Kokoro Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared sea scallops, roasted chicken with tarragon, creamy lobster risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Named after the Japanese word representing the connection between heart, mind, and soul, the Kokoro Chardonnay is Paul Lato's ultimate tribute to emotional craftsmanship in winemaking. This limited-production cuvée is a rigorous barrel selection sourced from the finest cool-climate vineyard blocks in Santa Barbara County, where the dramatic maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean preserves brilliant natural acidity. Crafted with minimal intervention, the wine undergoes barrel fermentation and aging in French oak, utilizing gentle lees stirring to develop a luxurious, multi-layered texture. The result is an incredibly poised Chardonnay that captures the tension between opulent California fruit and a refined, mineral-driven structure.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 2002 by Polish-born former sommelier Paul Lato, Paul Lato Wines is an acclaimed boutique winery based in Santa Barbara County, California. Guided by an artisanal, hands-off winemaking philosophy that prioritizes terroir transparency and balance, Lato works with some of the Central Coast's most prestigious cool-climate vineyards, including Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills, and Larner. The winery has achieved international critical acclaim for its intensely aromatic, textured, and nuanced small-lot Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, and Chardonnay, which are celebrated for their pure fruit expression, structural precision, and distinctive poetic cuvée designations.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Chardonnay