Petit Sirah can be an overpowering, brooding variety delivering a wine with an intensity that can put hair on your chest. However, thanks to a high elevation and influence of the Pacific through Paso Robles near Templeton Gap, Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red Blend ($50) blending 50% Petit Sirah with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon is fresh, juicy, and balanced. Ripe, sunshine-filled fruit is aged for 18 months in partially new French oak, helping soften bold tannins, bringing toasted nuttiness and spice to the black cherry, blackberry, cedar, and dark chocolate filled wine.