The shifting sands of time have only enriched local winemaker Matt Dees’ outlook on grape cultivation at Jonata, which he said owes much of its success over the past 20 years to a soil-centric standard.
“While there are sandy vineyards all over the world, there are far fewer that are planted on pure sand like at Jonata,” Dees said in an email interview. “While sandy soils can be challenging due to their relatively low levels of nutrients and reduced water holding capacity, they allow the roots of the vines to dig deep.
Dees described the resulting wines at Jonata as “incredibly concentrated and deeply complex.”
“This is absolutely a direct effect from the sand,” said Dees, who has led Jonata’s winemaking team since the brand’s first wine release in 2004.
Twenty years—or 175,200 turns of a sand-filled hourglass—later, Jonata is marking its milestone anniversary with a celebration event on July 13 at The Barn at The Hilt Estate in Lompoc.
“We’ve raided our cellars and hand selected some of our most pinnacle bottlings, limited vintages, and large formats produced over the past two decades to share with attendees,” Dees said about the upcoming festivities.
Guests will also have access to preview tastings of new wines on the way and food offerings from Buena Onda Empanadas and Full of Life Flatbread.
Reflecting on Jonata’s 20th anniversary, Dees said these past two decades working at the estate, a 600-acre property located in Ballard Canyon with 84 acres of vines and more than 14 planted grape varieties, breezed by at just the right speed.
“Time passes at the perfect pace when you find yourself working alongside exceptionally talented, passionate, and lovely people and working with world class vineyards,” Dees said. “These first 20 years have been exceptional.
“When we first planted the property ... we wanted to experiment and learn more about the potential of a wide spectrum of grapes in our area and property,” the winemaker recalled. “Our unique combination of warm days, sandy soils, and cold nights allows us to grow so many varieties with success.”
Dees’ fascination with both soil and winemaking raises a variant of the age-old chicken or the egg question, to which he has a definitive answer.
“I started as a plant and soil geek. I’ve always felt an intense connection to plants. They always made sense to me. The wine bug came later,” said Dees, a University of Vermont alumnus with a degree in soil science. “It’s a perfect combination because between my love of plants and my love of wine I found the grapevine.”
While his career as a winemaker has taken Dees to work on vintages in other areas around the state and outside the country, he was originally drawn to Santa Barbara County due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which helps the area’s wines “combine the silky texture of California sunshine with a higher level of acidity,” he said.
Dees also described the region as encompassing a “Wild West spirit” where winemakers can feel comfortable pushing certain boundaries.
“It was and still is a place where we’re able to write our own rules,” Dees said. “After 20 years in the area, I am even more deeply in love with the unique textures and structures of the wines from this area.
“As we continue to mature as a vineyard, we are focusing in on what is working the best,” Dees added. “After the first 20 years, the picture is becoming clearer. At the same time, we are witnessing a changing climate and as farmers with a long-term view, we are exploring varieties that can thrive in a warmer climate and that have some stronger abilities to deal with dry conditions.”
Because of Jonata’s diverse range of grape varieties, some of which have a rare history of being cultivated side-by-side, Dees described the winery’s assortment as “a Noah’s ark of grapes.”
“Though it might seem like a scatter shot,” the winemaker said, “it is absolutely planted that way with intent and intense focus.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is hopping on that ark. Send hoppy comments to [email protected].
