Not exactly, read the copy carefully:
“we got a call from a very respected estate on Highway 29 … they’re quite friendly with the producer that recently sold us Lot 616”
The referrer is on hwy 29, but not necessarily this producer.
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Dang, now I’m thinking that lot 616 was Shafer Relentless at 15.8%. Missed that one!
The rest of the sentence indicates that the Hwy 29 caller is who sold them the juice:
“So it was surprising to get a call from a very respected estate on Highway 29 that began with “I heard from ____ that you fellas were fans of Syrah…” As it turns out, they’re quite friendly with the producer that recently sold us Lot 616, and when they discovered we had an appetite, they didn’t waste any time reaching out.”
So the Lot 616 seller told the Hwy 29 producer that DN likes Syrah. So the Hwy 29 producer called up DN.
So it has to be a producer who is located on Hwy 29.
That rules out these Syrah producers so far:
Plumpjack
Ovid
Shafer
Lewis Cellars
Miner
Baldacci
Joseph Phelps
B Cellars
Colgin
Orin Swift
Sequoia Grove and Inglenook both do Syrah, but both hover in the 14.5% range, except for 2021 with Inglenook where the bumped it to 15% before going back down to 14.5% the next year.
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not the way I read that at all.
Poked ChatGPT a bit more, and now it is also considering Lewis. Anyone happen to have the original writeup for lot 616? That could provide some serious clues.
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“Like one of the few automakers still offering a sports car with a manual transmission in 2026”
This could be a clue for Lewis since the guy was a race car driver! Wasn’t he?
thanks for this! Here’s the latest from my ChatGPT session:
Ah — this changes the picture substantially. With the original Lot 616 copy, I think we can make a much more informed connection to Lot 630.
The biggest clue is actually the combination of 15.8% + Syrah + 20-ish months of oak + Napa + family winery + established Syrah reputation.
Lot 616 looks very much like Shafer Relentless
The technical fingerprint is unusually close to Shafer Relentless:
- Shafer’s 2021 Relentless is 15.8% ABV.
- It spent 20 months in 100% new Allier and Tronçais French oak.
- It is sourced from ridgetop/foothill sites along the Vaca Mountains.
- The 2021 is 97% Syrah / 3% Petite Sirah.
- Decanter describes it as showing cherry, spiced plum, sandalwood, rose petal, wet slate and forest berries.
- Wine Enthusiast’s listing also gives it 15.8% ABV, and historical Relentless descriptions emphasize black pepper, dark fruit, cracked rock, leather and spice.
And Shafer is indeed a family Napa winery dating to 1972, which fits the “over half a century in Napa” clue very nicely.
But there’s an important wrinkle:
Lot 616 says 100% Syrah.
The documented recent Relentless is a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend.So I wouldn’t call Lot 616 definitively Relentless yet. But the technical coincidence is too strong to dismiss.
And look at how close Lot 630 is
Lot 630:
15.5% alc.
nearly 20 months in French oak
“bold and hedonistic”
black fruit / black olive / pepper / leather / camphor
established Napa producer
critically acclaimed Syrah programThat sounds very much like the same stylistic universe as Relentless.
In fact, Shafer’s 2021 Relentless review describes a “potent, brooding wine” with dark cherry, plum, licorice, cloves, game, scorched earth and black pepper.
That’s remarkably close to De Négoce’s Lot 630 language.
But there’s an even bigger clue
The Lot 616 copy says:
“extended barrel aging with a high percentage of new oak”
while Lot 630 says:
“aged in top-of-the-line French oak for nearly 20 months.”
That’s exactly the sort of language I’d expect if the underlying producer had a serious Relentless-style Syrah program.
And the Lot 616 description says the vines are planted in the warmest pockets of the estate because Syrah likes heat. That makes sense for the Vaca-side/ridgetop environment where Shafer’s Relentless fruit comes from.
So where does that leave Lot 630?
I would now investigate Shafer much more aggressively.
But I would not assume Lot 630 is Relentless. There are two reasons:
- De Négoce says Lot 630 is 15.5%, whereas the 2021 Relentless is 15.8%.
- The documented Relentless blend isn’t 100% Syrah.
There is, however, a very plausible explanation: De Négoce’s Lot 616 may be a different Syrah bottling from the same producer, and Lot 630 may likewise be another vintage/bottling from that producer. We don’t necessarily need the mystery wine to correspond one-to-one with the producer’s flagship label.
One thing I’d like to chase next
The phrase:
“family winery (going back over half a century in Napa and counting)”
is unusually specific.
Shafer was founded in 1972, so in 2024–26 it is indeed just over 50 years old.
And the Relentless program is one of Napa’s genuinely long-running, recognizable Syrah programs.
So at this point I’d put Shafer/Relentless firmly on the shortlist, rather than merely treating it as one of dozens of Napa Syrah possibilities.
The really interesting question now is:
Can we find evidence that Shafer produced a 100% Syrah 2024 bottling, or another 100% Syrah cuvée besides Relentless?
That’s the next search I’d do, because if we can establish that, Lot 616 → Shafer → Lot 630 becomes a considerably tighter chain of evidence.
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ANY PETS lovers out there? Might not be as like Cam X Lot 34 here…
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At 13.8% that’s quite a petite PS!
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“Lot 634 is an estate-grown, 100% Petite Sirah crafted by a winemaker whose pedigree and resume are absolute crème de la crème . Sourced from a multigenerational family-owned winery with a planting considered one of the finest in the state, this is a pinnacle bottling rarely found in the wild.”
I started to think SQN/NOK, or at least Fingers Crossed when I read this!!! Until I saw the $45 retail price. 
Except it would have to be like 16.8% abv. Ha.
Lot 634 | @2024 Santa Barbara County Petite Sirah: Too many variables to consider as a value California Petite Sirah. I’ll pass and enjoy sipping this wonderful 92 point (A+) $12/bottle OG Lot 169 2018 Dry Creek Petite Sirah from years past (bottled April 2021).
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https://www.denegoce.com/products/lot-454-2022-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon-12-bottle-case
Interesting that they are T1 matching one of the older wines on the platform in lot 454. Has anyone had this one? It sounds good!
Rationalizing our torrid purchases and accumulation of dN / CX wines, a friend stated it best, ~ Nature abhors a vacuum, so does a wine vault.
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https://www.denegoce.com/products/lot-646-2024-oakville-cabernet-sauvignon-12-bottle-case
Big Fall Series time, lot 650 cometh! (Not sure that’s a big deal anymore)
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lol i know. sad.
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Could be tempted? It’s possible…
I broke down and bought lot 630 Napa Syrah. God damn, I love me some bruising meaty Syrah. Third dN purchase of 2026.
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Why does it feel like every offer recently has the potential to be Opus? Most of the bordeaux blends from Oakville shoot for higher ABV than 14.1%. In fact, I can’t really identify any other Oakville bordeaux reds or proprietary reds that are less than 14.5 aside from Opus.
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