Jonata "El Desafio" Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
(Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, California) - [VM 97] [JD 96] [DM 96]

About the Winery:
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!

About this Wine:

97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot

Barrel Regime: 20 months in 75% new French oak, 25% twice used French oak, 225L

696 Cases Produced

Alcohol 14.7%

Tasting Notes:
"Dried strawberry, fig, clove, and cassis. Dramatic and sensual nose. Poignant and beautifully chiseled cabernet. So, inviting. Intensely fruit-laden and ultra-concentrated. Layered and multi-dimensional structure. Broad and tall. Statuesque finish with a high quantity of ultra-fine, quality tannins. Classic Desafio notes of mint, dark chocolate, and lavender. Core of Luxardo cherry. Herbal and cooling. A loud and proud voice, but also still relatively calm and elegant, with stunning balance between fruit, freshness, and tannin. This will be a wine that brings pleasure for decades to come, but I love it today for its exuberance and indefatigable charm." - Matt Dees, Winemaker

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2022 El Desafio de Jonata is another seriously beautiful, vivid wine from Jonata. Vibrant red-toned fruit, spice, cedar, tobacco and orange peel all open in the bouquet. On the palate, the 2022 is quite a bit more reticent. That's probably a good thing for its long-term prospects. I would not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon." - Antonio Galloni (Aug 2024)

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated release from this team, the 2022 El Desafio De Jonata is based on 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot brought up all in French oak. Its deep ruby hue is followed by a perfumed nose of red, blue, and black fruits as well as spring flowers, spicy oak, and leafy herbs. A more medium to full-bodied, seamless, elegant expression of the cuvée, it has terrific balance, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. It's already hard to resist yet should have 15+ years of overall longevity." (Aug 2024)

96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Brilliant intensity in colour with an opaque ruby hue, El Desafio de JONATA is understated in its elegance. Crème de cassis, notes of cigarbox and star anise on the nose. It is somewhat of a refined rockstar with Persian mixed fruit lavashak, Alfajor coconut candy, and blackberry juice on the palate with an impressively rich finish. This wine stands out with a refined edge in Santa Barbara like a rockstar arriving on a red carpet wearing a tailored Alexander McQueen suit. An excellent example of the potential for Bordeaux varieties coming from the Ballard Canyon AVA in the Santa Ynez Valley." - Vanessa Rason (Sep 2024)