97 Jeb Dunnuck - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"Up there with the 2007 and shockingly good, the 2009 El Desafio de Jonata has awesome notes of smoke, cigar, chocolate, spice and dark fruit literally soaring from the glass. Massive and powerful, with no hard edges and serious tannin, this rocking Cabernet Sauvignon needs another 3-4 years of bottle age and will live well past its 20th birthday. Drink 2016-2029. This was an incredible tasting with winemaker Matt Dees. This estate continues to produce some of the most impressive, long-lived wines in Santa Barbara. As I’ve learned from past tasting, it’s always best to schedule this appointment at the end of the day as these effort have no shortage of tannin and can wreak havoc on one’s palate. While I’ve routinely tasted the La Sangre de Jonata for a number of years now, it was great to be able to go back through past vintages of this estate’s other wines. In addition to these efforts bottled under the Jonata label, I was also able to taste their The Hilt and The Pairing releases, both of which are also reviewed in this report (and highly recommended)."