Paul Lato 'Seabiscuit' Pinot Noir 2023 - 750ml

96pts Jeb Dunnuck

From the Zotovich Vineyard on the southern side of the Sta. Rita Hills and aged 17 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit is translucent ruby and very floral and spicy, with a beautiful core of mulberry and raspberry fruits, rose, and smoky herb nuances. It's gorgeous on the palate as well, with a fresh, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's one of the fresher, more chiseled, focused Pinots in the lineup from Paul and is going to cruise for a decade in cold cellars. Drink 2025-2035.

94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2023 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard is a beautiful representation of the Sta. Rita Hills' northern corridor. It leads with a dark-fruited, brooding bouquet that gradually unfurls an increasingly complex array of forest floor, tobacco leaf and citrus rind aromas further lifted by marine-driven top notes. The palate emphasizes a lacy, ethereal texture with a distinctly high-toned energy, beautifully juxtaposing the more punchy and saturated Drum Canyon bottling from further east in the same sector of Sta. Rita Hills. It concludes with a subtly juicy, succulent finish framed with refined, saline-laced tannins, and it feels a touch buttoned up relative to how it could evolve in the cellar.

92pts Vinous

The 2023 Pinot Noir Zotovich Vineyard Seabiscuit is a lighter, brighter, nervier wine in the context of the house style. Iodine, garrigue, red berries and light cranberry tones open into a delicate frame, accented by peppery grip on the close. This feels very old school for Paul Lato, but it works.

Winemaker's Notes

A wine of elegance and poise, Seabiscuit captures the spirit of the Sta. Rita Hills—wind-swept, ocean-cooled, and mineral-rich. Zotovich Vineyard, nestled between ridge and fog, delivered pristine fruit in 2023: small, beautifully formed clusters that seemed to glow with balance. Aromas of loamy earth, dried tobacco, and rose petal set the stage for a rush of Rainier cherry, raspberry, and orange peel. The mouthfeel is sleek and lifted, framed by silky-dusty tannins and a clean, herbal finish with notes of black tea and crushed rock. A wine that invites contemplation and pleasure with every sip. 

Appellation: Zotovich Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills