Winemaker Notes
Drum Canyon has matured into a true Grand Cru vineyard of Sta. Rita Hills, and their 2022 ‘Stand by Me’ exemplifies its excellence. Ripe bing cherries, baking spices, cracked pepper, and black tea emerge from the glass. Medium to full-bodied palate offers a harmonious blend of perfumed and savory notes, and a silky mouthfeel, complemented by a touch of salinity. The vibrant acidity and exceptional structure contribute to its remarkable balance, and the wine finishes impressively long. Allow it a year or two in the bottle, and the wine will evolve beautifully over many years.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Spiced red and black raspberries, sappy flowers, iodine, and spicy notes define the 2022 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard, a solid, structured, focused 2022 that has some classic Sta. Rita Hills savory, salty notes, plenty of tannins, and a great finish. It deserves a year or two of bottle age and will evolve gracefully through 2034.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I found the 2022 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard to be one of the more impressive wines in the Paul Lato stable. A powerful, sophisticated and energetic mélange of black fruits, dried cloves, orange peel and soy aromas introduce a robust, medium-bodied palate oozing with class, precision and tension. The finish combines a slow-moving, fine-grained tannic intensity with weightless persistence and stunning length—a beautiful marriage of stylistic confidence and site transparency.
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Drum Canyon Vineyard Stand by Me is one of the more complete wines in this range. Dark cherry, plum, licorice, graphite, spice and cloves rush across the palate. This ample, rich Sta. Rita Hills Pinot is distinguished by its layered personality. A whole range of earthy and mineral undertones add an attractive brooding quality. This is very nicely done.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.