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2018
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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95.5 pts. and median of 96 pts. in 45 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by dlcass on 4/28/2024 & rated 98 points: Popped and pour! Early notes. Wow! Powerful and elegant! Nose of dark cherry, spice, persimmon. Full and balanced palate and mouthfeel. Creamy and smooth. (627 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 4/24/2024 & rated 92 points: California wines but not from Napa: I don't think this was decanted. Drank a small glass over an hour. It didn't appear tannic, but the oak was incredibly evident. The fruit also huge. At this stage it's a cocktail wine for sure and I'll have to fall back on my belief that SQN reds need 12 years minimum from vintage. (725 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 4/21/2024: Monthly Tasting Group: California: Anything but Napa (BLVD Kitchen & Bar, Wayzata, MN): Small taste. A ripe mix of red and black fruits, lots of glycerin, bold, oak, firm, some alcohol. Needs time (or air). Score reserved. (749 views) | | | Tasted by popasq on 10/11/2023 & rated 98 points: This has improved since last year, I did open the bottle over 6 hours before drinking, this may have contributed to how amazing this wine is. (2580 views) | | | Tasted by JRockEsq on 6/18/2023 & rated 93 points: Method: pop and pour; Cab glass; cellar temp
Nose: black cherry, pencil shavings, candied violets
Palate: Black cherry, baking spices, graphite; dry; medium superfine silky tannins; medium adicty
Overall thoughts: Not complex, but very tasty with an incredible tannins and mouthfeel. Very polished. Great wine! (2833 views) | | | Tasted by hanasowner on 1/28/2023 & rated 95 points: Popped and poured...very dark...explosive fruit with smooth tannins and long finish. (3742 views) | | | Tasted by popasq on 10/24/2022 & rated 97 points: Decanted 4+ hours, was exceptional. (4159 views) | | | Tasted by Arch57 on 7/24/2022 & rated 94 points: Intense yet easy to drink. Lingering finish. (4394 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoma-W on 7/4/2022 & rated 98 points: Outstanding! Thick, smooth, intense; some charcoal; pencil shavings; not hard edged even with the intensity. A great 4th wine! (3929 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 6/9/2022 & rated 97 points: Party with some 100 pointers: As was before when I sampled this last year, the Profuga is a wonderfully deep and unctuous outpouring of dark berry, black spice, and fresh earth goodness. Darker than the 2019 Distenta I Grenache and much more hedonistic than a 2012 Eleven Confessions Rattrapante Grenache served next to it, the Profuga continues to be the most “right now” of the most recent vintages of SQN over the last couple of years (though the mighty Ziehharmonika Syrah is next-next-level and continues to show amazingly well). The Profuga is the typical Krankl textural dream and reminds me why, when I’m in the right mood, I reach for these sorts of luxuriously profuse and sumptuous beauties. The mouthfeel here is pretty darn impressive, especially for such a young wine.
Drink or hold the Profuga. It shows no signs of letting up and is a fun ride even now. If you’re more of a stickler with your SQN poppings, try holding for a few more years minimum to allow the oak to integrate and the power to subside. This is currently one of those wines that pairs best with bacon-mustard pulled pork sliders. Definitely not one of those “Burgundian” Grenaches. If you’re searching for that in the SQN staple, reach for 2012 Rattrapante…though you’ll want to reach for that in a few years. (6451 views) | | | Tasted by cadamson on 12/27/2021: Delicious. Soft, decent acidity. All about the fruit. And the fruit is quite glorious. Hides the alcohol well. Better with an hour or two of air. (5045 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 11/2/2021 & rated 95 points: Opened left to rest for like 10mins and served. No decanting needed but won’t affect in any way the wine at this stage.
Grenache in the hands of Manfred Krankl is always a special result and this did not fail us . Bright , energetic , better described as explosive with a massive 15.9% alc that it actually carries very well to the point that the wine feels also soft and harmonious albeit the level. The usual result of SQN elevated across the system but elevated in harmony and balance . Juicy ripe fruit and a glorious nose. 95 and frankly just drink it now! (5274 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 10/15/2021 & rated 95 points: No notes taken. Super intense on the nose and palate with loads of ripe but not too ripe red berries, mostly sour cherries and raspberries, loads and loads of spices, fresh herbs and mineral backbone. Very complex and highly precise. The highlight is that despite all that intensity the wine is weightless. Ultra fine tannins, high put perfect integrated acidity, a slightly creamy texture, long finish. The 15.9% alcohol is completely masked. This is an outstanding wine but not for the faint hearted with all the ripeness, intensity and especially so much spiciness. But I love these Central Cali Grenache wines (more so than the Syrahs) from time to time.
Decanting: Good from the go, no extensive decanting necessary but maybe more air would have made it a tad less wild. (4911 views) | | | Tasted by Winedog1 on 10/8/2021 & rated 96 points: See previous note. (4408 views) | | | Tasted by SineQuaNon on 9/1/2021 & rated 95 points: Exquisite! Yet still seemingly a bit closed. I will hold out for a couple of years before opening the next. 95+ (4545 views) | | | Tasted by canan on 8/21/2021 & rated 97 points: I decided to decant for about 3-4 hours and it really helped the wine open up!
Initially it was somewhat muted but after decanting the wine just exploded from the glass.
Packed with candied raspberry/cranberry fruit in a translucent style. It has a lovely finish with flowers and spices combined with a piercing acidity.
The alcohol shines through and is present but not in a disturbing way and is kept in a good balance with the acidity and fruit.
Despite being a somewhat dense wine, there is just this amazing SQN balance shining everything in the wine. It is another stunning wine from SQN and perhaps one of the best young SQN Grenache wines I have tasted. Over time, this will just improve and add more complexity but it taste amazing already. Stunning.. 97-98p right now and could easily go to 99-100p over time. (3549 views) | | | Tasted by Winedog1 on 7/24/2021 & rated 96 points: Smells hot - not ready - with lots of body odor. Also scents of game and salt. Very savory. Strong red meat. White pepper. Chili peppers. Chili pepper. Cumin. That is just the nose. Subtle candied fruits and nuts. Black pepper. (3388 views) | | | Tasted by Matt Scott on 7/24/2021 & rated 97 points: Decanted for three hours. Incredibly fresh and feminine, with so much body and depth. Dried cranberries, violets, cured ham, lavender, earthy elements and saline. Extremely long and panoramic, there’s this unfolding quality that tantalizes. So different than The Gorgeous Victim, and is closer to Stein. I enjoy the fibrous, almost feathery tannins. More open than one would think. Decant or wait a couple of years as this is quite haunting. Drink 2023 - 2038. (4487 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 7/13/2021 & rated 93 points: Popped and poured. Big but balanced, everything one expects. Abundant red and black fruit with underlying spice. (3620 views) | | | Tasted by Winedog1 on 7/3/2021 & rated 96 points: SQN Grenache very well may be my favorite wine. This one may need a little more time. I popped and poured at 65 degrees. I know, I did not follow the directions. However, I still drank it over three days. To me, the best sips of SQN Grenache are the first and those about an hour or two into the bottle. The Christmas spices are the trademark. (3259 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 6/23/2021 & rated 98 points: With an instant outpouring of savory and succulent black and red raspberry, cassis, purple plum, licorice, Christmas spices, soft soppressata, and hints of white pepper notes, the Profuga is a launchpad of ripe berry fruit slathering the palate with a textural superiority that pumps undulating waves of instant flavor expansion from front to back. This sneaks in a faint puff of alcohol on the tail, but the tons of fruit push past any perception of would-be distracting booze. The chewiness morphs into a melting finish that provides the perfect textural crescendo. Ah yes, the texture. It must be SQN...
This is like drinking a puffy cumulus cloud covered in berry syrup. I’m 6 years old at Swensen’s and am stopped short of burying my entire face in a colossal marshmallow and raspberry ice cream sundae topped with maraschino cherries as my cross-armed mother leers at me to behave.
These 2018s from SQN are quite compelling. Hard to believe an awkward phase is looming here, but sometimes these babies dip into a pause where they need 8-10 years from vintage to truly come into form. Well, like many-a-CdP, enjoy this now for the fun and flavor, or hold for a few years and hope to skip past any potential bumps of adolescence (if they even rise up at all).
Nevertheless, if ya wanna live for the moment, bust the cork on this and see what’s cookin’. Sure it’s young and all that, but it’s just so crazy good right now. Everyone’s got an opinion, so here’s mine: I’m a fan. This was a straight PnP that I didn’t have to baby at all. Surprisingly accessible. 97-98+ points.
Helpful hint: keep this at a cooler temperature. I was loving it best at around 50°. (6003 views) | | | Tasted by Jay Hack on 5/25/2021 & rated 96 points: Pop, decant and pour on the back deck with two clients, smoked brisket, homemade sourdough bread and a hot spinach artichoke dip appetizer. The first thought that popped into my mind was Rayas. No, not as smooth as the 1999 Rayas that I had a few years ago, but the flavor profile was very similar. Smooth Grenache raspberry filled the front and side of the palate, with spicy pepper at the back. It still had some roughness from youth and some of the others thought the alcohol was a bit too prominent, but an outstanding effort with exceptional quality and winemaking. This ranks up there with my two favorite Grenache wines, the 1999 Rayas and the 2006 Aquillon. The good news is that I have more of this. The bad news is that I am unlikely to save any of it until it has 15 to 20 years of age on it. (3493 views) | | | Tasted by Arch57 on 5/16/2021 & rated 95 points: I finally made the SQN mailing list after 11 years and decided to Coravin taste this wine and the 2018 Syrah with my wife on a pleasant May evening. I let the wines breath in Riedel glasses for about 45 minutes. To me the Grenache had a much more interesting nose but the tannins and alcohol were felt on finish. While the Syrah seemed much more laid back for such a young wine this Grenache was more tightly wound and needs years in the cellar. All in all an excellent introduction to the wines from Elaine & Manfred Krankl, brilliant winemakers. (3190 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 5/8/2021 & rated 96 points: Opened in the bottle for 5 hours plus. Actually seemed more open/vibrant right after opening versus near the end. Obviously ripe but sharing the stage with with plenty of savory elements. Red berries, vanilla, leather, charcuterie and herbs. Not overly acidic or tannic but still needs time in bottle to come together. (3297 views) | | | Tasted by iar on 4/22/2021 & rated 100 points: Unbelievably good. Rich and big nose, but very smooth. Best young wine ever! (3277 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Sine Qua Non Producer website
Ken Vastola's cool Sine Qua Non pages.
An Interview of Manfred Krankl - PodcastGrenache 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 Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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