2022 Paul Lato "Stand by Me" Drum Canyon Vineyard Pinot Noir

Spiced red and black raspberries, sappy flowers, iodine, and spicy notes define the 2022 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard, a solid, structured, focused 2022 that has some classic Sta. Rita Hills savory, salty notes, plenty of tannins, and a great finish. It deserves a year or two of bottle age and will evolve gracefully through 2034.

I found the 2022 Pinot Noir Stand By Me Drum Canyon Vineyard to be one of the more impressive wines in the Paul Lato stable. A powerful, sophisticated and energetic mélange of black fruits, dried cloves, orange peel and soy aromas introduce a robust, medium-bodied palate oozing with class, precision and tension. The finish combines a slow-moving, fine-grained tannic intensity with weightless persistence and stunning length—a beautiful marriage of stylistic confidence and site transparency.