Le Bon Vivant Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, creamy mushroom risotto, grilled sea bass
✨ Technical Specifications
Paul Lato's Chardonnays are celebrated for their Burgundian elegance blended with California's vibrant fruit character. Sourced from prestigious, cool-climate vineyards in Santa Barbara County, including the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills, these wines benefit from maritime breezes and morning fog that preserve natural acidity. While the 'Le Bon Vivant' moniker is most famously associated with his expressive Grenache, Lato's Chardonnay winemaking philosophy remains consistent: utilizing native yeast fermentation, gentle pressing, and aging in select French oak barrels. The result is a texturized, complex white wine that balances rich stone fruit and citrus notes with a distinct mineral backbone, reflecting Lato's background as a sommelier who designs wines to elevate the dining experience.
🍾 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