2012 El Alma de Jonata

California's Cheval Blanc (or maybe Le Dome is a better comparison), the Cabernet Franc dominated 2012 El Alma de Jonata incorporates 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot and is brought up in 80% new French oak. It has an incredible bouquet of tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, sweet currants, crushed rock and violets that come screaming from the glass. This is followed by a full-bodied red that shows a sensational purity of fruit, a full, layered mid-palate and building structure and tannic grip. While it's not an outright powerhouse, it certainly doesn't lack for concentration or depth. Give it 4-5 years and drink it over the following two decades.

The Cabernet Franc-based 2012 El Alma de Jonata is aromatically lifted and super-expressive. One of the more elusive wines, the Alma has a bit less overtness, power and mid-palate depth than some of the other wines in the range. Instead, the Alma emphasizes subtler aromatic qualities and persistence. It will be interesting to see if the 2012 fleshes out over the next year, or if it retains more of a relatively weightless wine within the context of the Jonata reds.

"One of my favorite cuvees from this estate, the 2012 El Alma de Jonata is the estate’s Cabernet Franc-dominated blend. Incorporating 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, it’s another gorgeous barrel sample that offers perfumed violets, spring flowers, toasted spice, freshly laid asphalt and chocolaty dark fruit-like aromas and flavors. Aging in 80% new French oak, it has a focused, elegant and layered feel, yet doesn’t lack for any richness of fruit, mid-palate depth or concentration. It too will benefit from short-term cellaring and have upward of two decades of longevity."