17 Feb Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Shadow Run Vineyards and Winery 2017 Untamed, Paso Robles

Blending wine grapes together to make a wine is not uncommon. In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot are blended together. In the Rhone Valley, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and a number of other grapes are blended together. This week, I enjoyed a blend of Grenache and Petite Sirah, two grapes I would not normally think of together. The wine was Shadow Run Vineyards and Winery 2017 Untamed, Paso Robles, and is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Shadow Run Vineyards and Winery, a 150-acre former cattle ranch, is located in the south east part of Paso Robles and is the southernmost winery in the region. A family business, Les and Susan Evans and their son Aaron Hunt purchased the property in 2005 and planted 5 acres. There is one acre each of Grenache, Viognier, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Malbec and they also purchase Grenache Blanc and additional Grenache.

The 2017 Untamed is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Petite Sirah. Grenache produces a wine with medium tannins and acidity and notes of strawberry, black cherry, raspberry, tobacco, and spices. Petite Sirah, the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin, produces a big bodied wine that is high in acid and tannins with blueberry, plum, chocolate, black tea, and black pepper notes. These are not two grapes that I would typically think of blending together but really enjoyed them in the Shadow Run Vineyards 2017 Untamed.

The “untamed” Petite Sirah is tamed by the Grenache and the bright berry Grenache and the powerful Petite Sirah work in harmony. The fruit notes of the Grenache are upfront and the Petit Sirah offers color to the wine, as well as a rich backbone. The wine is big and rich but also bright. The tannins are smooth and slightly gripping and the acidity is bright resulting in a deliciously full-bodied and balanced wine.

Shadow Run Vineyards and Winery 2017 Untamed is a robust wine that retails for $36.