relentless a good gift for a promotion?

It's close to purpose-built for one. A bottle literally named Relentless, honoring a winemaker's rise to the top of his field, is a natural fit for someone who just earned a title, and the bold style suits a celebration dinner the same week.