Jonata Winery - El Desafio de Jonata 2021

The Jonata winery takes its name from the 1845 Spanish land grant, Rancho San Carlos de Jonata, as well as the Chumash word for “live oak” or “tall oak.” The Estate vineyard was planted in 2000 in the Southwest corner of what would become the Ballard Canyon Appellation in 2013. The terroir of Jonata property is unique to this site, comprised of eight hundred feet deep Careaga sands. These sands are extremely calcareous, retain almost no water and are virtually devoid of nutrients. In fact, these soils are so poor and the site so unique that the property was thought to be unfit for grape growing.

In 'desafio' (defiance) of this conception, vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano hedged his bets and planted the eighty acres of vineyards to a potpourri of different grape varietals. The original planting was made with Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Syrah and, more recently, Grenache and Viognier — the Grenache was later ripped out and replaced with Petit Syrah. Today there are only twenty acres of Cabernet Franc and nine acres of Merlot in the entire Ballard Canyon Appellation, so to say that Jonata was bucking the trends would be an understatement to say the least!

The grapes come from the Jonata Estate in Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, and the blend is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc included. After fermentation, the wine is aged in 80% new French oak, with the remainder neutral.

“The 2021 El Desafio de Jonata is quite high in Cabernet Sauvignon (96%) in this vintage, and that is exactly what comes through. Dark fruit, tobacco, incense, scorched earth, minerals and dried herbs all race across the palate. Calistoga meets Saint-Estèphe in Ballard Canyon. El Desafio is one of the most impressive wines I tasted this year in Santa Barbara. I can't wait to see how it ages.” - 97 Points, Vinous

“The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2021 El Desafio De Jonata (96% Cabernet Sauvignon along with splashes of Cabernet Franc and Merlot) is inky hued and boasts awesome notes of blackcurrants, leafy tobacco, sappy flowers, incense, and gravelly earth. With incredible purity, medium to full body, ripe yet substantial tannins, and a great core of beautiful fruit, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 2-3 decades. It's that good.” - 97 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

“As deep and rich as it is graceful and elegant, the 2021 El Desafio de Jonata is a yardstick for Bordeaux varieties in Santa Barbara County. As with much of the lineup, the nose is modern and glossy yet retains vibrancy and fantastic nuance, combining aromas of chocolate cake, gravel dust, oiled leather, dried herbs and dark spices. On the palate, it is immensely rich and supple with great concentration yet always buoyed by a high-toned, focused lift that is rare in wines of this style. The palate is lumbering in its richness yet incisive in its attack, effortlessly delivering layer after layer of decadence tempered with chalky, linear focus. This is produced with 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot.” - 96 Points, Wine Advocate

Producer: Jonata Winery

Country: USA

Region: California

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot

Appellation: Ballard Canyon

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml