2017 Paul Lato Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard
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From a site in the Santa Maria Valley and aged 15 months in 60% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard from Lato offers a vivid gold color as well as a rocking bouquet of lemon curd, crushed rocks, white currants, spice box, and white flowers. Rich, powerful, and layered, yet also vibrant and racy, with beautiful purity and precision on the palate, it's one of the most seamless, flawlessly balanced wines in the lineup. It's brilliant today yet should evolve effortlessly.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2017 Chardonnay Le Souvenir is bright, precise and beautifully lifted. Citrus peel, white flowers, slate, mint and tangerine oil are all finely sculpted in this super-expressive, highly nuanced wine. The Sierra Madre can at times be a bit oaky, but the wood is already very nicely integrated. The 2017 is a stellar Sierra Madre Chardonnay from Paul Lato.
Grapes for this wine come from a parcel of 24-year-old vines planted in sandy soils, and the wine was aged 15 months in 60% new French oak. Youthfully coiled, the 2017 Chardonnay le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard has a mineral-driven nose that slowly, slowly opens up to saline, crushed shell, white peach, tiny touches of baking spice and nutmeg coming through from the amazingly integrated 75% new oak, lime skin, dried hay and leaves, elderflower and lemon curd—so, so many layers. Medium to full-bodied, it has a backbone of that signature pixelated texture and juicy acidity with layer upon flavor layer blossoming in the mouth, finishing very, very long and full of energy. Wow! Absolutely world class Chardonnay. That texture is unreal. 315 cases were made.