Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Pinot Noir Suerte Santa Maria Valley 2007
Deep, vivid red. Sexy aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, incense and potpourri expand with air and pick up a note of black cardamom. Deeply concentrated but fresh, offering lively red berry flavors and a powerful note of cherry skin. Gains flesh in the glass and finishes with excellent clarity and a persistent cherry note. This is delicious now but will reward patience. 93 points

Syrah Cinematique Santa Ynez Valley 2007
Inky purple. Exotic aromas of dark berry and cherry compote, olive, smoky herbs and incense, plus a sexy cola note that gains strength with air. Juicy, palate-staining blackberry and boysenberry flavors are given spine by a zesty mineral quality and framed by fine-grained tannins. Extremely suave syrah with strong finishing spiciness and a lingering note of cherry-cola. 93 points

Pinot Noir Cine Sera Sta. Rita Hills 2007
Bright ruby. Exotically perfumed scents of candied red berries, cherry pie, Asian spices, rose and sandalwood. Sweet, penetrating red fruit flavors are complemented by notes of candied flowers and cinnamon, with silky tannins adding support. Richer cherry and dark berry qualities arrive on the finish, which is broad, spicy and extremely long. This wine's intensity is quite impressive. 93 points

Chardonnay Le Souvenir Santa Maria Valley 2007
Light, bright gold. Highly perfumed bouquet of fresh pear, Meyer lemon, melon and sexy oak spices, with a slow-building floral quality. A silky, sweet and expansive midweight that offers tangy citrus and orchard fruit flavors and gentle notes of smoky lees and spicecake. Powerful but also graceful, with finishing notes of smoky lees and sweet butter. This is already showing well but has the balance to age. Made from the Wente clone and raised in 66% new oak. 92 points

Pinot Noir Duende Santa Maria Valley 2007
Bright red. Highly expressive aromas of red berries, incense, rose and underbrush; reminds me of a topnotch Morey-Saint-Denis. Pliant and gently sweet, offering incisive cherry and raspberry flavors and slow-building tannins. Very young but awfully promising, finishing with strong thrust and lingering spiciness. 91 points

Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate
"Sadly, production is limited for these impressive Syrahs fashioned by Paul Lato, a Polish immigrant working out of the Santa Maria coop, who is making quite a name for himself with both Syrah and Pinot Noir. His passion and impeccable attention to detail have resulted in this outstanding 2005 Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard Skywatcher."

"Young, talented, visionary, Polish immigrant, Paul Lato is making quite a name for himself, and living the American dream. His production is still small, and most of his wines are sold via a mailing list, but here one finds talented, artisanal winemaking with a following."

"Lato’s 2005 Pinot Noir Goldcoast Vineyard Duende is a beauty."

"The 2005 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard Suerte…full bodied and opulent with sumptuously pure fruit, this beauty can be drunk young or cellared for a decade."

Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate: "There are limited quantities (less than 100 cases of each) of these 100 percent destemmed wines made by a dedicated young producer who is focusing on high quality Pinot Noir. Paul Lato's talents as well as respect for the varietal are obvious. As he says, these wines reflect his belief of 'those who dare to dream'."

"Paul Lato, a cellar rat working at the Santa Maria Wine Cooperative, fashions true garagiste wines from one of the world’s most fragile grapes, Pinot Noir."

PinotFile: "Paul Lato bleeds Pinot Noir. He is a rare individual of great passion who is humble yet aristocratic, both humorous and charming, and with a smile that shows a zest for wine and the good life. Paul told me I was smart to be a Prince, because “Kings sit around doing nothing with their clothes off, and the Prince actually runs the show and knows everything that is going on.” Paul is from Poland via Canada and his small production of Pinot Noir and Syrah each year (250 cases) has had a big impact on the Central Coast wine scene."

Food & Wine Magazine: “..this limited bottling from a hillside block of the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard is what great Syrah's all about.”