Winemaker Notes
Full bodied and dramatically structured sangiovese. Displays bright raspberry, smokey plum and herbal notes of rosemary and sage on the nose. Plenty of complex and savory notes of prosciutto and fennel. It is still tight at this young stage and is obviously reserving some power for the future. On the palate it explodes with pomegranate-like brightness with notes of sweet cherry. A savory and sea-like brininess arrives as well. Like all the 2012 blends, it is endowed with a wall of solid, but forgiving tannins. This is really a monstrous sangiovese. A wine that offers the consumer a window directly into the sandy soils, native herbs and cooling sea breezes that define the Jonata vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Sangiovese from Ballard Canyon, the 2012 La Tierra de Jonata has a vivid ruby/semi-opaque color to go with beautiful cherry and strawberry fruits, spice, licorice and crushed flowers. A medium to full-bodied red, it has terrific purity and integrated acidity, both of which give it an elegant, seamless style that's surprisingly approachable. Drink it anytime over the coming 8-9 years.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
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.