Drum Canyon Vineyard C'est la Vie Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–10 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, pan-seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the steep, wind-swept slopes of the Drum Canyon Vineyard in the cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills, Paul Lato's 'C'est la Vie' Pinot Noir is a masterclass in tension and elegance. The vineyard's dramatic topography and diatomaceous soils, combined with relentless maritime winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean, naturally limit yields and force the vines to struggle. This extreme environment produces small, concentrated berries with thick skins. Named 'C'est la Vie' as a nod to the winemaker's philosophical acceptance of life's beautiful unpredictability, this cuvée is crafted with minimal intervention. It undergoes traditional fermentation and is aged in select French oak barrels, resulting in a Pinot Noir that beautifully balances intense dark berry fruit, exotic spices, and a vibrant, saline-tinged minerality characteristic of its coastal origin.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2002 by Polish-born former Toronto sommelier Paul Lato, this boutique Central Coast winery emerged after early mentorship from Au Bon Climat's Jim Clendenen and encouragement from Bien Nacido's Bob Miller. Operating without estate acreage, Lato contracts premier, meticulously farmed plots across premier maritime-influenced cool-climate terroirs, spanning the Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Los Carneros. The viticultural philosophy focuses on rigorous yield restriction, physiological maturity, and sustainable management tailored block by block. In the cellar, Lato applies an intuitive, non-interventionist approach with small-lot fermentations, ambient yeast, and sensitive French oak aging to deliver exceptional textural tension, purity, and culinary balance. Celebrated white cuvées—including the Hyde Vineyard Goldberg Variations Chardonnay, Sierra Madre Kokoro Chardonnay, Le Bon Vivant, and O Sole Mio Sauvignon Blanc—stand alongside benchmark Pinot Noir and Syrah as some of California's most critically acclaimed, authentic, and seamless single-vineyard expressions.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir
🍷 ABV
14.1-14.5%