Paul Lato Victor Francis Peake Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another Sta. Rita Hills release (I think this is the first vintage for this cuvée), the 2018 Victor Francis Peake Ranch Vineyard has a pure, nicely concentrated, full-bodied style with good complexity in its spiced cherry and blackberry fruits, chocolate, leafy herbs, and forest floor aromas and flavors. I love the overall richness and texture here, and it's one of the more meaty, powerful wines in the lineup.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a new wine from Paul Lato, named after his son. Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Victor Francis Peake Ranch Vineyard is delicately styled with aromas of rosewater, saline, lavender, crushed raspberries and strawberries, with an undercurrent of fragrant earth. Medium-bodied, it's concentrated, broody and firm with seamless freshness and a long, perfumed finish. This has what it needs to age well in bottle, and I'd give it another two or three years in the cellar. Rating: 95+
Other Vintages
2020-
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Passion, quality, and authenticity. These are the guiding principles of our small, artisanal winery dedicated to producing Burgundy and Rhone varietals. Paul Lato is a former sommelier who studied wine extensively and traveled the world before starting his winemaking operation on the Central Coast in 2002. Though their style is inspired by the balance and harmony, they also seek to capture the intensity of flavor that is a hallmark of sun-kissed California vineyards.
Through small-lot boutique production, minimal intervention in the winery, and purity of intention, the team works to achieve elegance in the bottle that showcases the unique qualities of these amazing sites. The ultimate goal is to create wines that are seamless and textural with the structure and balance to complement fine cuisine.
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.