ANTONIO GALLONI 97 POINTS - "The 2021s are some of the very best wines I have ever tasted from Jonata. The quality of the year is most evident in the Fenix Alma and Desafio trio, each of which is distinguished by a very high percentage of a single principal variety driving their respective blends. Readers will find wines that offer the combination of vibrancy, fruit purity and structure that are the calling cards of this superb Santa Barbara vintage."
"The 2021 Fenix is a rich, heady wine. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, cloves, menthol and mocha all meld together in a potent, seamless Merlot-based red that delivers the goods. The flavors are really popping today. Bright acids and substantial depth suggest cellaring is essential, and yet the 2021 is so compelling today. What a wine."
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "Always a Merlot-dominated cuvée, the 2021 Fenix checks in as 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a killer bouquet of chocolate covered cherries, leafy tobacco, gravelly earth, and woodsmoke, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, ultra-pure, layered texture, integrated acidity, and ample yet polished tannins that emerge on the finish. The was an incredible vintage for Jonata and this is up with the finest to date."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 95+ POINTS - "The softest and most refined of the Bordeaux-varietal trio at Jonata, the 2021 Fenix is luxurious and slick yet palpably understated. Aromas of black plum, wet clay, amaro and cocoa powder introduce a softly enveloping, velvety palate that is beautifully reserved despite its substantial richness. The finish features the finest, most powdery and spherical tannin profile, continuously wrapping around the palate with a captivating, weightless intensity. The most approachable of the trio now, I have no doubt that this will pay dividends in the cellar for at least the next decade. This is a blend of 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc."
"The 2021 Fenix is a rich, heady wine. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, cloves, menthol and mocha all meld together in a potent, seamless Merlot-based red that delivers the goods. The flavors are really popping today. Bright acids and substantial depth suggest cellaring is essential, and yet the 2021 is so compelling today. What a wine."
JEB DUNNUCK 96 POINTS - "Always a Merlot-dominated cuvée, the 2021 Fenix checks in as 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a killer bouquet of chocolate covered cherries, leafy tobacco, gravelly earth, and woodsmoke, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, ultra-pure, layered texture, integrated acidity, and ample yet polished tannins that emerge on the finish. The was an incredible vintage for Jonata and this is up with the finest to date."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 95+ POINTS - "The softest and most refined of the Bordeaux-varietal trio at Jonata, the 2021 Fenix is luxurious and slick yet palpably understated. Aromas of black plum, wet clay, amaro and cocoa powder introduce a softly enveloping, velvety palate that is beautifully reserved despite its substantial richness. The finish features the finest, most powdery and spherical tannin profile, continuously wrapping around the palate with a captivating, weightless intensity. The most approachable of the trio now, I have no doubt that this will pay dividends in the cellar for at least the next decade. This is a blend of 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc."
