"Lato's Grenache traditionally plays in the more elegant end of the spectrum, yet it always shows plenty of Grenache character and power. Loads of ripe black raspberries, wild strawberries, sappy flowers, violets, and mint emerge from the 2017 Grenache Lumiere, which is a medium-bodied effort that has a vibrant, tight, sappy texture, polished tannins, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years. I continue to be blown away by the wines of Paul Lato, and these are unquestionably some of the most profound and exciting wines coming from the Central Coast today. The lineup has grown substantially over the past decade, and Lato now releases upwards of five Chardonnays, six Pinot Noirs, two Grenaches, three Syrahs, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Malvasia. Despite the number of wines, quality hasn’t slipped an inch, and the wines show incredible site and varietal typicity always paired with sensational fruit and balance. In short, don’t miss these wines! (Drink between 2019-2027)" -Jeb Dunnuck, 93JD

"Paul's Manga Girl Rosé..is always good" -Jeb Dunnuck

"From the Drum Canyon Vineyard and brought up 18 months in 70% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Stand By Me offers black raspberries, graphite, spring flowers, and minty, sappy underbrush nuances on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, concentrated, and focused, with beautifully integrated oak (it brings to mind Roumier), it has a tight, focused mouthfeel, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. Give it a year or two to integrate its oak and drink through 2035. It's another sensational Pinot Noir from the genius of Paul Lato. Drink 2027-2035." -Jeb Dunnuck, 99JD

"The 2021 Pinot Noir Magic Moments Hyde Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1979, and the wine was matured for 17 months in 80% new French oak. It takes you on an aromatic journey, beginning with raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate and then opening to leather, tobacco, mixed tea leaves, underbrush, aniseed and bitters. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, youthfully coiled flavors. It's light on its feet with finely chalky tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a very long, spicy finish. This pairs power and latency and will be long lived in the cellar. 113 cases were made." -Wine Advocate, 97WA

"From the Zotovich Vineyard on the southern side of the Sta. Rita Hills and aged 17 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit is translucent ruby and very floral and spicy, with a beautiful core of mulberry and raspberry fruits, rose, and smoky herb nuances. It's gorgeous on the palate as well, with a fresh, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's one of the fresher, more chiseled, focused Pinots in the lineup from Paul and is going to cruise for a decade in cold cellars. Drink 2025-2035." -Jeb Dunnuck, 96JD

n/a

"From the Solomon Hills Vineyard, not far from Bien Nacido, and brought up 17 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Suerte is slightly deep ruby/plum-hued and shows spicy black cherries, black tea, orange blossom, and forest floor notes. It's incredibly complex and layered, medium-bodied on the palate, with a pure, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and some classic Santa Maria salinity on the finish. It too will keep for a decade. Drink 2025-2035.

Paul Lato continues to produce one of the most impressive lineups I taste each year, with wines coming from top vineyards across the Central Coast and beyond. The Polish immigrant (this is a great American success story) who started as a cellar hand in Santa Maria has built a program that now includes five Chardonnays and seven Pinot Noirs in this lineup alone. The Chardonnays range from Rincon in Arroyo Grande to Sierra Madre in Santa Maria to Pisoni in Santa Lucia Highlands and Hyde in Carneros, with the Kokoro being a selection across sites. The Pinot Noir program is equally extensive, pulling from Gold Coast and Solomon Hills in Santa Maria, Zotovich and Drum Canyon in Sta. Rita Hills, Pisoni in Santa Lucia Highlands, and Hyde in Carneros. All wines see extended aging of 16 to 19 months, with new oak ranging from 25% to 70% depending on the cuvée. I thought the Stand By Me from Drum Canyon was the clear standout in the Pinot lineup this year, while the Pisoni Chardonnay shows remarkable power and concentration. Having said that, there are no dogs in the lineup, and these are all brilliant wines. These wines consistently show a balance between California richness and Old World restraint, with the oak perfectly integrated despite the relatively high percentages used. What continues to impress me is the consistency across such a large lineup – there's not a weak wine in the bunch and each shows distinct site character despite the uniform winemaking approach." Jeb Dunnuck 97JD

"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

"The 2023 Space Cadet (85% Syrah, 15% Grenache from Bien Nacido & Larner) is a velvety, silky wine that marries floral Granche aromatics with dark purple Syrah fruit, mocha, vanilla and spice. Chalky tannins and calibrated acids provide an impeccaboy balanced framework, all wrapped up in velvety smooth contours. The 2023 is impossible to resist." (Drink between 2025-2034)" -Vinous, 95VM" Vinous 95VM

"Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Cavatina features expressive notes of stewed plums and baked blackberries, giving way to hints of Chinese five spice, tobacco, and bay leaves. The medium- to full-bodied palate is lightly chewy with a lively line cutting through the stewed black fruit flavors, finishing savory." -Lisa Perotti-Brown, 94LPB

"Classic late harvest wine. The nose brings explosive acacia honey and bees wax, caramel notes, Turkish sultana raisins, white peach, and honeysuckle. On the palate the wine is extremely long with velvety texture but beautifully incorporated freshness and acidity, which are the hallmark of a truly fine wine." -- Paul Lato, November 2023

"The 2021 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard is particularly elegant and detailed. Grapes come from 26-year-old Estrella clone vines, and the wine was matured for 19 months in 66% new French oak. It has an intense perfume of cassis, blueberry jam, mint chocolate, tapenade, aniseed and dark spices. The full-bodied palate has plush, pixelated tannins and a concentrated core of perfumed fruit. Focused acidity offers balance, and it has a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents. It develops dramatically as it spends time in the glass and will be long lived in the cellar. 160 cases were made. (Drink between 2025-2045)." -Erin Brooks, 97WA