"One of the standouts in the Paul Lato stable is the 2023 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard, sourced from 30+-year-old Estrella plantings in Z Block. Co-fermented with 5% Viognier, it leads with its characteristically complex and multifaceted bouquet, offering up purple flower, cracked pepper, incense, camphor and crushed stone aromas with arresting clarity and harmony. On the palate, it seamlessly melds a punchy, sumptuous texture and velvety richness with a polished framing, concluding with a focused, chalky and layered finish that lingers with myriad savory and spice-driven undertones. This developed quite rapidly in the glass, continuously gaining more and more structural integrity, focus and mineral-inflected backbone, suggesting a solid 15+ years of evolution lies ahead." Wine Advocate 96WA