PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $48
From Paso’s hot East Side, this wine delivers ripe boysenberry and red plum fruit with accents of sweet bourbon, nutmeg and toasted oak. Big-bodied but well balanced with a velvety texture and soft tannins. The not unexpectedly high alcohol (15.2%) is well masked by robust fruit and structure. A robust larger-than-life character — central casting would be on the hunt for a John Wayne-type. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 1/8/11)