Jonata Fenix Red Wine 2018, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, California

The Ballard Canyon AVA is located within the greater Santa Ynez Valley appellation. As California’s Central Coast most notable emerging locations, Jonata’s sandy site and its team’s winegrowing know-how have produced results that are widely recognized as the best ever seen from this region. 2018 vintage: 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. “Exotic and dusty nose with focus on cassis, mocha, cedar, dried strawberry, espresso and wild blackberry. Silky, lithe and finely structured. Reminiscent of the 2017, but with finer bones. Approachable, but also a lock for a long and refined evolution in bottle. A blend that wins with its texture. Long and seamless. A thrilling bottle today that is chalky and dense and yet so smooth. Elegance and refinement. Balanced and utterly satisfying. A classic in the making. Red, black and green.” Matt Dees, Winemaker. Jonata is dedicated to sustainability from the inside out; a principled approach to farming. With its use of polyface farming – as first introduced to America by Michael Pollan in his book ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ – Jonata integrates and revolves livestock (chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs and sheep) in their farming model, which naturally enhances the soil and health of their land not to mention that of the critters themselves and the Jonata community! We maintain a large communal garden and an orchard that produces our own estate olive oil along with honey from bees raised on the ranch. Water is used judiciously and with precision. Herbicides and pesticides don’t even enter the conversation. Dedicated to expressing a range of red-and a handful of white-wines from its estate in the Central Coast of California’s Ballard Canyon appellation within Santa Ynez Valley, Jonata is one of a new breed of producers throughout the world who are thriving with a non-traditional amalgam of varieties and blends.