Ora Labora Bien Nacido Grenache
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2029
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck breast, grilled lamb chops, wild mushroom ragout
✨ Technical Specifications
Named 'Ora Labora'—Latin for 'pray and work'—this cuvée pays homage to the monastic devotion of historical winemakers, a philosophy that resonates deeply with Paul Lato's meticulous, hands-on approach. Sourced from the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard in the cool Santa Maria Valley, this Grenache benefits from the region's unique transverse mountain range, which funnels chilly Pacific breezes and fog directly into the vines. This cool-climate terroir allows the Grenache grapes to undergo a long, slow ripening process, preserving vibrant acidity while developing complex layers of white pepper, wild strawberry, and dried floral notes. Crafted with minimal intervention, the wine is aged in select French oak barrels to enhance its silky texture and seamless structure, resulting in an exceptionally elegant and perfumed expression of California Grenache.
🍾 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
Grenache
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
14-14.5%