2017 El Alma de Jonata
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Tasting notes
The 300 case 2017 El Alma De Jonata is the Cabernet Franc-dominated cuvée, a blend of 86% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bright cherry, blackberry, ground herbs, lead pencil, and crushed violet notes all emerge from the glass, and this beauty is incredibly seamless, pure, and polished on the palate. With ultra-fine tannins, a great mid-palate, and plenty of structure, it's a more fresh, focused, classic example of this cuvée. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. The 2017s from the team at Jonata are terrific across the board with all the wines showing classic, balanced characters. Unfortunately, the 2018s weren’t ready to be tasted, so I’ll report on those in next year’s Central Coast report. Readers on a budget shouldn’t miss the Todos cuvée, which is always a kitchen sink blend (it’s normally Syrah heavy) of just about every varieties Jonata works with. It’s a year in, year out, stunning wine that sells for half of what the top cuvées go for.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 El Alma de Jonata, the estate's Cabernet Franc-based wine, is bright, aromatically explosive and just striking in its beauty. Bright red fruit, blood orange, menthol and plum race out of the glass in a wine endowed with tremendous energy, tension and pure class. Medium in body, with tremendous aromatic intensity and drive, the Alma is positively striking. The 2017 is one of the very finest editions I can remember tasting. In a word: dazzling.
The 2017 El Alma de Jonata is fresh, floral and vibrant, with tons of Cabernet Franc character in its red cherry, pomegranate, cedar, mocha, mint and wild flowers. Impressive in the early going, the 2017 has a ton of potential.
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.