Paul Lato’s Suerté comes from the extreme edge of Santa Maria Valley: Solomon Hills, the appellation’s westernmost vineyard and, according to Lato, its coolest. Here, low-yielding Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777 give him the fruit for one of the standouts of his lineup, a wine that has earned 95- and 96-point reviews. For Lato, a great vineyard is only the beginning. He seeks out the best individual blocks within exceptional sites, then works in small lots to preserve what makes each one distinctive. It’s an approach that defines his wines: less about imposing a house style and more about letting a particular patch of ground make its case in the bottle. Suerté makes that case. It sits at the darker, more powerful end of Lato’s Pinot Noir spectrum, with black cherry, raspberry, and exotic spice, and a supple texture. What holds it together is the underlying tension, with concentration carried by bright acidity, fine tannins, and a long, saline finish. It drinks well now and has the structure and freshness to reward putting a few bottles aside.