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

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 97 Points (2019): “Black cherries, raspberry, exotic flowers, spicy herbs, and subtle marine-like nuances emerge from the 2019 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, focused, nicely structured Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. With good mid-palate depth, a savory, complex, Gevrey-like character, ripe tannins, and outstanding length, this beauty will benefit from a year of bottle age and cruise for 7-8 years, if not a decade. It’s one of the more focused, structured Pinot Noirs in the lineup in 2019.”

FYI: This bottling was formerly known as C’est La Vie, but due to some legal reason was changed to Stand By Me – same vineyard

*Future – arrives mid April 2022