This is the inaugural vintage of the Space Cadet, a wine only made in exceptional years. It's a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache from the Bien Nacido and Larner vineyards. The wine was aged for 24 months in 20% new French oak. Still youthfully coiled and with lots of latent layers, the 2016 Syrah/Grenache Space Cadet has a medium to deep ruby-purple color and scents of cassis, blueberry jam, warm chocolate, baked blackberries, black cherries and grilled meats with nuances of crushed stone, warm baking spice, cracked pepper, flowers and red fruit sparks. Full-bodied, dense, rich and hedonistic in the mouth, it gives up luscious fruits, spices and chocolate box notions, with very firm, finely pixelated tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and flavorful. Yowza! This is only made in exceptional years, and there are 150 cases of the 2017 vintage.- EB

Another new cuvée, the 2016 Space Cadet comes from the Bien Nacido and Larner vineyards and is an 80/20 split of Syrah and Grenache. It’s a killer bottle of wine (I loved it last year as well) that offers tons of smoky black fruits, new leather, pepper, and gamey Syrah notes, yet it hits the palate with a full-bodied, opulent, voluptuous texture that would be envied by many a top Southern Rhône. As always, power married to elegance and finesse is the calling card of Lato, and this beauty has it in spades. Drink it any time over the coming decade.