Paul Lato

Paul Lato makes is known for his nice balanced wines with great depth, from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from top Central Coast sites. The winery is located in Santa Maria, not Napa Valley, chasing fruit from places like Bien Nacido and Sierra Madre. His wines often hit high scores from critics, but Paul keeps things small-scale, around 3,000 cases a year, sold mostly to a loyal mailing list.

History
Paul grew up in Poland with no real wine scene around him, but this enthousiasm for wines led him to become a trainee sommelier in Toronto. By the mid-1990s, he visited California's Central Coast and worked a harvest with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat, who told him to stop studying and staring doing the real work. After years back in Canada running wine programs at top spots, Paul packed his suitcases in 2002 and moved west to chase winemaking.

He started as a cellar hand at Bien Nacido Vineyard for $10 an hour, sleeping in a bunkhouse, while making his first six barrels of Pinot Noir and Syrah on the side. Robert Parker tasted them by chance, loved the gutsy start with tough grapes, and pushed Paul to name the winery, giving him a huge early boost. Help came from others too, like Thomas Keller buying wine when Paul was starting to save enough funds for his own winery. No investors, just slow growth fueled by passion.

The Vineyards
Paul sources from premium Central Coast spots, picking specific blocks that meets his strong quality demand. These include Bien Nacido in Santa Barbara County, with its 600 acres of diverse grapes planted since the 1970s by the Miller brothers. He also works Sierra Madre Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, the coolest and westernmost site there, plus Gold Coast Vineyard and others like Presqu'ile or La Rinconada.

These are low-yield, mature vines, some own-rooted Martini or Swan clones over 20 years old. Paul scouts for the best exposures, like steep southern slopes or sandy plateaus with great drainage. Production stays tiny per site, so to increase the quality in stead of volume.

The Terroir
Central Coast terroir is what Paul's wines are about: cool ocean breezes through valleys like Santa Ynez or Santa Maria to keep the needed freshness in the grapes,  while the sun ripens the grapes slowly. Bien Nacido gets Pacific winds that warm the vines, very well suited for tricky grapes like Tocai Friulano. Sierra Madre's proximity to the ocean means low yields from clones like 115, 667, and 777 on varied soils.

Soils range from sandy with excellent drainage to clay-loam mixes, plus some rocky spots. Elevations and aspects vary, high plateaus or west-facing slopes, creating small berries, thick skins, and strong flavors without excess ripeness.

Way of Winemaking
Hand-picked grapes go to small lots for precise fermentations, with foot-treading on reds but careful seed avoidance to keep tannins smooth. Chardonnay gets 100% malolactic and aging in a mix of new and used French oak, say 66% new for some, to build structure without oak overload.

Reds age in 40-60% new French barrels, unfiltered for some Pinot Noirs. No interventions, just letting the fruit lead, influenced by old-school Burgundy like Henri Jayer and Rhône's Chave family. The goal: authentic wines with harmony, length, and site expression.