Jonata 2021 Cabernet Sauvigon “El Desafio” Ballard Canyon 97+ Points

Jeb Dunnuck 97+ Points: “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”

Vinous 97+ Points: “The 2021s are some of the very best wines I have ever tasted from Jonata. The quality of the year is most evident in the Fenix Alma and Desafio trio, each of which is distinguished by a very high percentage of a single principal variety driving their respective blends. Readers will find wines that offer the combination of vibrancy, fruit purity, and structure that are the calling cards of this superb Santa Barbara vintage.”

Matt Dees Winemaker Notes: “Candied and dusty. Still tightly wound. Baking chocolate, black olive, cigar tobacco and cedar. Blackberry and black cherry alongside fennel and baking spices. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Scorched earth. Essence of cassis with cinnamon and scorched earth. A wine of class and mind-boggling intensity. Like the Alma, this is supremely concentrated, but remains light on its feet with freshness and lift. A luminous wine. Generous and giving, but with acid and structure to thrive in the cellar. Vinous and gently chalky. The finish is dominated by dense black fruit and an impressive inner perfume. Nothing out of place in this Desafio. Perfect vintage conditions meet deep-rooted mature vineyards. Stellar vintage in the same vein as 2018 and 2007. Luxardo cherry and sage.”