Solomon Hills Pinot Noir Suerte
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, creamy mushroom risotto, pan-seared salmon
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from the westernmost vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, the Solomon Hills Pinot Noir 'Suerte' is a stunning testament to maritime-influenced viticulture. The vineyard's proximity to the Pacific Ocean subjects the vines to cool ocean breezes and persistent fog, while its nutrient-poor, sandy soils force the roots deep, resulting in low yields of highly concentrated fruit. Named 'Suerte'—the Spanish word for luck or fortune—this cuvée represents winemaker Paul Lato's gratitude for the opportunity to craft wine from such a prestigious site. In the cellar, Lato employs gentle handling and French oak aging to preserve the vineyard's signature bright acidity, vibrant red fruit character, and distinct saline minerality, creating a Pinot Noir of exceptional purity, elegance, and textural complexity.
🍾 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
Pinot Noir