Jonata El Desafio Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Product Information: This Desafio Cabernet Sauvignon is a resounding and powerful wine that reverberates across your palate for minutes after you taste it. Nose it, and you get mulberry, new leather and rosemary. Luxurious black fruit that mingles with cooling and refreshing fresh mint and sage. This is cabernet at its best. Creamy black fruit leads the way and ventures into a world of dark chocolate, espresso and grippy yet caressing tannic structure. Made of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot from sandy sustainably farmed vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. For maturation the wine goes into 80% new French oak, 20% neutral French oak (225L). Maker: Owned by the iconic Screaming Eagle, JONATA wines are on the vanguard of an emerging quality movement in California winegrowing. The Ballard Canyon AVA is located within the greater Santa Ynez Valley appellation. As California’s Central Coast most notable emerging locations, JONATA’s sandy site and its team’s winegrowing know-how have produced results that are widely recognised as the best ever seen from this region. Dedicated to expressing a range of red—and a handful of white—wines from its estate in the Central Coast of California’s Ballard Canyon appellation within Santa Ynez Valley, Jonata is one of a new breed of producers throughout the world who are thriving with a non-traditional amalgam of varieties and blends. With a commitment in particular to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, and informed by cutting edge viticulture, winemaking and a polyface approach to their estate, the Jonata wines are on the vanguard of an emerging quality movement in California winegrowing. Jonata is dedicated to sustainability from the inside out; a principled approach to farming. With its use of polyface farming—as first introduced to America by Michael Pollan in his book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”—Jonata integrates and revolves livestock (chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs and sheep) in their farming model, which naturally enhances the soil and health of their land not to mention that of the critters themselves and the Jonata community! We maintain a large communal garden and an orchard that produces our own estate olive oil along with honey from bees raised on the ranch. Water is used judiciously and with precision. Herbicides and pesticides don’t even enter the conversation. Vineyard: 2018 is one of those rare ‘unicorn vintages’ with a long and slow harvest allowing for beautiful phenological ripening without the abrupt rise in sugar and corresponding dramatic drop in acidity that can result from typical heat spikes. The yields are healthy and quality is exceptional. The reds are defined by subtlety and elegance. They are a pleasure to taste. They appear to be similar to the 2017 reds with that same complexity and charm. These are very exciting wines. Nose – Pencil Shavings, Cassis, Dried Sage Absolutely heady perfume. Spiced dark chocolate, cassis, bay leaf, dried sage, fig paste and currant candies. Palate – Dark Fruits, Spice, Menthol More density, more aromatics, more power. A wine of tremendous force and direction. Intense and concentrated, serious and focused. Still tightly coiled and freakishly young. Finish – Tobacco Leaf, Ripe Tannin, Savoury Spices Finish highlighted by cooling, gentle tannins. Definitely in the conversation of hallowed Desafio vintages. Unique in its expression and focus. Profound in a similar way to the 2018 Alma. Earthy structure and sweet, black fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon drives the 2018 El Desafio de Jonata. Light on its feet for such a big wine, the Desafio dazzles from the very first taste. Pencil shavings, liquorice, lavender, spice, menthol and grilled herbs build in a stunning, deeply pitched Ballard Canyon red that hits all the right notes. The 2018 is simply magnificent. Don’t miss it. – Vinous, 97 Points. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 El Desafio de Jonata has a big Cabernet nose of tobacco leaf and truffly earth as well as beautiful dark fruits, a touch of chocolate, medium to full-bodied richness, ripe tannin, and a great finish. The balance, polish, and elegance here, paired with plenty of concentration, is superb. – Jeb Dunnuck, 95-97 points. The Finer Details Style – Red Wine Varietal – 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot Country – United States Region – Ballard Canyon, Saint Ynez, California Vintage – 2018 Bottle Size – 750ml ABV – 14.9%