2015 Jonata La Fuerza de Jonata
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Fuerza, Jonata's 100% Petit Verdot, certainly lives up to its name. Powerful, dense and super-concentrated, the 2015 offers plenty of varietal character in its inky fruit, savory aromatics and imposing tannins. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 settles down a bit in bottle. Today, it is a bit monolithic.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 La Fuerza de Jonata has a fairly herbal nose with underlying notions of red currants, menthol, black pepper and forest floor. The light to medium-bodied palate is appealing in its restraint, although verges on being skeletal, with astringent tannins and a touch of bitterness on the finish.
The 2015 Fuerza (100% Petit Verdot fermented with no destemmed) almost has a Rhône vibe with lots of peppery herbs, black fruits, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. With air, it has an Hermitage burning embers character. Big, rich, concentrated, and tannic, yet also elegant, it's a unique, singular wine. It’s always a fun tasting with winemaker Matt Dees and his team, and they continue to keep this estate at the top of the hierarchy in Santa Barbara County. Located in Ballard Canyon AVA, they pull only from their estate vineyard (planted on incredibly sandy soils) and make a wide range of cuvées, from a red and white Bordeaux blends, to a 100% Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and a number of terrific Rhône blends. The common thread is incredible quality.
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.