Paul Lato 2020 Pinot Noir “Stand By Me” Drumm Canyon Santa Rita Hills 96 Points

This might be the very best Drum Canyon bottling to date! This rendition from the Drum Canyon Vineyard will make you (happily) dream of a 1er Cru Pommard at a much lower price point!  This latest release is Paul’s best effort to date and I have only 5 cases of this wine to offer!

Paul Lato Notes: “Our parcel at Drum Canyon Vineyard is on a severely steep hillside graced with beautiful southern exposure. Attractive, dark red. Boysenberry and cassis notes. Full of energy, wired with fine tannin and a long spicy finish. Made from two Burgundy suitcase clones, and would easily fit as a ringer wine in a Burgundy tasting. Decant one hour prior to service.”

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points: “More exotic notes of candied strawberries, red plums, violets, new leather, and exotic flowers all define the bouquet of the 2020 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard, another rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, floral, nicely structured Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. I like its tannins, and like many of Lato’s 2020s, it has good structure and a more focused, chiseled style that should reward a year or two of bottle age.”