Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
There are two Syrahs from Lato, both brilliant wines yet distinctly different. The most masculine, peppery, and gamey is the 2018 Syrah Il Padrino, which comes from the Bien Nacido Vineyard located just outside the town of Santa Maria. Its deep ruby purple color is followed by textbook Bien Nacido notes of bacon fat, cracked pepper, beef blood, bouquet garni, blackberries, and darker currants. It's a heavenly, concentrated, powerful wine that offers everything I look for in a great wine: richness without heaviness, incredible complexity, a singular character, and the ability to deliver both intellectual and hedonistic pleasure. Drink this incredible Syrah over the coming 10-12 years.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from the Z block. It was co-fermented with 5% Viognier, and about 10% stems were included. Aged in 85% new oak, it has a medium to deep ruby-purple color and gorgeous scents of blackberry and boysenberry jam with pure notes of violet, pepper, menthol and coffee. Medium to full-bodied, it swells outward in flavor, supported by firm, ripe tannins and seamless freshness, and it finishes very long and flavorful. What a classy Syrah!
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.