2008 Jonata La Fuerza de Jonata

The 2008 Fuerza is 94% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Layers of smoke, espresso, licorice, cassis and ash add complexity to a core of sweet, intense dark fruit. The Fuerza is a nicely balanced wine, but doesn't quite have the tannic structure typical of Petit Verdot.

The 2008 Fuerza is 94% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Layers of smoke, espresso, licorice, cassis and ash add complexity to a core of sweet, intense dark fruit. The Fuerza is a nicely balanced wine, but doesn’t quite have the tannic structure typical of Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. General Manager Armand de Maigret, Assistant Winemaker Drew Pickering and Vineyard Manager Ruben Solorzano showed me a wide range of wines at Jonata. The estate is currently owned by investor Stan Kroenke. Matt Dees is Winemaker, while Michel Rolland is the consulting oenologist. This large, sprawling estate in Ballard Canyon spans 600+ acres, 82 of which are under vine. Vintage 2008 was a colder year overall, with significant amounts of shatter and heat spikes towards the end of the growing season. The 2009s show more overt, fruit forward personalities. Both vintages are quite beautiful. I also tasted a number of older wines. With the exception of the Sangre, the wines appear to be aging at a fairly fast pace. Of course, drinking windows remain a highly personal aspect of wine appreciation, but readers who own the estate’s older vintages should be checking in on the wines periodically to chart their development. I don’t see too much upside potential from cellaring those wines, the 2005s and 2006s in particular, further. Accordingly I have kept drinking windows for the 2008s and 2009s relatively short. I will be thrilled if the wines end up exceeding my expectations, but at this stage only the Sangre appears to be a wine with medium and long-term aging potential. Tel. (805) 564-8581; www.jonata.com