Letters to Europe
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, wild mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Named as a poetic nod to his Polish heritage and his journey from Europe to the golden hills of California, Paul Lato's 'Letters to Europe' is a stunning Grenache-led blend sourced primarily from the prestigious Larner Vineyard in the Ballard Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara County. This unique terroir, characterized by sandy soils and a climate marked by warm days and cool maritime nights, allows Grenache to achieve optimal ripeness while preserving its vibrant acidity. Lato employs traditional, low-intervention winemaking techniques, including gentle destemming and aging in select French oak barrels, to craft a wine of immense purity, elegance, and structural harmony. It represents a beautiful dialogue between Old World restraint and New World fruit intensity.
🍾 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
Grenache, Syrah