Thin garnet with a rosy strawberry soda in the nose. Buttery deep red vines and a fairly flaccid typical Paso Robles approach to acid and any sort of writhing mineral element. I tasted through the whole roster at the winery the other day and this was far and away my favorite. The other wines ranged from passable tourist offerings to unapproachable disasters. This one I felt fairly well put together. Like then, I find it fresh and fruity, serious enough for generous consideration, while light enough on its feet to not suck the fun out of dinner and also finish off the glass–other traits Paso is quite adept at.

In the mouth, rich honeyed fruit brings a spicy edge to ripe plum and a saline intensity which melds quickly into hot tannin. Lovely sweet strawberry preserve manages to slowly find an acidic grip mid-palate, swapping tales with the fairly un-tannic finish long into a warmish burn awash in savory fruit.

2015 VENTEUX VINEYARDS Grenache Paso Robles 14.6

venteuxvineyards.com