So I decided to sign up expecting to be wait listed and lo & behold I get an instant allocation. I searched here afterwards and realized there is quite a bit of dissenting opinion. I have only seen their bottles reasonably priced at restaurants in my area. That being said, is it worth it to join the list? Should I wait to seek bottles out elsewhere? Anything they offer that I HAVE to buy?
I can buy them retail locally so unless they have list exclusives/discounts…there is no great appeal for me.
They make great wines but really push the price point for me. Across the board the wines tend to be bigger but balanced…at least to my taste. One of the few wineries that would cold call me asking if I wanted to purchase their wines.
They are a classic example of where if they priced their wines in the $50-$70 I would be a buyer… Though I wish them the best with their model. Like Michael said, I can get them locally and sometimes on close out so I get my Jonata fix every so often.
Thank you both for the replies. I am definitely thinking this through a bit more. I agree that at $50 - $70 I’d be a buyer easily for these wines.
I think I’m going to jump in on the Todos at $50/bottle.
I agree with the Todos. I’ve heard it is their best yet…
I’ve been on the list for the past 2 years but will be dropping off the list this year. I really enjoy the wine but not happy with the price point. With that said, I will continue to seek their wines on the secondary market.
Have you tried one? If you like the style (bit, ripe, lush), then go for it. But from experience, I would suggest resisting the urge to go all-in on an order. If you don’t have a lot of experience with the wines, get a couple of bottles and find out if you like them.
I know they spent top $ on their facilities and they make excellent wines, but i’m not certain the market is willing to pay full freight for that region yet. I’m not saying the wines aren’t worth it, but I don’t know there is the depth in the market for them at those prices. As such, that is why I believe you will continue to see the wines @ retail much less than @ offering.
I think there should be made a distinction between the market ‘not willing to pay full freight for the region’ and wines that are simply priced much higher than anything else in the area. Matt Dees is a very talented winemaker; the Jonata estate along Ballard Canyon Road is immaculate and sits in a hot spot for grapes right now.
That said, there pricing has always been overly aggressive and this has been the challenge from day 1 and will continue to be. That is why they have not been as widely purchased in the past, and that is why they released their Pairing wines which are much more reasonably priced.
Not sure if that answers your question, but just my $.02 on the subject . . .
Cheers
I think their wines are all very good, but…I have seen them at retail for the same price, or less than, mailing list prices, which almost never happens in Texas. Also, the difference I quality between the Todos and the others isn’t as great as the price difference, at least to me.
Their wines are on the shelf here in El Paso for considerable discount over mailing list release prices.
This is a distinction without a distinction. Maybe I should have further clarified with the “market not willing to pay Jonata’s full freight for the region”.
Thank you all for the responses. All well reasoned and really give me reason to rethink this. I am going to look around some more at my local wine retailers and also ask some of the proprietors if they can order their wines in and at what cost to me. I have not seen them on the shelves here in South Florida often but as I mentioned, there are two restaurants near me that carry the wine so it must be available. I would be quite disappointed to find their wine retailing significantly less than what is available via the mailing list.
Thank you all again for your replies, really great conversation here.
I am a big fan of the wines, but they can often be found cheaper. I buy the Todos from the winery and think its fairly priced. I really like the Cab Franc but often see it for less that release pricing. I also like the Syrah but don’t see that as often in the market.