2011 Pinot Noir Suerte Solomon Hills Vineyard

Since Paul Lato feels he has his winemaking on the right track, he's been spending more time working even more closely with the growers responsible for his fruit.He has plowed significant proceeds from his wines back into equipment--"the best versions of what I need that I can afford, or even not really afford, because if you've got great fruit you want to handle it the best way you can."Lato made the most of the 2011 vintage with his pinots, producing wines that are highly perfumed, supple and accessible.I have little doubt that they can age positively but I'd probably err on drinking them on the young side as their intense fruit is to the fore now and the tannins are silky and already harmonious.

In Paul Lato's opinion the only way to achieve full ripeness in 2011 was to drop a considerable amount of fruit. Yields are therefore down dramatically. Overall, the 2011s are medium in body and quite pretty. Most of the Pinots have distinctly savory profiles that suggest some use of whole clusters, but they were in fact all made from fully destemmed fruit. Lato used about 50-75% new French oak barrels for the 2011s, with the exception of the Padrino, which got 100% new oak. The malolactics were protracted, not unusual for a cold year. Readers who want to learn more about Paul Lato and his wines might enjoy watching this video interview.