Jonata Winery La Sangre de Jonata Ballard Canyon Syrah 2022

97 Points - limited                                  Limited new release from Jonata, one of Santa Barbara's most exclusive producers and winemaker Matt Dees. 96 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "The Jonata 2022 La Sangre De Jonata is just about all Syrah yet includes 3% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts a gorgeous nose of blackberries, darker raspberries, sage, violets, and ground pepper. Medium to full-bodied and incredibly well-balanced, with building yet fine tannins, it's a more elegant and seamless expression of the cuvée yet still brings incredible richness, flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, and a great finish. Drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years." 95 Points Robert Parker: "The high point of the vintage for Jonata, the 2022 La Sangre de Jonata is a blend of 95% Syrah, 3% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier and features a higher proportion of own-rooted vines than in previous years. It opens on an introverted note, slowly unwinding a dramatically dark and spice-laden bouquet of cardamom, cracked pepper, black licorice and camphor aromas with its classically dark-fruited core. Despite the outsized concentration that typically defines this wine, the palate remains taut and focused as it transitions into a burly, assertive finish lifted by a surprising and refreshing sense of buoyancy." Jonata occupies a uniquely lofty place in the Santa Barbara County wine landscape, offering a luxurious array of wines steeped in modernity and grandiosity while retaining a sense of authenticity and clear delineation between bottlings. Winemaker Matt Dees has increasingly honed these offerings over the past few vintages, due in no small part to their meticulously planned, state-of-the-art facility coming on line in 2019. These refinements are particularly displayed in the structured yet energetic 2021s, representing, to my palate, the most complete, balanced and multifaceted wines produced by this team thus far. Typical winemaking practices include five- to six-day cold soaks, two- to three-week macerations, a small amount of concentrating saignée and 20 months of élevage in 50% to 80% new Taransaud barrels.  

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