Wine Advisor
Paul Lato, Cinematique Larner Vineyard Syrah 2012
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Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
On another level, the 2012 Syrah Cinematique Larner Vineyard (92.5% Syrah, 5% Viognier and 2.5% Grenache aged in 50% new French oak) has an incredible perfume of sweet blackberry, raspberry, crushed violets, coffee bean and bay leaf to go with a medium to full-bodied, silky, seamless and ethereally textured profile on the palate. Picking up plenty of fine tannin with time in the glass, this is a gorgeously pure, layered and multi-dimensional Syrah that will benefit from short-term cellaring, and have 15 years or more of ultimate longevity. It’s not a blockbuster, yet excels on its balanced, seamlessness and purity. One of my favorite producers in the Central Coast, Paul Lato continues to make thrilling Pinot Noirs and Syrahs that have texture, richness and depth while never seeming heavy or cumbersome. These are gorgeous wines across the board and you can’t go wrong here. Tel. (805) 260-3210; www.paullatowines.com
About the Producer
Paul Lato, born in Poland and without formal winemaking training, has always had a deep appreciation for the handcrafted techniques of European winemakers since his earliest encounters with wine. Paul has a passion for California, and his first love was Santa Barbara. Without the funds to purchase his own estate, he sought out the best vineyards, including Bien Nacido, the Golden Coast, Solomon Hills, Fiddlestix, Sierra Madre, Zotovich, and John Sebastiano Pisoni in the highlands of Santa Lucia and Hyde in Los Angeles. In addition, he successfully leased the best plots by the acre, with lease terms that allowed him to control what came next. In this regard, he took advice from top grape-growing consultant Mike Anderson, retired from UC Davis and also consulting at Picnic Ranch. Paul accompanied him to John Sebastiano and Sierra Madre to learn about irrigation, leafing, fruit dropping, and other inputs required to achieve vineyard performance at a high level. Paul usually ages his wines for at least 18 months and uses a high percentage of new oak barrels, averaging around 60%. The number of new oak barrels used for aging varies according to the grape variety. Wines from Bien Nacido can have a new oak content of up to 80-90%.
