Paul Lato Festina Lente Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Paul Lato's story as a winemaker is one of the most incredible success stories in America—a Polish immigrant who worked as a sommelier for six years in the best restaurant in Toronto, now a true star on California's wine map. For Paul, working as a sommelier was a period of learning about wine. In 1996, he first visited the Central Coast of America at the invitation of Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat winery). Jim told him: "You don't need to read more books about wine. Just work with me, and you'll understand how it all works." After three months of this practical wine school, Paul returned to Canada and soon realized that he wanted to make his own wine. Paul had a clear vision of what it should be, and with this dream, he moved to Santa Maria on California's Central Coast in the early 2000s. The first task Paul faced was selecting vineyards. During his time as a sommelier, Paul developed an understanding that great wines are born from unique terroirs. He approached the selection process meticulously—finding not just the best vineyards, but the best vineyard sites. Paul spent all his savings on this process. Two years later, in 2002, under the mentorship of Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist (Qupe winery), Paul made his first wines—just six barrels. Today, Paul Lato's wines are well-known not only in California but also beyond. Each vintage sells out instantly. Production volumes are extremely small—no more than 6,000 bottles a year. However, Paul does not intend to expand his vineyard areas to maintain the quality of the wines; only a small volume of wine can be made by hand, which is his main rule. Paul's first love is the Pinot Noir grape. He is a connoisseur and a true fan of Burgundy wines. In working with Pinot Noir, he is a meticulous perfectionist, obsessed with wine. Important to him in working with this variety are: maximum yield limitation in the vineyard to achieve optimal aroma concentration, and in the winery, Paul operates on the principle of maximum non-intervention to preserve the natural purity and authenticity of the future wines. Paul Lato's Pinot Noir wines embody elegance, restraint, and refinement in the style of Chambolle, but with a California accent.