2015 Jonata Fenix Ballard Canyon Santa Ynez Valley 750 ml

We’re very excited to be sharing a small allocation of the outstanding 2015 Jonata Fenix with you today. Viscous and muscular with brooding aromatics, it’s among the most seductive releases we’ve encountered yet from 100-point talent Matt Dees, “one of the most brilliant winemakers of his generation,” according to Vinous’s Antonio Galloni.

Wines like the 2015 Fenix are the future of the Central Coast, pushing the limits of what previous generations thought possible and employing every advantage offered by sun and soil. A Right Bank blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot fills out a taut tannic structure with big black plum and black cherry concentration, velvet-smooth on the palate and lined with tea leaf, baking spices, and a touch of menthol.

Jeb Dunnuck calls it “a tour de force” that’s “ripe, sexy, incredibly polished” and scores it accordingly in a huge 97-point review. Dees and his team “continue to keep this estate at the top of the hierarchy in Santa Barbara County,” says Dunnuck.

Jonata is owned by Stan Kroenke, also the owner of Napa cult brand Screaming Eagle and Bonneau du Martray in Burgundy. Kroenke provides the same quality-at-all-costs backing to Jonata and Matt Dees, yet you can take home this estate-grown masterpiece for a fraction of what those icons command. If you’re like us, you won’t be able to keep your hands off it, but cellaring a bottle or two will prove its incredible aging potential for another 15 years.

On a recent trip out to see Matt and taste through the 2015s, it didn’t take us long to realize our rental Hyundai Accent wasn’t going to cut it on the rugged terrain we’d have to cross to reach the vineyards. Jonata, named after a 19th century Spanish land grant, comprises 600 acres of picturesque, rolling hills in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon AVA. Just 84 are planted to vines, selected for their microclimates, and have been further divided into over 50 blocks and sub-blocks offering a deep inventory of clones and rootstocks.

Dees compared the vineyard to a “Noah’s Ark” assembly of varieties as we hopped into his pickup truck and bumped our way across the property. Running against conventional wisdom, Jonata’s vineyards combine Bordeaux and Rhône grapes like Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Merlot side by side. Meticulous, sustainable farming and sandy soils soon proved the doubters wrong, as Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate declared Jonata “one of California’s most exciting new wineries. What they are accomplishing with Bordeaux varietals is mind-boggling.”

Matt pulled over to the side of the road and opened a box of Riedel stems. Perched on the tailgate, we swirled this purple 2015 in the glass, taking in the wine’s berry and fresh herb aromas and the view of the sun-dappled rows. He explained how the vines planted in sandy maritime soils, known as Careaga Sandstone, are stressed by low rainfall, pushing them into survival mode. The result is tiny berries that make Napa Cab grapes look enormous by comparison, yet are filled with the intense, generous fruit we were tasting at that very moment.

Jonata is setting out to redefine the Central Coast region, and they are succeeding brilliantly, taking quality to new heights. Hop on the back of the truck and get your share from our limited stock today.