2020 Paul Lato Chardonnay Goldberg Variations Hyde Vineyard No. 3

The 2020 Paul Lato Chardonnay Goldberg Variations Hyde Vineyard No. 3 is a polished, single-vineyard Chardonnay that marries California richness with Burgundian finesse. Sourced from the famed Hyde Vineyard and crafted in tiny quantities, it showcases Paul Lato’s meticulous, artisanal approach to cool-climate Chardonnay. Named after Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations,’ this bottling is composed like a piece of music—layered, harmonious and built to evolve in the glass and the cellar.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, this Chardonnay is a vibrant pale gold with a subtle green rim, hinting at both freshness and concentration. The nose opens with Meyer lemon, white peach and Anjou pear, followed by more complex layers of chamomile, toasted hazelnut, brioche and a faint sea-spray minerality. Gentle vanilla pod and crème brûlée tones from sensitive oak use sit in the background rather than dominate. On the palate, the 2020 Goldberg Variations No. 3 is medium to full-bodied, with a silky, almost weightless texture that’s framed by precise acidity. Flavors of citrus curd, ripe stone fruit and yellow apple are interwoven with notes of almond cream, wet stone and a delicate saline edge that clearly reflects Hyde Vineyard’s cool-climate character. The finish is long, pure and finely etched, with lingering citrus zest and subtle spice. Enjoyable now with a short decant, it has the structure and balance to age gracefully for 7–10 years from vintage, gaining complexity, honeyed nuance and deeper nuttiness over time.

Production
Fruit for this wine comes from Hyde Vineyard, one of California’s most revered Chardonnay sites, located in the cool, breezy Carneros area. Here, morning fog, afternoon winds and well-drained clay and sandy loam soils help preserve acidity while allowing slow, even ripening—ideal for nuanced, terroir-driven Chardonnay. Grapes are typically hand-harvested at dawn in small boxes to protect fruit integrity, then whole-cluster pressed to capture purity and finesse. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, a portion of which are new, with temperature control to maintain aromatic precision. Extended aging on fine lees with gentle bâtonnage builds texture and complexity, while carefully judged malolactic fermentation softens the wine without sacrificing tension. The wine is bottled with minimal intervention to preserve its site-specific character.

Food & Serving
This Chardonnay pairs beautifully with refined seafood and poultry dishes: think butter-poached lobster, seared scallops, roasted chicken with morel cream, or halibut with a lemon-butter and herb sauce. It also complements richer vegetarian dishes such as mushroom risotto, truffle tagliatelle or a creamy parmesan polenta. Serve at 10–12°C (50–54°F) to highlight its tension and aromatic detail—slightly cooler for aperitif sipping, and a touch warmer at the table for greater breadth and texture. A 30–45 minute decant in a Burgundy-style glass can help the wine unfurl its more subtle layers of minerality and spice, especially in its youth.

Producer
Polish-born Paul Lato has become one of California’s most respected boutique winemakers, revered for his elegant, small-lot Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. After working his way up from sommelier to cellar hand, he founded his eponymous label on the Central Coast, focusing on cool-climate vineyards and meticulous, low-yield farming. His philosophy is simple yet demanding: select exceptional sites, harvest at optimal ripeness, and intervene as little as possible in the cellar. Over the years, Paul Lato’s wines have earned consistently high praise from leading critics and collectors for their balance, purity and sense of place, helping to cement the Central Coast and its top vineyards—like Hyde—as world-class sources of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

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