Stan Kroenke owner of Screaming Eagle is putting the next CULT winery on the map just a few hours south of the bay area! Stan is the mastermind behind many other great ventures.
Stan Kroenke is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the largest shareholder of English Premier League football club Arsenal and is also the holding company of the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League and the newly formed Los Angeles Gladiators of the Overwatch League, just to name a few.
FYI The Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche franchises are currently owned by his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, to satisfy NFL ownership restrictions that forbid a team owner from owning teams in other markets… Ann is the daughter of Walmart co-founder James Walton.
So purchasing the land that is now Jonata winery is just peanuts…
All joking aside it still takes a good mind, lots of money and a great team to make great wine and I believe they have achieved this at Jonata!
JONATA 2015 EL ALMA PROPRIETARY RED, BALLARD CANYON SANTA YNEZ – 98+ POINTS
154.99
Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points: “Showing awesome aromatics, as well as an incredible depth on the palate, the 2015 El Alma de Jonata (74% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot) reveals an inky purple color as well as killer notes of blackcurrant, spring flowers, dark chocolate, bay leaf and licorice. Possessing full-bodied richness, gorgeous purity of fruit, lots of chalky tannin, and a great finish, this is easily a candidate for the finest Cabernet Franc made in America. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for two decades.”
Winemaker Notes: “Impenetrable black color. Swirls out of the glass with deep, dark fruit and green cooling herbs. Classic cassis and black olive. Fleeting notes of lavender. Remains tight today, but can be coaxed out of its shell with air. Sweet bramble and ripe black plum. Opens to a monstrous and mouthwatering texture with tremendous concentration and freshness. Firm high quality tannins frame the fruit. A texturally thrilling and structurally intimidating Alma. One to lay down for a few years as it evolves into a classic”
JONATA 2015 EL DESAFIO PROPRIETARY RED, BALLARD CANYON SANTA YNEZ – 98 POINTS
154.99
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points: “Another killer wine, the 2015 El Desafio de Jonata checks in as 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance equal parts Merlot and Petit Verdot. It offers sensational density and depth, as well as terrific purity and elegance. Black fruits, tar, smoked earth, violets and graphite notes all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated, tannin beauty. Forget bottles for a decade.”
Winemaker Notes: “An unforgettable wine from two fermentation lots consisting of minuscule berries. Long and slow fermentations that allowed for maximum extraction under ideal conditions. Green mint, black cassis, pencil shavings. Black and red fruit with a creamy, expansive and sweet texture. Cedar and cigar notes. Voluptuous and packed with power. Tannins start early and build to an impressive intensity.”
JONATA 2015 LE SANGRE SYRAH, BALLARD CANYON SANTA YNEZ – 100 POINTS
154.99
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Points: “Even better than the crazy-good 2007, the 2015 La Sangre de Jonata is sheer perfection in a glass and up with the finest Syrahs ever made in California! Checking in as a blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier, aged in barrel, its saturated purple color is followed by out of this world aromatics black raspberries, smoked earth, graphite, game, violets and freshly crushed rock-like minerality. Possessing huge concentration, building tannin, and yet a seamless, ethereally pure texture, it needs 2-4 years of bottle age to become approachable. It is unquestionably the finest vintage for this cuvée today and hats off to the team at Jonata for this beauty!”
Winemaker Notes: “We’ve never seen a Sangre like the ’15. Tough to put in to words. Unmatched complexity with ripe blackberry, charred tri-tip and green peppercorn. Luxurious texture. Perfumed, exotic and supple. Creosote, tar, violets and truffle. Such is the power and density of this wine that the formidable tannins on the finish appear merely as soft, dusty and balanced. Everything on a higher level and nothing out of place. Similar only to the 2007 Sangre in which both wines were seamless and gorgeous from the moment the grapes were harvested to the moment we put them in bottle. Very special and rarified air.”
FYI: Jeb was a long time Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate reviewer!
Click here or on the links above to order!