When Shafer created the blend for Relentless (80% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah), was it based on another wine or the wines of another region?
The blend for Relentless is an original recipe. We didn’t look to the wines of, say the Rhone Valley, or of Australia. Relentless grew out of our growing appreciation for Syrah’s versatility – it can be produced in a wide range of styles. We also knew that Petite Sirah produced a big, rugged wine here in the Valley, because it was the grape predominantly used by many of the old Italian grapegrowers when they made wine at home for themselves. Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez thought that bringing together the noble varietal, Syrah, and its more rustic cousin, Petite Sirah, would make a delicious blend.
