2021 Paul Lato Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard

The 2021 Paul Lato Chardonnay “Le Souvenir” Sierra Madre Vineyard is a refined, single-vineyard expression from California’s Central Coast, crafted in very limited quantities. This is a Chardonnay for collectors and serious enthusiasts, combining Burgundian elegance with the purity and energy of Santa Barbara County fruit. Sourced from the historic Sierra Madre Vineyard, it captures a cool-climate coastal character that’s both intensely flavored and beautifully restrained.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the wine shows a luminous pale gold color with green highlights, hinting at freshness and youth. The nose is layered and complex, offering notes of Meyer lemon, white peach, and crisp green apple, intertwined with aromas of crushed stones, hazelnut, and delicate vanilla and brioche from expertly integrated oak. Subtle hints of chamomile, beeswax, and citrus blossom emerge with air, adding further nuance. On the palate, the 2021 Le Souvenir is precise and textural, walking a fine line between richness and tension. Flavors of lemon curd, pear, and stone fruit are framed by vibrant acidity and a mineral, saline edge that speaks clearly of its cool coastal origin. The oak is polished and supportive rather than dominant, contributing to a creamy mid-palate and a long, focused finish. This vintage is approachable now for its purity and balance, but it also has the structure to age gracefully for 7–10 years, developing more nutty, honeyed, and savory complexity over time.

Production
Sierra Madre Vineyard, located in the Santa Maria Valley within California’s Central Coast, is a renowned cool-climate site influenced by Pacific Ocean breezes and fog. The sandy, well-drained soils and long, slow growing season allow Chardonnay to ripen with excellent acidity and concentration. Grapes for Le Souvenir are typically hand-harvested in small lots at optimal ripeness, then sorted carefully to ensure only pristine fruit makes it into the cellar. Paul Lato is known for a meticulous, Burgundian-inspired approach: gentle whole-cluster pressing, barrel fermentation with a high proportion of French oak (largely fine-grained and often partially new), and aging on the lees with bâtonnage to build texture and complexity. Native or carefully selected yeasts, along with a thoughtful balance between barrel and stainless components, help preserve both the vineyard’s signature minerality and the wine’s layered, silken profile.

Food & Serving
This Chardonnay pairs beautifully with refined, subtly rich dishes that echo its balance of creaminess and acidity. Think butter-poached lobster, seared scallops, roast chicken with herbs and lemon, grilled halibut, or mushroom risotto. It also complements soft-ripened cheeses like Brie or Camembert and mild cow’s milk cheeses. Serve at 10–12°C (50–54°F) to highlight both the aromatics and structure. A gentle decant of 20–30 minutes, or simply opening the bottle a bit before serving, can help the wine unfold its full aromatic complexity.

Producer
Paul Lato is a boutique, artisan producer based in Santa Barbara County, celebrated for crafting small-lot Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that bridge New World fruit purity with Old World finesse. Originally from Poland and trained through hands-on experience in some of California’s top cellars, Lato quickly gained recognition from critics and sommeliers for his meticulous vineyard selection and low-intervention, detail-driven winemaking. His single-vineyard bottlings, including those from esteemed sites like Sierra Madre, are now among the most sought-after wines of the Central Coast, consistently earning high scores and a loyal following for their precision, elegance, and age-worthy character.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.