Winemaker Notes
Blend: 94% Syrah, 4% Viognier
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Looking at Matt's Syrah blend, the La Sangre de Jonata is normally co-fermented with a small amount of Viognier and is aged all in larger format barrels. Showing just as good from bottle as from barrel, the 2010 La Sangre de Jonata is a brilliant Syrah. Co-fermented with 3% Viognier, its inky purple color is followed by a massive, concentrated and structured wine that tastes like the essence of Syrah. Cassis, spice, ink, chocolate, flowers and roasted meat-like aromas and flavors all emerge from the glass and this is formidably structured and tannic on the palate. In need of another 3-4 years of bottle age, it will have 15-20 years of longevity. Drink 2016-2025.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.