2014 Jonata The Paring Red 750 ml

“The Paring Is My Definition of Over-Delivering”

The Paring wines, produced by Matt Dees and the winemaking team at JONATA, have elicited a bevy of praise, including this comment from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: “What they are accomplishing with Bordeaux varietals is mind-boggling.” Wine Access clients have snapped up previous vintages, which have been hailed as “serious, structured,” and “delicious wine for the money,” by Vinous. The Paring is the second label of JONATA and The Hilt, and Dees is the lead winemaker behind it all. The Kansas city-raised Dees landed in Napa at Staglin in 2001, the same day 100-point winemaker Andy Erickson started. Dees soaked in all he could from Erickson whose CV boasts winemaking at Ovid, Arietta, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle. But this latest release—the 2014 The Paring Red—is proof that Dees is a rockstar winemaker in his own right. From a dark purple-ruby core comes waves of black cherry and blackberry fruit, cedar, baking spice, and crushed violets on a silky, round, and supple texture. 

“The Paring is my definition of over-delivering,” winemaker Matt Dees told me on the phone earlier this week. “These are exceptional lots of grapes and to make the cut, we try to select lots that offer more immediate drinking appeal. We select and reselect, looking for elegance, power, density, and freshness,” he said. The owners of JONATA, The Hilt and The Paring first planted vines in Santa Barbara in 1999, sparing no expense—and later bought Screaming Eagle in Oakville, continuing the tradition of high-level attention to detail that began in the Central Coast. “I’ve been blessed to have the same assistant winemaker for 10 harvests and a cellarmaster who has been with me for 13 years,” Dees said. “Making wine in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon AVA is not like what I was doing, say, at Staglin in Napa. Extraction and tannin levels are different, and the soils and climates are different,” he said, noting that he’s adjusted his farming practices over the years accordingly.

“Our property is itself a very unique place,” Dees continued, “it’s like an island within Ballard Canyon, packed with sandy soils. Soon after our first harvest in 2004, I discovered there’s a lot of soul in sand. Vine roots can snake really deep. And when you stress those vines at the right times, they dig even deeper for water and nutrients. Even with vines planted at high densities, some 3,000-3,600 vines per acre, thanks to our cool nights, extremely well-draining sandy soils, we achieve terrifically balanced fruit, with low yields, perfect concentration and natural acidity—perfect Ballard Canyon elegance, which is what defines our wines.”

2014 was one of the earliest vintages on record for Dees and his team. The growing season delivered “a sincere testament” to their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes that go into The Paring Red, according to Dees. “The wine has structure, elegant mid-weight density and freshness. “Those Bordeaux varieties are not always meant for big, sweet, powerful wines,” Dees explained, “by its very nature Cabernet Franc is dusty and tannic and full of tobacco spice—and in 2014 we achieved elegance and intensity with layers of complexity right out the gate.”

I’m in complete agreement. But see for yourself. As Dees said before getting off the phone, “This isn’t your daughter’s 21st birthday wine. It doesn’t need to be decanted. Don’t fuss and fret over it. Just pull it out and enjoy it.”