Popped and poured into decanter shortly before dinner. Upon opening a very expressive red fruited bouquet which needed more coaxing in the glass. Quite a concentrated black and red fruited palate with mint chocolate finish. At times the wine opened beautifully to a very polished and balanced glass, with more strawberry and raspberry (reminds me of Auguste Clape’s Cornas), other times very tannic and less complex. Surprisingly more primary and less evolved than later NOK vintages I’ve had the pleasure of tasting recently 94+ drink with decant or better to hold for a few more years.
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Delicious! This was our first time trying this wine and honestly the flavor profile was almost exactly what I have come to expect from SQN which I guess should come as no surprise.... If you love SQN you will love this!
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Lots of great wines with friends; 12/19/2015-12/20/2015 (E, 4th St.): Inky purple in color. The nose is gorgeous with black raspberries, violets, black pepper and spice. Complex and amazing. Not as good on the palate at this point but still outstanding. Whereas the nose is a precision instrument, the palate is a sledgehammer. That's exaggerating, of course. Tons of black raspberries, thick tannins, good acidity but a fair amount of oak remains. Nice finish. Curious here this goes from here. I think there is more than enough fruit to outlast the oak, so i would hold these for now and wait.
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Deep in color, with strong aromas of licorice, espresso bean, black and blue fruits, smoke and vanilla bean. The wine is big, yet not over the top. Everything feels in balance, even with everything that is going on. The wine is plush, rich, sweet, long and silky. Produced from a blend of 82% Syrah, 13.5% Grenache and 4.5% Roussanne, the wine enjoys extended barrel aging, as it spend close to 32 months in French, oak barrels. This was perfect with a rare slab of grilled, Flannery beef.
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non blind to me. fabulous tonight. dark in color but seemingly not as dark as the sqn bottlings. nose jumps from the decanter and glass. dark fruits but lively not brooding. palate is lush and refined in a way. still a big wine but more feminine and elegant than i would have thought at this young age. chocolate, black fruits, anise all nice coat the palate. wood is certainly there with tannins but refined and in decent balance. finish is wonderfully long and luxurious. perhaps still an edginess that should integrate as time goes on. i think this will get better.
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8/28/2022 - BaroloRob wrote: 96 Points
Still going strong.
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6/7/2020 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured into decanter shortly before dinner. Upon opening a very expressive red fruited bouquet which needed more coaxing in the glass. Quite a concentrated black and red fruited palate with mint chocolate finish. At times the wine opened beautifully to a very polished and balanced glass, with more strawberry and raspberry (reminds me of Auguste Clape’s Cornas), other times very tannic and less complex. Surprisingly more primary and less evolved than later NOK vintages I’ve had the pleasure of tasting recently 94+ drink with decant or better to hold for a few more years.
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7/5/2018 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blueberry liquor chocolate magnificence!
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6/24/2017 - bonedocnine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious! This was our first time trying this wine and honestly the flavor profile was almost exactly what I have come to expect from SQN which I guess should come as no surprise....
If you love SQN you will love this!
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2/6/2016 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Slightly 'colder' nose than the B20, beautiful texture and density, cherries, tomatoes and slightly reductive. Needs more time
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12/20/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Lots of great wines with friends; 12/19/2015-12/20/2015 (E, 4th St.): Inky purple in color. The nose is gorgeous with black raspberries, violets, black pepper and spice. Complex and amazing. Not as good on the palate at this point but still outstanding. Whereas the nose is a precision instrument, the palate is a sledgehammer. That's exaggerating, of course. Tons of black raspberries, thick tannins, good acidity but a fair amount of oak remains. Nice finish. Curious here this goes from here. I think there is more than enough fruit to outlast the oak, so i would hold these for now and wait.
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8/9/2014 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Better than the No1 but not by much. They are very similar to each other with the No2 winning out in complexity.
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8/9/2014 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Welcoming Chicago winos - Part Deux (BLT Steak - Washington D.C. - High Octane Wines): Similar to the 07 but better balance and definition. Intense black fruit driven nose, a hint of red fruits, cherry liquor, licorice and sweet spices. Excellent concentration, unctuous palate, good balance and long finish. Quite enjoyable.
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8/8/2014 - Uglypinga wrote:
Fantastic nose of beef, bbq, smoke. The palate Is deep, sweet and clean with raspberries, beef, and even a hint of rhubarb. Amazing.
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5/31/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Deep in color, with strong aromas of licorice, espresso bean, black and blue fruits, smoke and vanilla bean. The wine is big, yet not over the top. Everything feels in balance, even with everything that is going on. The wine is plush, rich, sweet, long and silky. Produced from a blend of 82% Syrah, 13.5% Grenache and 4.5% Roussanne, the wine enjoys extended barrel aging, as it spend close to 32 months in French, oak barrels. This was perfect with a rare slab of grilled, Flannery beef.
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1/10/2013 - jc-mmb Likes this wine: 95 Points
non blind to me. fabulous tonight. dark in color but seemingly not as dark as the sqn bottlings. nose jumps from the decanter and glass. dark fruits but lively not brooding. palate is lush and refined in a way. still a big wine but more feminine and elegant than i would have thought at this young age. chocolate, black fruits, anise all nice coat the palate. wood is certainly there with tannins but refined and in decent balance. finish is wonderfully long and luxurious. perhaps still an edginess that should integrate as time goes on. i think this will get better.
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