Whole Lotta Lato

[Steve Anderson]

Had a chance to drink a number of Paul Lato wines over the Holidays. A few brief impressions:

2008 Paul Lato “Souvenir” Chardonnay. From the Sierra Madre Vineyard. Love Paul’s chards and this one did not disappoint. Like the 09, a beautiful floral and citrus nose. More citrus and maybe some peach on the palate. Smooth, easy drinker. Some commented that it was similar to a nice white burg.

2010 Paul Lato “Souvenir” Chardonnay. Also Sierra Madre fruit. Lemon and pear on the nose. Nice minerality with more lemon, pear and some peach on the palate. A bit more tart and acidic than the 08 and 09, but I imagine it will smooth out a bit with another year in the bottle.

2008 Paul Lato “Cinematique” Syrah. Larner Vineyard fruit. Drank this at home on New Year’s Eve. Wow, this was such a smooth bottle. Dark in the glass, wonderful nose of dark fruits, spice and violet. More dark fruits, spice and nice minerality on the palate. Loved this wine. 3 barrels/75 cases produced.

2008 Paul Lato “Il Padrino” Syrah. Bien Nacido fruit. Only bought one bottle, and only two barrels/ 50 cases produced. Planned on holding this bottle a few more years before drinking, but when the opportunity arose to buy three more bottles at a bit under release price, thought I better pop this to help me make the decision. A bit tighter than the Larner, but the same purity of fruit. The Cinematique is ready to go now and will last at least five more years, while the Il Padrino is built for the long haul. Great structure, more dark fruits, some meat and spice. Nicely balanced. Easy decision – Buy!

2009 Paul Lato “Duende” Gold Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir. I’ll preface by saying that I absolutely loved the 2008 Duende I had back in May. A gorgeous wine. The 2009 was good, but paled a bit in comparison. A bit darker than the 08, but the same gorgeous nose of black berry, spice and maybe a bit of tea. On the palate, a bit sweeter and a touch of heat that I did not get on the 08. Still a good bottle, just didn’t live up to the expectations set by the 08.

All in all, I can’t recommend Paul’s wines highly enough!

Cheers,

Steve