Jonata

Stan Kroenke, the Missouri-born sports magnate whose holdings would later include the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Arsenal Football Club, and Napa Valley's Screaming Eagle (acquired in 2006), purchased the 586-acre Ballard Canyon property in 2000. The site takes its name from the 1845 Rancho San Carlos de Jonata land grant; 'Jonata' is a Chumash word meaning 'tall oak'. Initial plantings began on approximately 84 acres, with an audacious selection of Bordeaux varieties, Rhône varieties, Sangiovese, and white varieties planted side by side. In spring 2003, Napa winemaker Andy Erickson became a consultant to the project. Erickson recommended his former colleague Matt Dees, who had worked under him at Staglin Family Vineyard, as full-time winemaker. Dees joined in 2004 and oversaw the first harvest that fall, beginning a tenure that has defined the estate's stylistic direction across its complete varietal range.

• Stan Kroenke purchased the 586-acre Ballard Canyon property in 2000
• Property name 'Jonata' is a Chumash word meaning 'tall oak', via the 1845 Rancho San Carlos de Jonata land grant
• Andy Erickson joined as consultant in spring 2003 and recommended Matt Dees as full-time winemaker
• Matt Dees joined in 2004 and oversaw the first harvest that fall

Matt Dees grew up in Kansas City and studied soil science at the University of Vermont, where he helped plant what would become Shelburne Vineyard. After tasting a Staglin Family bottling in New York City, he wrote an impassioned letter to the Napa winery and ultimately joined its team, working under then-winemaker Andy Erickson. When Erickson took on Jonata as a consulting project in 2003, he recommended Dees for the full-time role. Dees arrived in 2004 to a property he later described as a wild and wooly place, where the unusual sandy parcels demanded an unconventional approach. Over two decades, Dees has built a reputation as one of California's most cerebral winemakers, known for public discussion of his stylistic decisions and his advocacy for sandy-soil viticulture. He also serves as principal winemaker for sister Kroenke project The Hilt in Sta. Rita Hills, which opened in 2008.

• Matt Dees: University of Vermont soil science; helped plant Shelburne Vineyard in college
• Worked at Staglin Family Vineyard under Andy Erickson before joining Jonata in 2004
• Principal winemaker for both Jonata and sister Kroenke estate The Hilt (Sta. Rita Hills, opened 2008)
• Known for public stylistic discussion and sandy-soil viticultural advocacy

The Jonata estate covers 586 acres within the Ballard Canyon AVA, with approximately 84 acres planted to vines. Elevations run from roughly 400 to 700 feet. Soils are notably diverse: the property includes substantial sandy parcels formed by the historic sand wash that crosses the property, combined with calcareous limestone subsoils in other blocks. This unusual combination supports the estate's broad varietal range, planted into small designated blocks. Plantings include Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot), Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre), Sangiovese, and white varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Viognier). The development work in the difficult sandy soils was handled by Central Coast Vineyard Care Associates. Farming follows sustainable practices with substantial canopy management and yield restrictions. Dees has been a vocal advocate for the sandy parcels, arguing they produce more aromatic and lifted wines than the limestone sites.

• 586-acre Ballard Canyon estate; approximately 84 acres planted
• Elevations 400 to 700 feet; sandy parcels combined with calcareous limestone subsoils
• Bordeaux, Rhône, Italian, and white varieties planted into small designated blocks
• Sustainable farming with substantial canopy management; Dees advocates for sandy-soil viticulture

Matt Dees's winemaking philosophy emphasizes site expression and substantial cellaring intent. Cabernet Sauvignon and the Bordeaux-variety bottlings are fermented in small open-top tanks with native yeasts and aged in French oak for extended periods, often 22 to 30 months, with significant new oak for the top cuvées. La Sangre de Jonata Syrah uses variable whole-cluster inclusion and is aged 18 to 24 months in French oak with moderate new oak percentages. The Sauvignon Blanc bottlings (Tierra and Flor de Jonata) are whole-cluster pressed and fermented in concrete egg and neutral oak with lees aging. Fenix is a Bordeaux-style blend led by Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. Todos is the estate's multi-varietal red blend, serving as an accessible introduction to the house style. Wines are bottled with restraint on filtration, with many cuvées unfined and unfiltered. Alcohols typically run 14 to 15 percent.

• Substantial barrel time and cellaring intent; Cabernet aged 22 to 30 months in French oak
• Syrah: variable whole-cluster inclusion, 18 to 24 months in French oak with moderate new oak
• Flor de Jonata and Tierra Sauvignon Blanc: concrete egg and neutral oak with lees aging
• Fenix is a Merlot-led Bordeaux blend; Todos is the estate's accessible multi-varietal red

Jonata represents one of the most ambitious Santa Barbara County investments of the early 2000s: Kroenke-scale resources applied to a Ballard Canyon site at a time when the area still operated at largely artisanal scale. The estate's planting of Bordeaux and Rhône varieties side by side, on a single property with both sandy and limestone soils, has functioned as a stylistic and viticultural laboratory for two decades. Matt Dees has become one of California's most publicly cerebral winemakers, with substantial trade-press discussion of his stylistic choices across the portfolio. The Jonata model of major capital, comprehensive varietal exploration, mailing-list distribution, and a single winemaker across estates influenced subsequent Santa Barbara County investments, including the 2008 opening of sister project The Hilt in Sta. Rita Hills. Together, Jonata and The Hilt have given Ballard Canyon and Sta. Rita Hills a credible foothold in the highest-end California estate-winery conversation.

• Among the most ambitious Santa Barbara County investments of the early 2000s
• Bordeaux and Rhône varieties planted side by side on a single property with sandy and limestone soils
• Matt Dees recognized as one of California's most publicly cerebral cross-tradition winemakers
• Established the model of major-capital Ballard Canyon investment; sister project The Hilt opened 2008