2015 Paul Lato Pinot Noir The Contender Drum Canyon Vineyard
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The 2015 Pinot Noir The Contender Drum Canyon Vineyard is fabulous. Dark, mysterious and brooding in feel, and yet also wonderfully translucent, the appropriately named Contender packs a real punch and will need quite a few years to come together. Even at this early stage, though, the wine oozes class and pedigree. I loved it.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir The Contender Drum Canyon Vineyard has pronounced scents of black raspberries and black cherries with dark chocolate, sautéed herbs and fungi in the background plus a hint of damp soil. The medium-bodied palate fills the mouth with gregarious black cherries and earthy layers, supported by grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with an herbal lift.
The 2015 Pinot Noir The Contender Drum Canyon Vineyard is similarly colored and offers a slightly more plump, rounded style. Framboise, flowers, strawberries and spice give way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless, beautifully textured Pinot Noir that has no hard edges and a terrific finish. Drink it anytime over the coming decade. Paul Lato is unquestionably one of my favorite winemakers in the Central Coast, and I continue to love his wines. While I found 2015 to be a difficult vintage, you wouldn’t know it by tasting through this lineup.