March 28, 2024 - Just outstanding. Brought to a wine dinner by a generous friend.
Incredible nose of blood, iron, cured meat, game. Palate had tons of structure and minerality with iron earth overlaying savory fruit. Finish shows off some power and the structure again.
This should go another 20-30 years without problem. Pretty remarkable.
December 9, 2023 - Tonight, this bottle was outstanding. Drank with minimal decanting, this wine was clear and deep red in colour with a nose of dark berries and some graphite. In the glass were flavours of dark fruits mixed with some ripe cherries and a noticeable amount of spices. Both the tannins and acidity were at a balanced level. Finally, each sip of this had an exceptionally long finish!
October 11, 2023 - This was an exceptional wine. Clear and incredibly deep inky purple in colour with a nose of ripe cherries and some pepper. In the glass were those same ripe cherries alongside white pepper and some vegetal notes. The tannins and acidity were not heavy at all in very balanced. You would never know that this wine is almost 16% in alcohol. One of my wines of the year so far.
May 21, 2023 - I had high expectations for this bottle. This is an excellent and even impressive Syrah, but is it worth the price? I don't think so. The nose is not very intense, with beautiful aromas of cherries, blueberries, leather and spices. The mouthfeel is impressive on the palate. Showing perfect balance and a long finish. Enjoy now or hold for another 5-10 years.
January 19, 2023 - very deep purple red color, on the nose a grand spiciness with black fruits pushed to the limit, roasted blackberries, on the palate jammy blackberry fruit, a little bit of heat but with minimal impact given the grand scale of the wine itself, cherry liqueur, great long finish with soy and herbal notes, this is a big boy even by SQN standards with all the unique wonder and carefree wildness I love about this winemaker.
****, showing well now and no end in sight
December 17, 2022 - Fun to taste the SQN 09,10,11 in a flight. Close call and only the Stockholm Syndrome had a point advantage of the others. So balanced to drink now but will improve even further - all three
July 16, 2022 - To celebrate my 7,500th wine review on Vivino, here is a hundred point wine from Santa Rita Hills.
Dark inky in color with a short purple rim.
On the nose black cherries, blackberries, tobacco, chocolates, light vanilla, cedar and black pepper.
Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This 12 year old Syrah is drinking beautifully now. Well balanced with nice complexity and a great, soft mouthfeel.
Doesn't feel like a Syrah, but it's really delicious. Drinks more like a Napa Cabernet, which is fine with me.
This wine is so special, that it was made only in this 2010 vintage. A gorgeous Syrah from a Single Vineyard that will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Wine Advocate 100 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and a very nice wine to share with friends and talk about. Good right out of the bottle, rich and extracted.
Alcohol is nicely integrated by now, so you better watch out.
A blend of 96% Syrah, 3% Roussanne and 1% Viognier. Aged in all new French Oak barrels for 42 months.
15.6% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$1,000.
July 16, 2021 - Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Expressive nose displaying rich ripe black fruit, blackberry jam, black cherry, ink, licorice, mocha, lavender, dark spices and earth. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, good acidity and mineral, and a long ripe black fruit driven finish with a hint of ink at the end. There is a bit of heat at the end. Another big scale SQN.
July 16, 2021 - DC/Chicago Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Easily the star of the flight, this was the only SQN that lived up to expectations tonight. Power from start-to-finish with everything harmonized. Tannins and structure balance out the ripe, rich fruit, all well supported by sweet and savory spice. Powerful, long finish. Great now through 2025, maybe a bit longer.
July 11, 2021 - Love Sine Qua Non wines. This one seems to be late in the game. Deep plum notes feels like it is past its prime. Opened up some over the evening but not mind blowing like other SQN wines I've had.