Region: Sta. Rita Hills, California

Vintage: 2018

Composition: 100% Pinot Noir

History: After completing an informal internship with the legendary Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Paul Lato began making his own wine at Central Coast Wine Services, an incubator of numerous talents over the years. Then, as he puts it, “Robert Parker, by a stroke of luck, tasted my 2002 vintage about a year and a half after it was made. The wine was bottled, but I didn’t have a label or a name for my cellar.” Then Parker, who tasted both Pinot Noir and Syrah, looked at me and said, “You have real talent. Hurry up with those names, I want to be the first to write about you.”

Tasting Notes:

“The Pinot Noir Victor Francis is a classic Sta. Rita Hills with its savory, salty, spicy, and even meaty aromas and flavors, which turn more floral and exotic with time in the glass. It shows some olive and brine as well, yet its core of ripe red and black fruits is always present, and it’s textured, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and lengthy on the palate.” – Jeb Dunnuck, August 2021