2022 Paul Lato Grenache Ora de Labora Bien Nacido Vineyard
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The 2022 Grenache Ora et Labora Bien Nacido Vineyard wonderfully harnesses this site's savory nature and packages it with uncommon grace and three-dimensionality. The nose is peppery, herbal and nuanced, with hints of gun smoke and turned earth emerging with aeration. The palate combines a weightless, ethereal intensity with impressive breadth, bound by the high-fidelity precision that is ever present in the Paul Lato roster. It concludes with gently drying, fine tannins and just enough mouth-watering acidity to propel the finish. I would give this a year or so to round out slightly and follow its evolution over the coming decade.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2022 Grenache Ora et Labora Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from the Santa Maria Valley and was destemmed and raised in 40% new oak. It's a slightly deeper, more masculine-styled expression of the variety than the Larner Vineyard and has a core of darker cherry and redcurrants intermixed with smoked herbs, black pepper, and underbrush. Medium-bodied, bright, and lively on the palate, it has good acidity, some firmer tannins, and outstanding length. It's another 2022 from Lato that gains a better sense of balance and texture with time in the glass. (I followed all these wines over multiple days.) Give bottles a year or two and enjoy through 2032.
The 2022 Grenache Bien Nacido Vineyard Ora et Labora is gorgeous. Broad and ample at the outset, the 2022 possesses notable aromatic intensity. I find this a bit less giving on the palate in the early going, but time in bottle should take care of that. Rose petal, chalk, sage and mint build into the tense, slightly nervous finish.