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2006
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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.8 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 254 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 2/23/2024: I had this in 2011 and didn't really care for it, just too much of everything. Fast forward a decade+ and the wine is finally (for my palate) in the zone, a place it will occupy for a few more years. That said, I see no reason to wait and every reason to open sooner than later, but that's based on my preferences. Enjoyable but still there's something foursquare about it - and it was served double-blind so it wasn't label bias. I'd drink a glass if offered, but maybe not a second, just like this time. 15,5% abv. (511 views) | | | Tasted by oxwombat on 9/30/2023 & rated 94 points: Opened at Mosu HK. Slow-oxed for many hours before being served at dinner.
This was my personal WOTN. Gorgeous nose - powerful, yet elegant fruit spectrum backed by slight pepperyness and herbal notes. On the palate it was very well integrated, going down extremely smoothly and handling the tannins and alcohol perfectly.
I found myself comparing this to Rayas, and even though I understand that the winemakers are trying to achieve completely different styles, I felt that this SQN just lacked a bit of complexity and 'effortlessness' to push to a higher score. However, when my mind wanders to these types of comparisons, you know it's an extremely good wine.
I'd consider this bottle to be in its prime drinking window now, considering my personal preference for pronounced fruit and freshness. However, will definitely keep at this level for a few years, and would be very happy to try again. 94+ (1240 views) | | | Tasted by hanasowner on 7/22/2023 & rated 94 points: Popped and poured...big nose of blue fruit and plum...feel like the backbone of spices and flowers I associate with SQN Grenache has drifted away...tannins are fully integrated...medium to long finish...suggest drinking in the next 1-2 years. (800 views) | | | Tasted by WineGeek1989 on 5/28/2023 & rated 98 points: On the nose- Big dark fruits, dark blackberries, dark blueberries, cassis, ripe plums, berry pie, dried fruit, figs, dates, dried meat, saddle leather, dark raspberry, dark cherry, wild flowers, incense, wild herbs, baking spices, oak, vanilla, olives, black ink.
On the palate- Big dark fruits and dark blackberries, dark blueberries and cassis, ripe plums and berry pie, dried fruit and figs, dates and dried meat, saddle leather and dark raspberry, dark cherry and wild flowers, incense and wild herbs, baking spices and oak, vanilla and olives with a hint of black ink on the finish. This wine is huge lush and super smooth with amazing depth. I gave this wine 2 hours of slow Ox then poured a glass and let the bottle develop over the course of the night. I think this wine is drinking KILLER right now but will age for 5-7 plus years if not longer with no problem at all. (931 views) | | | Tasted by Ricky99 on 5/22/2023 & rated 93 points: just astonishing the intensity of flavor and the sophistication on the pallet...with great friends, flank steak w/chimiichurri (899 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 4/16/2023 & rated 94 points: SQN Dinner (Jordan's Place - Chicago IL): WOTF in 06/07 flight. Rich and spicy, this was layered and complex with Asian and Indian spices while always perfectly harmonious. Even better tonight vs another bottle tasted last week. (1880 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 4/15/2022 & rated 93 points: Some Wine Before/During/After a Seder (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Tasted last night, note from memory. Lots of ripe berry aromas and flavors, layered with complex sweet and savory spice. Not the most powerful Sine Qua Non , but very balanced, nuanced, and fun. (2750 views) | | | Tasted by hoservin on 2/26/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted for one hour. Nose of black raspberry liquor, black cherry, mocha and garrigue. Rich, ripe black and red fruit, black licorice, mocha and garrigue on the palate. Very long, layered finish with excellent depth. Full bodied. Served with grilled filet mignon and a mushroom, thyme, cream pan sauce. (1525 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 2/13/2022 flawed bottle: Good Wine with an Exciting Super Bowl (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Corked (2130 views) | | | Tasted by BerkeleyBoy on 1/7/2022: Drank with a grilled rib eye meal. Good, not great for $300. (1776 views) | | | Tasted by WildeMeeuw on 12/26/2021 & rated 98 points: Kleur: Diep donkerrood zonder spoor van verkleuring aan de randen. Aroma / bouquet: Verleidelijk maar bescheiden bouquet, tonen van tomatencompote (toegegeven, nooit eerder gebruikt in een proefnotitie ;-) ) , gedroogd donker fruit, ontbijtkoek, cederhout. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad, boterzachte tannines, retronasale indrukken van een zacht zoetige kruidigheid. Mondvullend, dik-sappig. Algemeen / potentieel: Er is veel discussie mogelijk over de vraag welke rode SQN de mooiste resultaten brengt… Grenache of Syrah…. Ik denk dat ik de rest van mijn leven nodig heb om het ultieme antwoord te vinden. Na deze Grenache neig ik toch naar Grenache. De volgende keer maar weer een Syrah proberen. Het leven is zwaar... ;-) 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 19 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 98/100
Color: Deep dark red with no trace of discoloration at the edges. Aroma / bouquet: Seductive but modest bouquet, notes of tomato compote (admittedly, never used in a tasting note before;-) ), dried dark fruit, gingerbread, cedar wood. Taste / Aftertaste:[/ i] Soft acidity, buttery tannins, retronasal impressions of a soft sweet spiciness. Mouth-filling, thick-juicy. General / potential: There is a lot of discussion possible about which red SQN produces the best results… Grenache or Syrah…. I think it will take me the rest of my life to find the ultimate answer. After this Grenache I still tend to Grenache. Try another Syrah next time. Life is hard... ;-) 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Aftertaste: 19 + General / potential: 10 = 98/100 (1762 views) | | | Tasted by rustyRudy on 8/13/2021 & rated 97 points: From magnum. Decanted, drank at the beach with grilled NY Strip. Clearly drinking well now but in no way old. One of the beach highlights. (1742 views) | | | Tasted by andrewdodd86 on 8/12/2021 & rated 98 points: Beach 2021; 8/7/2021-8/14/2021 (Kiawah Island, SC): All dark raspberry and blueberry compote with a tour of black pepper. Fantastic nose, fleshy Grenache fruit, tannins have subsided and this is drinking at peak. Fantastic! (1578 views) | | | Tasted by NuTricks on 3/26/2021 & rated 97 points: #1 bottling. Gorgeous ruby red. Absolutely one of the most delicious noses I’ve ever had. Red raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, slight hint of citrus, jammy with some vanilla notes. Beautifully balanced and velvety. Full bodied at 15.5 ABV. Finish was the longest I’ve had for quite a while. Exquisite! (1785 views) | | | Tasted by Topper on 2/9/2021 & rated 93 points: Black fruit, dark cherries and chocolate. This wine was luscious but also surprisingly austere as if it weren't fully letting go of its treasures. From other notes and tracking this over time, I think that this will hold but not necessarily improve. (2099 views) | | | Tasted by jsebiri on 12/27/2020: #6 + 7 . Deep color, very syrah fruity , Cali , small green peppers.........12 hours later more of a backbone than was present at opening. Still big nose , less fruit on palate.Very nice. This open bottle got lost on the bar , next time I saw it was Jan 5th not bad at all had a more smooth thing going on , also small sour thing. Stuff could last forever. (1846 views) | | | Tasted by Seafoam Manor on 12/25/2020 & rated 91 points: This is based on the No. 1 bottling, although I've got no clue as to the differences in the numbers. This is Sine Qua Non, so take any of this under the general umbrella of "within the style", because you should know what you're in for. Flat out, these wines are massive. In no way does this read as a 14 year-old wine and has a polish that makes botox seem appropriate. Rich ripe fruit... red-ish, but just a lot of it. Jammy, with vanilla oak notes and pretty heavy. There's a complexity with spice and cocoa notes and there are lots of layers, but it's a wine that gets to be a bit too much about mid way through the second glass. There was a general sense of the glycerol weight, but not acid or tannin (outside of oak), although it handled the hefty alcohol well. I had this with a very rich meal and it felt appropriate. For me, this is a, fun every once in awhile, guilty pleasure, but if you like a more flamboyant style, this is sort of an apex. (1653 views) | | | Tasted by Decanting Queen on 11/8/2020 & rated 97 points: This was excellent on day 1 although I didn’t take notes. Even from PNP had an intense floral, fruit and spicy nose and an explosion of fruit on the palate. The alcohol was slightly noticeable but otherwise everything well integrated. Decadent flavors of vanilla, spices, Cassis, black fruits snd dried raspberries. On day 2 absolutely stunning. I am disappointed that I only left one glass for day two because it was a different wine—so smooth, no sense of alcohol, intense fruits, spices, long finish and left me wanting more. So far my best SQN experience. I wish I could be more confident about a 24 hour decant because the SQN grenache that I have had so far is always amazing 24 hrs later. (3351 views) | | | Tasted by GFischmann on 11/4/2020 & rated 94 points: Dark fruit with great depth and perfect balance of acidity and tannins.
Lovely wine (1467 views) | | | Tasted by hoservin on 6/20/2020 & rated 95 points: Decanted for one hour. Nose of raspberry, cocoa, bramble, spice and vanilla. Ripe jammy raspberry, cocoa, anise, bramble and forest floor on the palate. Very long finish. Elegantly balanced. Full bodied. Served with grilled cowboy steaks and a blue cheese, black truffle compound butter. (1626 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 3/5/2020 & rated 94 points: WIML94
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about three hours.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Kirsch, spice box, black berries and dried plums. Flavors of cassis, dried plums and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short term.
BNO/GNO (1921 views) | | | Tasted by jaylew1 on 1/27/2020 & rated 97 points: Have not been able to restrain myself for this long with most of these SQNs. Wow. Worth waiting! Amazing to see the evolution. Too bad I have no more! (2092 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 12/7/2019 & rated 96 points: Occasional dinner group. Keller, Coche Dury, Guigal La Landonne plus some ringers. (By PVa @ Monarh in Tilburg, The Netherlands): In the bouquet ripe red and dark berries, some leather and a lot of garrigue. On the palate a lush and full bodied wine with a firm amount of sweetness and also beautiful acidity. The alcohol shows a bit. (2405 views) | | | Tasted by BROpus One on 11/23/2019 & rated 94 points: Beautiful nose and incredible finish. Drinking nicely right now. (1957 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 6/29/2019 & rated 94 points: No notes, easy drinking
perfectly first stage maturity now (2237 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Issue #14 (12/18/2012)
(Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2008, IWC Issue #141
(Sine Qua Non Grenache The Raven Series California) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/7/2013)
(Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series) Dark red violet color; roasted black fruit, hickory smoke nose; intense, roasted black fruit, tar, smoke, incipient bacon fat, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points (92% Grenache, 8% Syrah; 16.3% alcohol; tastes more like a big Syrah at this stage than a Grenache) 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/7/2009)
(Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series) Very dark red violet color; tart dried berry, black fruit, green, mint compote, plum and berry nose; big, tar, black fruit and clove palate; long finish 91+ pts. 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Sine Qua Non Producer website
Ken Vastola's cool Sine Qua Non pages.
An Interview of Manfred Krankl - Podcast2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series 92% Grenache
8% Syrah
26% whole clustersGrenache Varietal character (Appellation America) - Read more about GrenacheUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson CaliforniaNapa Valley.http://www.stagecoachvineyard.com/vineyards/our_vineyards.php
Santa Ynez.http://www.everyvine.com/org/Camp_Four/vineyard/Camp_Four/ |
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