2018 La Sangre de Jonata
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2018 La Sangre de Jonata is another wine in this range that is all finesse. Time in the glass releases a range of dark red cherry, plum fruit, along with wild flowers, herbs, licorice, mint and blood orange. All of the strands are woven together in an absolutely impeccable, flat out delicious Syrah that dazzles from start to finish. This 2018 is a drop-dead gorgeous Sangre.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Lastly, the 2018 La Sangre de Jonata is 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier brought up in 15% new French oak (8% whole clusters). The 2018 will be a gorgeous vintage for this cuvée, offering lots of bloody blue and black fruits, ground pepper, and smoked meat notes as well as a full-bodied, precise, yet still opulent style on the palate. It's going to need 3-4 years of bottle age, but it will be a gorgeous wine. Winemaker Matt Dees continues to fashion world class wines at Jonata. Due to the timing of my visit, the 2018s were tasted from barrel as opposed to bottle, hence the score range for the reviews. Regardless, this is a great vintage for the estate. The wines show the vintage’s fresher, more elegant and seamless style and have similarities to the estate’s 2016s. The 2019 vintage was the last vintage made at the old facility in Buellton, and starting in 2020, all of the wines will be made in a brand-new winery being built on the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills.
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.