Juxtaposed against the 1996 Haut-Batailley I find more energy in this

fleshy finish

More interesting are the tension- filled and tautly muscular

(from Les Grands Champs and Les Famines)

crushed mint

Jonata, Alma other_regions_italy Juxtaposed against the 1996 Haut-BatailleyCalifornia's Cheval Blanc (or maybe Le Dome is a better comparison), the Cabernet Franc dominated 2012 El Alma de Jonata incorporates 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot and is brought up in 80% new French oak. It has an incredible bouquet of tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, sweet currants, crushed rock and violets that come screaming from the glass. This is followed by a full bodied red that shows a sensational purity of fruit, a