Matt Dees observed that the 2014 El Desafio de Jonata has really begun to open up from its rather surly state six months ago, and he opened a bottle to prove his point. While the wine is certainly still quite tightly coiled, it unfurls in the glass with an attractively complex bouquet of cassis, smoky herbs, charcoal, burning embers and espresso roast, its new oak already nicely integrated. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, with a rich chassis of structuring tannins, nice concentration and depth and a crunchy core of fruit underpinned by succulent acids. I'd be inclined to wait another year or two and then drink this over the following 6 years.
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
The 2014 El Desafio de Jonata is a baby that needs to be forgotten for 5-6 years. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 4% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it offers terrific notes of blackcurrants, lead pencil shaving, licorice, tobacco leaf and roasted meats. Seamless, elegant and gorgeous on the palate, with a phenomenal texture, ultra-fine tannin, and a great finish, it's a tour de force in Santa Barbara County Cabernet Sauvignon. It will keep for 2-3 decades.
BOW (8.25)
Vinous (93)
Despite having been bottled a year ago, the 2014 El Desafio de Jonata is still very closed. Dark, dense and brooding, the 2014 is going to need at least a few years to unwind. The tannins are quite powerful, while the aromatics are reticent, both of which suggest readers will have to be patient.
