Stan Kroenke owner of Screaming Eagle, and various sports teams (Arsenal FC, Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids etc,) has really put 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. 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!
Andy Erickson (former Screaming Eagle winemaker, and Matt Dees) made the first vintages together, then Matt took full control, and has not skipped a beat either!
I am very excited about the latest 3 releases from the Jonata winery:
Jonata 2017 El Desafio Cabernet, Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez – 98 Points
GGWC 154.99 net item
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more
Use code JONATA17 at checkout
Mix & match with other Jonata wines OK
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points: “The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated cuvée is the 2017 El Desafio De Jonata, which includes 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. It’s another inky colored wine from this team and offers a brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, cedar, bay leaf, and crushed rocks. Beautifully concentrated and balanced, with a Bordeaux-like structure and regal style, it’s a magical Cabernet Sauvignon that’s going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age yet keep for 20-30 years.”
Vinous 97 Points: “The 2017 El Desafio de Jonata is another positively stellar wine in this range. Two thousand seventeen is one of the few years in which Cabernet is so dominant. Rich and explosive, with tremendous vertical thrust, the 2017 oozes with class and intensity. Crème de cassis, new leather, licorice, sweet spice and menthol are some of the many notes that build as this statuesque, alluring wine shows off its pedigree. In 2017, the blend is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Wow…!”
Matt Dees, Winemaker: “Absolute essence of cassis and mint. Scorched earth, grilled bread, porcini and bay leaf. Blueberry and ripe tobacco. Explodes on the palate with tremendous quantities of black, dense fruit. Layer after layer. Stays focused and poised with good tension and acid backbone. Gently coating silky tannins. Perfect balance and pedigree and a heightened level of elegance and clarity. Shows the huge potential of cabernet sauvignon from the 17-year old vines on our sandy soils. A Desafio of exceptional precision and understated power.”
Jonata 2017 El Alma, Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez – 96 Points
GGWC 154.99 net item
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more
Use code JONATA17 at checkout
Mix & match with other Jonata wines OK
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points: “The 300 case 2017 El Alma De Jonata is the Cabernet Franc-dominated cuvée, a blend of 86% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bright cherry, blackberry, ground herbs, lead pencil, and crushed violet notes all emerge from the glass, and this beauty is incredibly seamless, pure, and polished on the palate. With ultra-fine tannins, a great mid-palate, and plenty of structure, it’s a more fresh, focused, classic example of this cuvée. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.”
Vinous 96 Points: “The 2017 El Alma de Jonata, the estate’s Cabernet Franc-based wine, is bright, aromatically explosive and just striking in its beauty. Bright red fruit, blood orange, menthol and plum race out of the glass in a wine endowed with tremendous energy, tension and pure class. Medium in body, with tremendous aromatic intensity and drive, the Alma is positively striking. The 2017 is one of the very finest editions I can remember tasting. In a word: dazzling.”
Matt Dees, Winemaker: “Sophisticated and lifted nose of fresh herbs, dried roses and ripe fig. Tart raspberry, bay leaf, dark Gaviota strawberry and red currants lead the attack. Freshly turned soil, chalk dust and cacao nibs lend a textural counterpoint to the suave fruit. Beetroot, blood orange, pencil shavings and cedar. A cooling, vibrant and immensely soulful Alma. Finishes with a big push of dark fruit, cacao, green mint and grilled meat. An ethereal and poignant cabernet franc blend. One can sense the maturity of the vines in the added layer of refinement and subtlety.”
Jonata 2017 La Sangre Syrah Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez – 97 Points
GGWC 154.99 net item
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more
Use code JONATA17 at checkout
Mix & match with other Jonata wines OK
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “Incorporating 2% Viognier, the Syrah-dominated 2017 La Sangre De Jonata reveals a saturated purple color as well as a heavenly bouquet of cassis, blueberries, crushed violets, spring flowers, and ground pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated, beautifully balanced, and seamless on the palate, it has polished tannins, no hard edges, and just awesome purity of fruit. While it shows the more focused, elegant style of the vintage, its tannins are beautifully managed, giving it more upfront charm than some past vintages (which is a good thing).”
Vinous 95 Points: “The 2017 La Sangre de Jonata has really come together over the last year. Today, it is aromatically explosive, rich and hedonistic. Grilled herbs, menthol, plum, black cherry, lavender and sage are some of the many notes that develop in this extravagantly beautiful, expressive wine from Jonata. In 2017, La Sangre is marked by more of a red fruit profile than in the past, along with silkier tannins that will make it easy to drink and enjoy with minimal cellaring.”
Matt Dees, Winemaker: “Driven by a floral and powdered nose with a striking element of violets. Towering aromatics. Elderberry-like. Supple and sleek on the palate with characteristic black and blue Sangre fruit, black pepper, white truffle and an overall sense of Luxardo cherries. Finishes with freshness and a push of dark fruit that doesn’t want to stop. By far the most elegant and approachable Sangre to date. No need for a decade in the cellar, but this will also certainly repay those with patience. Pop and pour today. One of the most expressive and evocative bottles we’ve ever produced.”
Click here or on the links above to order!
Call 415-337-4083 or email frank@goldengatewinecellars.com for priority allocation.