Wine Advisor
Jonata, La Sangre de Jonata 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 La Sangre de Jonata is shy and inward at this stage. With time in the glass the layers of silky, refined fruit begin to emerge. The 2009 possesses dazzling inner perfume and an understated, refined personality. This is a classy wine with a bright future. La Sangre de Jonata is predominantly Syrah, with 1% Viognier, aged in medium-sized French oak barrels, 50% new. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. General Manager Armand de Maigret, Assistant Winemaker Drew Pickering and Vineyard Manager Ruben Solorzano showed me a wide range of wines at Jonata. The estate is currently owned by investor Stan Kroenke. Matt Dees is Winemaker, while Michel Rolland is the consulting oenologist. This large, sprawling estate in Ballard Canyon spans 600+ acres, 82 of which are under vine. Vintage 2008 was a colder year overall, with significant amounts of shatter and heat spikes towards the end of the growing season. The 2009s show more overt, fruit forward personalities. Both vintages are quite beautiful. I also tasted a number of older wines. With the exception of the Sangre, the wines appear to be aging at a fairly fast pace. Of course, drinking windows remain a highly personal aspect of wine appreciation, but readers who own the estate’s older vintages should be checking in on the wines periodically to chart their development. I don’t see too much upside potential from cellaring those wines, the 2005s and 2006s in particular, further. Accordingly I have kept drinking windows for the 2008s and 2009s relatively short. I will be thrilled if the wines end up exceeding my expectations, but at this stage only the Sangre appears to be a wine with medium and long-term aging potential. Tel. (805) 564-8581; www.jonata.com
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 La Sangre de Jonata is very awkward at first, but gradually opens up to reveal huge fruit backed up by equally imposing, masculine tannin. If opened today, the wine will require quite a bit of air. Ideally, it is best left alone for several years. At this stage, the aromas and flavors are very much primary. It is the wine's textural elegance and layered personality that impress above all else. With air, the wine truly begins to blossom. In 2009, there is just a touch (1%) of Viognier in the blend. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. Jonata truly stands out in the Central Coast as a producer of exceptionally refined wines. This year I tasted with Winemaker Matt Dees and General Manager Armand de Maigret. According to Dees, macerations were quite long in 2009 because the grapes had very high levels of phenolic ripeness. Vintage 2010 was trickier, especially with regards to rain that claimed at least one victim, the Cabernet Franc-based El Alma de Jonata, which was not produced that year. The 2009 reds were all in bottle, while the 2010 reds were in barrel. I also tasted the new releases from The Hilt, a new Pinot/Chardonnay project that is reviewed separately in these pages. Tel. (805) 564-8581
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 La Sangre de Jonata is shy and inward at this stage. With time in the glass the layers of silky, refined fruit begin to emerge. The 2009 possesses dazzling inner perfume and an understated, refined personality. This is a classy wine with a bright future. La Sangre is predominantly Syrah, with 1% Viognier, aged in medium-sized French oak barrels, 50% new.
About the Producer
Jonata Wines is located in the Santa Barbara wine region of California, USA. Jonata Wines owns 600 acres of land in the Golden Hills of the Santa Ynez Valley. Eighty of these acres are planted with grapes due to the unique microclimate and good soil conditions. These 80 acres are divided into more than 50 plots, each planted with a different grape variety. Matt Dees, the winemaker, studied soil science at the University of Vermont and has extensive winemaking experience, having also worked as a winemaker at Staglin Wines in Napa, California and at Craggy range in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. He has a very keen sense of wine. Since its inception, it has released wines such as 2010 El Desafio de Jonata Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 El Alma El Desafio de Jonata Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, El Alma de Jonata Cabernet Franc 2009, La Sangre de Jonata Syrah 2007 and Todos Vineyard Blend 2007, among others.
