History
Charles Banks and Stan Kroenke founded Jonata together at the turn of the century; Kroenke bought Banks out in 2009 and owns it now, alongside Screaming Eagle and a majority stake in Burgundy's Domaine Bonneau du Martray. Matt Dees joined as winemaker in 2004 and oversaw the first harvest that year. Planting Bordeaux varieties in this sand drew open scepticism from experienced local growers at the time. The name comes from the 1845 Rancho San Carlos de Jonata land grant; Jonata is Chumash for tall oak.
The Site
A 586-acre estate in Ballard Canyon, inside the Santa Ynez Valley, with somewhere around eighty-odd acres planted; published figures vary. The defining feature is the depth of the sand. Jonata was one of the founding estates behind the Ballard Canyon AVA, established in 2013.
Vines and Blocks
More than fifty blocks and sub-blocks carrying over a dozen varieties, with Bordeaux and Rhone plantings deliberately interleaved rather than segregated: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc next to Syrah, Grenache and Viognier.
The Wines
The flagships are El Desafio de Jonata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine, El Alma de Jonata, led by Cabernet Franc, and La Sangre de Jonata, the Syrah. Together they are the argument that this ground can do both halves of France at once.