2020 El Desafio de Jonata
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Tasting notes
The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated cuvée from this incredible estate is the 2020 El Desafio De Jonata, and it's stunningly good, with pure crème de cassis, graphite, tobacco, and chalky mineral-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it stays tight and compact on the palate, with ripe tannins, a good sense of freshness, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for 3-4 years and will evolve for over two decades. The talented winemaking team of Matt Dees and Drew Pickering continue to keep Jonata near the top of the pyramid in Santa Barbara County. Pulling all from their estate vineyard in Ballard Canyon, which is mostly sandy soils, they make a wealth of wines, yet the quality is spectacular across the board. In general, the wines are a touch more polished and approachable today than in the past (which I think is a good thing), and while they’ll still benefit from bottle age, they offer plenty of pleasure in their youth.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Cabernet Sauvignon takes center stage in the 2020 El Desafio de Jonata. Wild and exotic, with tons of varietal character, the Desafio saturates the palate with layers of inky dark red fruit, pomegranate, grilled herbs, lavender and spice. Even though it was bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2020 is seriously impressive and, quite possibly, utterly profound too. I can't wait to taste it in another year or two.
The 2019 El Desafio de Jonata is one of the most complete wines I have tasted from Jonata. It is exceptionally harmonious for such a young wine, a big departure from the days when these wines were pretty monolithic at a similar stage. Inky dark red/purplish berry fruit, lavender and spice meld together in a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine that marries unctuous fruit and freshness, with polished tannins to wrap it all up. The ability to make wine in a new, state of the art facility seems to have really paid off.
About the producer
Jonata is amongst a handful of truly exciting wineries from Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara – a unique fine wine region of incredible versatility.