Paul Lato’s 2023 “East of Eden” Chardonnay is sourced from the Pisoni Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, a site long associated with the region’s most concentrated, high-impact expressions of Chardonnay. In this vintage, reviewers largely agree on a wine that leans rich and powerful, while still showing notable drive for the appellation.
Jeb Dunnuck delivers an excellent review at **98 points**, calling it “a rich, powerful, serious Chardonnay” with “exotic stone fruits, honeyed melon, spice, and some minty, herbal notes.” He notes it was “brought up 16 months in 60% new French oak” and highlights a “pure, layered crystalline mouthfeel,” “integrated acidity,” and a “fabulous finish.” Dunnuck also sets clear expectations for longevity, suggesting it “will keep for 8–10 years,” with a drinking window of **2025–2035**.
Vinous is also strongly positive at **94 points**, emphasizing that the wine is “notably fresh for a Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands.” Billy Norris points to “deep mineral intensity and phenolic grip,” with “powerful inner tension” and “nerve” that add “textural intrigue,” finishing with “lemony, chalky lift.” He sums it up as “another excellent 2023 white from Paul Lato.”
The Wine Palate lands at **96 points**, framing the wine in overtly ripe, dessert-toned terms: “candied ginger, honeycomb, and allspice,” plus “pineapple upside-down cake and mango pudding,” carried by “just enough freshness” and a “creamy texture,” ending on a “lingering honey-nut note.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is more reserved at **92+ points**, focusing on élevage-driven aromatics—“oatmeal, croissant and pastry cream”—and noting “a touch of reduction.” On the palate, it shows a “lush core of sweet, concentrated fruits” and “wet-slate-like minerality,” though the reviewer finds it “lacks a bit of verve and complexity at this stage” compared with Lato’s other Chardonnays.
Taken together, “East of Eden” 2023 reads as a Pisoni-driven Chardonnay built around scale, spice, and ripe fruit, with the best reviews pointing to mineral structure and enough freshness to keep the weight in check.
