Palate: bruised yellow apple, salt, minerality; long finish of pepper, taragon; dry; medium+ body; high acidity; low- tannin; low+ heat
Overall thoughts: This has nice body and some interesting notes, but more heat than I think is acceptable in a white wine. For me, this is a mediocre wine, and everyone in the blind tasting was extremely disappointed when they found out what this was.
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Lots of rich fruit with great floral aromatics. Kept morphing in the glass from pear to apple to butterscotch on the finish. Definitively something to savor as it evovles
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Served 45 minutes after opening. Really sweet nose of bubblegum, cotton candy, and vanilla, with some acetone. Also sweet and butter notes. After 2 hours a little metallic. Still some acidity on the palate and even a little grippy, and later slightly bitter. So exotic and interesting!
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USA Syrah tasting in Vino and Friends. (By JK in Maastricht): Beautiful and complex bouquet with minerals, vanilla and oak. Same on the palate. A mouth full of wine with good acidity and a firm amount of alcohol. Firm and very special wine.
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Drank last nite at Copake with the kids on a whim. Still showing great--I'd forgotten the blend here, but the Rousanne is pretty obvious. Floral, spice, buttery popcorn, tropical fruit and apricots here. This is a big wine but plenty of acidity to offset the weight and heat. Distinctive and special
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in a great spot right now. floral, flint, smoke, tropical, apricot. nice balance of primary and secondary right now. long finish. acidity keeps this remarkably fresh given the amount of weight on it.
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Very difficult to judge, not a typical napa white at all due to its blend with roussanne. Enough acidity with a bit of after-bitterness. Not enjoyed by most of the guests compared with Kistler 2013. After all, this is a very nice experience!
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We always seem to serve these a bit too cold to start but as it warmed up just got better and better. Full mouthful, lots of honey and white fleshy fruit. Very tasty. Has a long life in front of it. Will hold a bit on our last one.
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SQN White Birthday Weekend tasting in Vegas (Private Residence - Las Vegas, NV): This is my 3rd time trying the Hoodoo and it's best summed up as it's no longer the monster wine it once was. That is not necessarily a bad thing. At a monstrous 16% alcohol and a blend of Roussanne, Viognier, & Chardonnay, it came off as a wine intent on changing in the glass. This was a pop n pour served at the perfect temperature while decanting in the fridge. We were greeted with a wine of mid-pale yellow color, buttery and oily at first. Huge floral and tropical fruit bouquet with hints of honeysuckle, roses and peaches up front. I loved the figgy fruit initial palate but what struck me most was the pure acidity in the glass. What a great food wine this has become. I truly savored the butterscotch candy and lychee fruit combo with a slight hint of spice as the wine warmed up in the glass. I much preferred this wine the more it warmed up in the glass. Superb wine by an incredible winemaker.
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Very ripe, strong oak, still very young, fresh and primary. In my opinion, too much chard. It was slightly unbalanced in the oak-fruit balance, alcohol was not terribly noticeable. It got better with air, and stabilized after an hour.
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Wine of the night at recent Garces tasting at our house. Just an absolute stunner. Not sure why they stopped blending a little chardonnay into the SQN whites.
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39% Roussanne, 31% Viognier and 30% Chardonnay. Uvas provienen de Alban y Eleven Confessions. Fermentado en barricas y con sus lías por 15 meses. Cuerpo amarilloso intenso y denso. Mantequillas flores blancas y frutas cítricas(limón verde). Aterciopelado en boca y bien balanceado. Caudalis kilométrico!!! Una joya
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Eclectic Wine Dinner (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Powerful fruit but I don't think age has been kind. This was much better within a few years of release. Tonight this came across as too exotic and tropical for my tastes tonight, and the alcohol further accentuated with the fruit slightly softened with age.
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Aromas of woody quality, dark rich dense heavy oily aromas. Dense spicy warm waxy oily dark spices. Long fat rich. Hard to see this pairing with food as almost a meal on itself. Perhaps for a cold night with a heavy white bean soup not a summer sipper.
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This wine rocked. It was so well integrated. Nudged out the 2006 Body and Soul. Classic white rhone varietals on palate and great harmonious lemon and citrus in mid palate. Loved this. My favorite SQN White to day. Remind myself to not drink these young and wait for 7 years of age plus.
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Needs some air--decanted about 30 minutes ahead of drinking, and the last glass (90 minutes after opening) was the best and this was still on the upswing. Out of the gate this was a bit reticent on both the nose and the palate, but it really came alive with tasty white peaches, floral elements, and some tropical notes. I think this has plenty of life left. (PE: 92 on the first taste, 96 on the last glass--give it air!)
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Huge, exotic nose of vanilla, floral notes and spice nose. Palate has rich fruit with a waxy body. Decent underlying acidity. Full bodied, waxy finish. Good wine in the SQN white style. Bad QPR.
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Rich & oily...Loads of complex flavors...Chilled right out of the bottle, Black pepper, jack cheese, pine needles, pineapple, Lysol lemon cleaner, hay, pound cake, nutty peanut butter on the back pallet. Very interesting dynamic wine. Awesome.
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Saturday with David White (Domaine Wine Storage & Sun Wah - Chicago, IL): Intense nose of butterscotch, smoked nuts, and lemon oil. A real bruiser of a wine that punches you in the face with not only the flavors, but its alcohol and viscosity. Has the feeling of a butterscotch/lemon mixed drink.
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Still has quite a bit of oak. Needed time to air. Initiall, metallic with oak and vanilla. As it warmed up to room temp (about 2 hours), the viogner came through with exquisite aromas that the palate just could not quite match. Still, it opened to acid, tropical friut, viscosity. Still had a metallic edge to it though. Day two...about the same
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Massive wine. Really improves with air and as it warms up to air temp. Notes of lemon oil, honey/butterscotch, pineapple, a viscous, thick, wine. On Day 2 even better. complex and full bodied. Not for everyone but I love this wine.
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Pale yellow color. Pineapple and honeysuckle on the nose. Full bodied, layered lush sweet fruit with good balancing acidity, a bit less of the "oily" consistency seen in a lot of white Rhone and SQN whites but it's in there, medium-long finish. Should drink well for a few more years. Outstanding.
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Drank this wine with the Fredericks, in combo with Sublime Isolation. I wasn't sure of all the grapes in this blend, but 1 or my first impressions on sipping it was that there had to be a decent amount of viognier in there, and of course there is 31%, which gives it much of its spiciness and tropical fruitiness--especially pineapple. The wine showed a bright, honey-like yellow color, with a definite stony or mineral quality, and loads of vibrant fruit, lemon oil (maybe hint of cheesecake), on the nose and palatte; a viscous, dense-bodied and complex wine that only got better and better in the glass. The wine's multiple layers showed thru better I think as the wine warmed a bit. I loved this wine, but I would NOT recommend it without food. This wine didn't strike me as being overly hot, but that could be due to the fact that I drank the Sublime Isolation right after it--and that wine is very hot (15.7% hot to be exact)! My bud's comment was that this was like drinking a red wine that happened to be white. Truly an excellent example of how good SQN can be.
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 6/29/2012 (The University Club, San Diego): 15.8% alcohol. 39% roussanne, 31% viognier, 30% chardonnay. Clear light straw yellow. Grassy, cauliflower puree, acacia flower, butterscotch, baked white peach tart. Really not as enjoyable as some of those descriptors may imply. I struggled to make sense of this, and do not see Parker's 95 points at all. Maybe it's just my general antipathy toward white Rhones, but I found this to be rather graceless. It placed second-lowest among eight wines tonight.
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Thanks to Whine-oh for opening this. Straw color. This smells of peach schnapps and tangerire. Low acidity, viscous body. Honeyed stone fruit flavors with brown/asian spices. Well made but I've found that White Rhone blends just don't float my boat.
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Enjoyed this bottle with dungeness crab, Richard, Helen, Beth and Arden. Very Limey, with clean long finish. Suffered in comparison to the 2003 Sublime Isolation. Try again in a couple of years.
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Huge and rich. A very flamboyant wine. The chardonnay is definitely noticeable. Pineapple is a great call and definitely the predominant fruit note, though this a real melange Nice minerality, and the lush richness is buffered by ok acid. Quite delectable. Thanks to Sujit.
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These wines are just too big for my tase, but opened a '05 white and found it to be corked or really really off, so I tried this vintage to compare, this was MUCh better, opened nicely the warmer it got, toasted pineapple, maybe apricot too, rich , I like this big of a wine young.
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SQN vs Rhone Dinner (BLT Steak, DC): This is a monster SQN white, just massive. The nose is like a lemon cheesecake with touches of honey. It's rather tight on the palate, but does have a good shot of acidity to keep it in check. The finish reveals a anise quality that comes across as slightly hot.
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White Rhone on steroids. Very ripe, but not as oily and unctuous as other SQN whites I've had. A wine that goes with everything yet nothing with regard to food pairing.
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Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of toast, lemon oil, brown spice, vanilla and yellow pears. Flavors of lemon oil, brown spices, yellow pears, yellow apples and a bit of minerals on the medium to long finish. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. I'd drink. Why not?
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Did not think I would care for the style....but, turned out pretty decent. Alcohol was reasonably hidden. Apricot, oily beeswax, a bit of butter. Yes, big, but pretty balanced and different.
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). This slightly oily wine was very buttery on the palate. It had a mid yellow colour to it with a very mild bouquet on the nose. I enjoyed this glass.
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SQN Dinner (Lockkeepers): Light golden in color. The nose has a vanilla milkshake quality to it which I liked. Also some floral tones. This was served colder and perhaps that tamed the alcohol a bit. The finish had this "sherried" quality to it. With air and warmth, this got better and did not show more alcohol. I liked this more than the Kolibri, so perhaps these wines do need age to develop.
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Drank the SQN The Hoodoo Man 06 together with the Kongsgaard VioRus 06. Two wines made by larger than life, genius winemakers. Same year and very similar grapes. Still the wines were very different. We were all very impressed with both wines, but they changed a lot over time and at different temperatures. At times we rated them between 92 and 97 points, but could not really agree on a favourite. Both wines were among the very best white wines from these varietals we’ve had. We felt that the Kongsgaard was slightly better at lower temperatures but the SQN needed to warm up a bit. The Kongsgaard was a bit cleaner with darker floral notes, lychees and some tropical fruits. Very thick and fat on the palate. Great, crisp acidity, especially chilled. Hoodoo Man was a bit more smoky and spicy, more pungent, almost musky. This was also very fat and thick but it also had the crisp, clean citrus together with marmalade and honey. At times you could taste the Chardonnay, especially when warmer. Both wines had a very intense and long aftertaste. Parker gave both of them 95 and I think we ended up around there as well, maybe both were closer to 96, but for sure we enjoyed the wines and the chance to try them side by side.
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On the nose lemon oil and a combination of citrus and tropical fruit. the texture on the palate was viscous and oily, with a combination of butter, citrus, tropical fruit, and finally some oak on the finish.
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this wine is very big and the word oily comes to mind- an obviously intriguing blend, lovely citrus fragrance, and a little heat- more like an apertif for me but delicious nonetheless...
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Not going to score this, sadly. I had been looking forward to drinking this wine for quite some time and it was, sadly, a terrible disapointment. Completely shut down, it gave off very little in terms of aromatic or flavour profile.
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Sine Qua Non Dinner: the Younger Wines (Custom House Tavern - Chicago IL): Smells and flavors of peach and pineapple, but with good spice alongside. Chardonnay seems to add a small sense of reserve to this otherwise flamboyant wine. Massive fruit from start to finish, some from fruit, probably as much from new oak. Rather nice and enjoyable, but I can't see this getting much better.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Massively tropical nose and palate. Really good spice helps keep the over-ripeness in check. I appreciate how well made and concentrated this wine is, but it is not my preferred style for white wine.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Big viscous wine. Some apple cider action. Oaky, vanilla. The palate and nose both show monster tropical fruit. Not as well integrated as the last bottle and a bit hot on the finish. A plump wine with lower acidity revealing a super rich taste.
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Topical, weighty feel. Lanolin. Waxy notes, and clearly a lot of alcohol though still reasonably drinkable and balanced. Heady. Full blown style. Nice.
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Tasted in a flight with 2003 Sublime Isolation and 2007 Body and Soul. This is tremendously good wine expressing an almost fresh acidity and oiliness (from the Rousanne component), mature meadow flowers, nectar, lime and ice cream of pears (!). This is a truly honorable effort from Manfred Krankl with many years to go in the cellar. Highly recommended.
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As rich and any cali chardonnay out there. Lots of oak here for sure........However, the blend is able to walk the tight rope without going overboard. This wine has a smooth glycerine month feel which is really stunning. Quite unctious!
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while a very good bottle of wine, my least favorite bottle of hoodoo that i've had. great color. nose and palate show a little too much heat and oak. seems little out of balance-too brambly. finish still terrific and long, but lacking that sqn richness and pow. sounds like nit-picking, i know. i did like this but it really paled against body and soul.
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This might be in a bit of a dumb phase, as it took a long time to open up and start to show its best. Still an outstanding wine, this bottle seemed a bit down compared to the last one. Plenty of rich, ripe fruit, hints of petrol, incredibly thick, mouthcoating texture while remaining light on its feet. After several hours it started to show even better--in retrospect I would have decanted this. (PE: 94)
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/10). This was my least favourite of the three white wines served with dinner. Light in colour with a very mild floral bouquet. The wine was not overwhelming but I did catch a lemony taste at the end.
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TN: SQN, Terry Hoage, Aalto, Turley: This got better all night long. Popped and poured straight from the wine fridge, I bet its better today. Awesome nose! Almonds, orange rind, orange marmalade and a hint of lemon rind. With air, this morphed into the same flavors added to a vanilla shake. I really loved the nose. Even a slightly floral tone. On the palate, this needed to warm up to really show its stuff. Complex with layers of fruit. Really crisp and precise despite the immense size. There is a lot of alcohol but its not hot. Its shows in body and finish. Lovely white wine.
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Blind California Cult Cabernet Tasting (Mill Creek, WA): Nice nose of tropical fruits and spice, with an oily and rich palate packed with lemon/lime flavors. There was a note of some spicy oak that really showed up on the long finish. There was a mention about about Viognier possibly being in the blend. I didn’t know that, but that may help explain the tropical fruit flavors that are on the nose. A really wonderful white wine. This was a little cold when I tasted it, but the quality was still very evident.
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Opened and served immediately. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of wet stones, lychee, tropical fruits, a hint of spice and an added note of paraffin. Flavors of yellow pears, yellow apples, a little passion fruit with some minerals and spices. Medium to bright acidity, medium body. Drink or hold.
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The nose was a bit tight, but I did get citrus, apple, tropical fruit, and spice. The palate was earthy and buttery. It also had apple, citrus, and some spice on the finish.
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A chameleon of a wine. At first terribly (in a good way_) floral and screaming Roussanne, apricots, bananaas, honeysuckle, and ester-y stuff, with very rich palate presence, almost oily-butter type texture blended with great acidity and freshness that are almost a yen-yang thing of beauty. pulling it off quite well. Over time more of a Viognier floral prettiness more than the earlier brawn on the nose, becoming more lithe over a couple of hours, gaining focus and clarity. A complicated and delicious wine that is to use a painful phrase, outside the box for sure. Flat out lovely. Thanks Chuck. 94pts.
Completely overoaked. Underneath the oak there was some beautiful fruit but it was quickly overwhelmed. Not really my preferred style but I get the attraction. Heat on the finish also detracted from the wine.
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Monster nose. Thick and viscous. Tons of oak and butter and butterscotch. Really long finish at the end but a burnt aftertaste. Odd. Don't know what to make of this wine....two down, two to go. Enjoyed with Wakame sushi.
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Drank at room temperature. The only thing that comes to mind when I think back about this wine is "expansive". It just seemed to keep growing in the glass, getting more and more interesting as I let it sit. In the mouth as well, just seemed to invade every single part of my palate. Beautiful deep golden yellow, with some slight cloudiness. On the nose, very beautiful and perfumey, lots of flowers, apple and different pome fruits, oak, eventually giving way to some real deal minerality as well with about an hour of opening up. On the palate, massive wine. Absurd mouthfeel, have never experienced a wine like this before. Definitely agree with an almost hazelnut component, along with apples, asian pear, lemon, and white creamed honey, and almost a white truffle note on the back end. Ate with the duck confit on a savory apple tart with a hen's egg and shaved truffle from Sovana Bistro in Kennett Square, PA and was honestly the single best wine pairing I have ever experienced.
other people were more blown away than i, but this was a little boring, just a lot of oak and butter. it is fairly delicious and has a nice mouthfeel, but not complex or amazing enough to warrant the price or a huge score. nevertheless pretty fun even if poor qpr. id rather save up and buy a sqn red than 2 of their whites.
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On the nose, an oaky fart. Much swirling didn't open it up. The palate didn't match. There is some oak but there's also tropical fruit and some apple. A little bit of honey. Nice finish. Balanced but a huge wine. This was sent by overnight delivery from Pittsburg to Las Vegas and that may have exaggerated the flaws. If travel shock wasn't an issue, I'd say hold on to this wine to see if the oak resolves.
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Big oak on the nose, palette and finish. Some carmel corn, herbaceousness and tropical fruit. Pleasantly aggressive mouthfeel. Fun…for some reason reminded me of Blazing Saddles quote, "Go do that voodoo that you do so well!" Opened-up for an hour and paired with Japanese cuisine.
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Blind Night: Cloudy fluorescent yellow color. Oaky tropical fruit nose. Taste of lemon and apple. Loads of toasted oak on the palate and mid palate. Full bodied. Alcoholic finish. Very heavy handed and tiring to drink. Respectfully unrated. 15.8% alcohol. My initial guess was a domestic Chardonnay. Wow, that says everything about this wine. Brought by Jeff.
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Big, rich with a massive mouthfeel. Like glycerine in the mouth. Very long after taste. The layers of flavor just kept unfolding; lemon, hazelnuts and on the finish first minerals and then tropical fruits.
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Drank with homemade chicken soup, but this time, the '05 Chave ended up in the broth and man was it good. The Hoodoo gives up absolutely nothing when it is cold. Must serve at almost room temperature to get the most from it. The nose was similar to the last bottle, lilies and honeydew. And the palate was oily like a Rhone blend typically is, with lots of spice and green flavors, very much like a scallion. Again the finish displays some nuttiness, like walnuts. Strange, but it actually seems to fill you up, tough to drink more than a glass.
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Is much better at room temp (i.e., around 70). Interesting to me how much it shuts down at a cooler temp. Another excellent bottle, although this one seems to be missing a bit of the verve of the previous ones. Honeysuckle, lemon oil, a bit of tangerine, with a waxy, mouthcoating texture. (PE: 93)
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This was my 3rd bottle out of four, and it is stellar wine. Very rich, round, yet not cloying at all. It's hard to believe this is 16% alcohol, as there is not a trace of heat. Honey, quince, and nuts. This is a rich wine that serves well as a cocktail but then actually transitions to the dinner table quite well. This was actually a great match with potato latkes and apple sauce and even with roast chicken. Sigh, how patient will I be before I drink my last bottle?
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They say don't cook with anything you would not drink. So the first glass of the bottle went into the pot with the chicken bones and vegetables for the stock base of tonight's homemade chicken soup. The rest of the bottle was consumed with the soup, and while it was a very good match, I think it would go even better with Turkey soup. With a belly full of goodness, I sat down and evaluated the wine. The nose is very floral and tropical with strong lily, honeydew and mango aromas. The palate is oily as to be expected for a white Rhone blend, a bit spicy and oaky, with some mushrooms and walnuts for good measure. This is a very good white, I think even better than the Chapoutiers that I have had, but I think the Chave '05 is better and the Chave '06 is amazing. In all, a good showing for an American Rhone blend.
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Still needs some air. At first, popped and poured, this was outstanding (95 points) but with air it really came on. Lemon oil and hazelnut predominate on the nose. The finish is simply rich, viscous, white and yellow citrus fruits with nutty elements and a bit of the tropics thrown in for good measure. I notice a bit of nutmeg or allspice as well. Continues to be one of my all-time favorite white wines. (PE: 97)
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Lovely tropical fruits on the nose with a touch of honey and some oak. Very tasty mix of white fruits on the palate and the relatively high alcohol is very well concealed. Finishes strong with some oak on the back end but it isn't overly offensive in any way and in fact, it just adds to the overall complexity of the wine. It improved as it came up to room temperature from cellar temp. One of the best white wines I've had. I'd love to revisit this wine in a few years as I think it has potential to get even better.
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Drinking very well. Honeyed, funky nose, wonderful palate, rich, dry, some hints of apricot, some nuttiness. Very complex and pleasing wine that has really matured well over the past year. Not a hint of heat.
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remarkably consistent notes with my last tasting. spice and oak. maybe i can take my own advice and hold this wine for a while to see if it can integrate. unique wine, i imagine not for everyone, maybe even me.
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what a wonderful wine. full of fruit and great acid backbone. the viognier really sparks this wine to new and different levels. tropical fruits, peaches and pears, lavender and other floral character, a racy spiciness and a great rounded out palate. big on the palate but not flabby. finish continues on for some time without being hot or overly acidic. the viognier seems to linger on the finsh for a long time.
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IS SINE QUA NON THE GREATEST WINE IN THE WORLD? We go to school to find out!; 5/22/2009-5/25/2009: Big ol deliciously complex nose of fresh cut caramelized pineapple. Syrupy glycerin like apple with crushed walnuts and butterscotch. A finish of sweet pear and a hint of alcohol. Okay acidity. Everytime I took a sip i wanted to say it was over alcoholic but it wouldn't let me! It straddles the border of balanced big syrupy wine and an over oaked alcoholic wine. Damn you Sine Qua Non for teasing my palate!
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All I can say is WOW. It had a citrus-y nose, and initially I wasn't overtly impressed... until I tasted it. It's a remarkably complex wine, with layers and layers of flavor and the longest finish I've ever had on a white wine. This is really, really good.
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The most complex and rewarding white wine I have ever enjoyed. One can talk about the fruit all day, but it was the denseness and purity of the fruit that impressed me. It was like two glasses of wine stuffed into one. The aroma and palate was always evolving, complex and complete. I particularly liked the way the wine finished with a bitter lemon note. Just a complete and close to perfect wine. It seemed to lack for nothing.
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remarkably similar to the petition in as much as it was very spicy on opening, and then settled down. in fact, it was too much like the petition...it seemed to lack a personality of it's own. my first taste. some nuttiness and apricot mixed with a general citrus melange. the oak needs to settle down. i seem to like these wines with a bit more bottle age.
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Purchased off the list at Passionfish. If you ever find yourself in Monterey you HAVE TO EAT HERE. Casual atmosphere, service that is very professional. Sustainable seafood that absolutely rocks. The wine was served at the perfect temp. $110. Great bottle artwork impressed all. The wine is pale gold. Subtle lovely nose tropical fruit and brown sugar. Long tropical finish with some pear and hazelnut. Moderate apperant oak. Goes really well with the Crab salad and Sturgeon. YUM Followed with a glass of Baumard Quarts de Chaume and chamomile cream brulee. What a night.
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A clear hay yellow color this wine has an astonishing 15.8% alcohol. Aromas of green apples, melons, vanilla and hazelnut and on the palate green apples, vanilla, hazelnut and oak. Not exactly my style of wine, but for this style they did a good job. Should probably improve over the next 2 to 5 years.
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Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 2nd Annual (Le Paradou, Washington DC): my favorite of the whites (also the youngest, though i appreciated some of the aged whites, so i think that is just a coincidence) . stone fruit and more oak than some of the other whites -- but very well integrated. finish goes for 40 seconds, and although there was a little heat, i really liked the finish
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HDH BYO Dinner (Blackbird - Chicago IL): Tropical fruit aromas with sweet poached pear and hints of vanilla. Slightly less tropical on palate but still giving a slight sense of mango. Aromas were exciting, palate less so, still very fat but also a bit flabby.
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Hart Davis Hart BYO Dinner (Blackbird): Lovely rich complex nose. Tight balanced chardonnay / rhone blend. An interesting wine, especially alongside all the actual white rhones. The nose is more interesting than the palate here, but the wines holds its own.
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Hart Davis Hart – BYOB (Blackbird Chicago): Nice nose of sweet apple wrapped in vanilla toast. Big ripe wine pushing the edge. Flavor packed with apples, pear, and touch of mango. Slight hint of heat on finish. Nothing shy here. 93
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DAWGS - March (McKinney, TX): Light golden color. Burnt hay, light apple. Full bodied, creamy and oaky palate, butterscotch, a little fruit, good acidity, long caramel finish. Very good for this style, which is not mine.
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Opened and served immediately. Yellow color in the glass, slightly cloudy looking. Nose of brown spices, parafin and lychee. Flavors of pear and apricot core. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. Just a half step behind the previous bottle last week.
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This was the wine I was drinking while I was preparing dinner, so I didn't get as much time or quantity as I would have liked. However, it is still one of the best whites I've ever had, and definitely showed as well as the last bottle. It will be interesting to see how this ages, and I'll do my best to keep a bottle or two for the long haul, but it is so good now it's hard to keep my hands off.
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Opened and served immediately. Light yellow color in the glass, fairly clear looking overall. Nose of beautiful florals, sea foam, quince and a hint of brown spice. Later upon revisit added a lovely note of graham crackers. Flavors apricot core and brown spices intertwined with a solid base of minerality. Medium acidity and body. Drink or hold. This wine was all that and a bag of chips.
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This wine is showing even better than the last time I had it. beautifully full bodied white that just slides like oil through the mouth. Beautiful flavors of nectarines, apricots with a touch of donut glazing. Still preferable at about 55-60 degrees as it has beautiful aromatics. This one can battle the best of Aubert anyday.
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stunning nose-complexity of aged white burgundy, violets and tea-the downside is the heat. This wine seems to have a fair bit of alcohol and if not served quite chilled it seems a bit flabby
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boy did i love this bottle. what a nose. rich and flamboyant, loaded with tropical fruits, exotic spice and a wonderful hazelnut/nutty component. big lush palate the doesn't quit. again loaded with wonderful fruits and spicy nuttiness. the finsh just goes on and on. how can this disappoint anyone?
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Flamboyant and explosive aromatics of tropical fruits and lime. Rich and balanced on the palate, this wine is really a killer white with said aromatic flavors on a oily yet somewhat nervy frame. A really wonderful drink and I enjoyed several glasses of it! Thanks to Alex for sharing.
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Johnny brought this gem to Shaw's Seafood to enjoy with myself and Jill. I am incredibly excited for my first Sine Qua Non experience. The color is a deep gold. Lovely exotic aromas of lush tropical fruit, marmalade and coconut jump out of the glass. While showing lots of ripe fruit, there is a unique spicy floral note that is impossible to ignore. One of the most profound noses on any white I've experienced. The liquid is super viscous. The palate is sappy and desnse yet remains light on the finish with impeccable balance. Beautiful acidity and a roaring 15.8% alcohol are in perfect harmony. I am completely blown away by the luxurious and enriching experience this extraordinary white elixir has brought me. I'm officially hooked. Manfred...you ARE the man.
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Fantastic balance, rich, loaded with flavor. Buttery pit fruits, exotic spice, smoked hazelnut, peach blossom florals, lemon honeycomb, toasted vanilla marshmallow oak. Big and creamy, almost oily, but has crisp minerals and spice to balance. Seems richer than the Petition....not as much Viognier? Just fascinating to sip through a bottle.
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6 courses paired with SQN, Schrader, and Torbreck wines (Bellevue, WA): Popped and poured. The nose of this wine had citrus, tropical fruit, and perfumed/floral aromas with notes of green apple and oak. The palate had nice lemon/lime zest flavors with a light honeyed nuance and minerality that gained intensity through the long finish. The outstanding mouthfeel and acidity of this wine really complimented the Lobster Mac & Cheese that this was paired with. My first SQN white, and one of my favorite white wines to date!
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Wonderful, inviting nose. Huge fruit, but also has great acidity and structure. The finish lasts for minutes. It reminds me of Aubert on steroids - it has that intense minerally finish, but showing much less oak. Unbelieveable wine. I believe that this is the best SQN white (so far)- and I've had them all.
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My bottle kept getting better for the two and a half hours that it was open. Fantastic bottle of wine. This has density, richness, length and character. Really outstanding. Other bottles won't live to see 2010.
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Wow--spectacular wine. Neck-and-neck with the Rien Ne Va Plus as the best white I've had. Amazing balance and depth. Lemon oil, orange marmalade, lanolin, with zesty acidity and nutmeg and cinnamon. We guzzled this as it was hard to stop refilling the glasses. Will be interesting to see if it improves, but it's amazing right now.
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Soapy aromas of apricot and candle wax. Rich on the palate with a really fat midpalate. Fortunately, the acidity was there. A bit candied in flavor but fortified with vitamins and minerals on the finish.
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huge, wonderful floral aromatics. just the right amount of heat and well integrated. great zip on the fore palate. mid palate is full of flowers - honeysuckle, rose petal - and fuits like fig, pear and green apple. earth is nicely represented. finish is consistent but a bit short at present. can't wait for this in six months or so.
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Great bottle that improved in the glass and warmed up a bit and got some air. It was extremely fresh with citrus flavors and great acidity to last for the long haul. I think this will improve quite a bit with more age but it is tough to resist now.
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Big and chocked full of flavor and weight. oily yet tender, melon and tropical under the big heavy veneer of light smoke and a mouthfeel that left you feel like you were digging through it finding new stuff as long as you could concentrate. enjoyed it before dinner. not a crowd pleaser, not your run of the mill "oh this is great". a lot to think about with this. 2 glasses left in decanter in the fridge was still unfolding 24 hours later.
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Excellent wine....though we were taken aback by all the pepper and spicy notes during the first hour it was opened. The pepper soon wore off. Unique wine...very thick and butterscotchy. Will wait a year to open another. Enjoyed at La Belle Vie with KC and Tom.
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Excellent bottle. Definitely on the young side and needs at least an hour to open up but has plenty of promise. I would recommend drinking this a bit closer to room temperature as it allows the flavors and aromatics to come out.
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I get the smoke on the nose and butterscotch on the palate. For me, the acid is apparent, to the degree that it balances an otherwise huge experience. I noted an element of tropical fruit and the finish is endless. Thanks, Geof! I'm enjoying this alone tonight.
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BIG, HUGE wine. Marmalade and fruits in your face. Smoky oak also on the nose. Full-bodied. I always recommend to drink the SQN whites early, and this is no exception.
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I have to say I love Roussanne. This reminds me of a 99 Beaucastel Cdp Roussanne VV I had a while back. Floral and fruit marmalade perfectly integrated with great body and acidity.
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11/25/2020 - JRockEsq wrote: 83 Points
Method: tasted blind; 55 degrees; Burgundy glass
Look: medium gold; a ton of slow, skinny legs
Nose: bruise yellow apple, light brioche, light minerality, light salt, parsley, taragon
Palate: bruised yellow apple, salt, minerality; long finish of pepper, taragon; dry; medium+ body; high acidity; low- tannin; low+ heat
Overall thoughts: This has nice body and some interesting notes, but more heat than I think is acceptable in a white wine. For me, this is a mediocre wine, and everyone in the blind tasting was extremely disappointed when they found out what this was.
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11/9/2020 - Acohen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lots of rich fruit with great floral aromatics. Kept morphing in the glass from pear to apple to butterscotch on the finish. Definitively something to savor as it evovles
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10/15/2020 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
Served 45 minutes after opening. Really sweet nose of bubblegum, cotton candy, and vanilla, with some acetone. Also sweet and butter notes. After 2 hours a little metallic. Still some acidity on the palate and even a little grippy, and later slightly bitter. So exotic and interesting!
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11/16/2019 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
USA Syrah tasting in Vino and Friends. (By JK in Maastricht): Beautiful and complex bouquet with minerals, vanilla and oak. Same on the palate. A mouth full of wine with good acidity and a firm amount of alcohol. Firm and very special wine.
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7/19/2019 - cephomer wrote: 94 Points
Drank last nite at Copake with the kids on a whim. Still showing great--I'd forgotten the blend here, but the Rousanne is pretty obvious. Floral, spice, buttery popcorn, tropical fruit and apricots here. This is a big wine but plenty of acidity to offset the weight and heat. Distinctive and special
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4/28/2018 - jdorsey Likes this wine: 98 Points
Inn did brusas
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4/23/2017 - ews3 wrote: 95 Points
in a great spot right now. floral, flint, smoke, tropical, apricot. nice balance of primary and secondary right now. long finish. acidity keeps this remarkably fresh given the amount of weight on it.
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4/23/2017 - onboisduvin wrote: 90 Points
Very difficult to judge, not a typical napa white at all due to its blend with roussanne. Enough acidity with a bit of after-bitterness. Not enjoyed by most of the guests compared with Kistler 2013. After all, this is a very nice experience!
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12/9/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
We always seem to serve these a bit too cold to start but as it warmed up just got better and better. Full mouthful, lots of honey and white fleshy fruit. Very tasty. Has a long life in front of it. Will hold a bit on our last one.
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12/8/2016 - Lype wrote: 93 Points
Brilliant and interesting high quality wine, I like the butter popcorn aromas which give away chardonnay grapes in the blend.
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1/29/2016 - charleshetzel wrote: 95 Points
SQN White Birthday Weekend tasting in Vegas (Private Residence - Las Vegas, NV): This is my 3rd time trying the Hoodoo and it's best summed up as it's no longer the monster wine it once was. That is not necessarily a bad thing. At a monstrous 16% alcohol and a blend of Roussanne, Viognier, & Chardonnay, it came off as a wine intent on changing in the glass. This was a pop n pour served at the perfect temperature while decanting in the fridge. We were greeted with a wine of mid-pale yellow color, buttery and oily at first. Huge floral and tropical fruit bouquet with hints of honeysuckle, roses and peaches up front. I loved the figgy fruit initial palate but what struck me most was the pure acidity in the glass. What a great food wine this has become. I truly savored the butterscotch candy and lychee fruit combo with a slight hint of spice as the wine warmed up in the glass. I much preferred this wine the more it warmed up in the glass. Superb wine by an incredible winemaker.
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11/27/2015 - paulst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like a concentrated and acidic chardonnay; textured with some zippy lemon curd; high alc (15.8%); decent finish.
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8/3/2015 - ericindc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very ripe, strong oak, still very young, fresh and primary. In my opinion, too much chard. It was slightly unbalanced in the oak-fruit balance, alcohol was not terribly noticeable. It got better with air, and stabilized after an hour.
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7/8/2015 - Topper wrote: 88 Points
Agree with those who find this too over the top and unbalanced. A good attempt but ultimately failed at the goal of making great white wine.
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4/24/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Wine Dinner Extravaganza (North Lincoln Avenue Loft - Chicago IL): Very ripe and lush fruit, still surprisingly fresh, but I wasn't thrilled with the balance here.
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10/20/2014 - Ricky99 wrote: 96 Points
Wine of the night at recent Garces tasting at our house. Just an absolute stunner. Not sure why they stopped blending a little chardonnay into the SQN whites.
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9/20/2014 - arniec Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very Complex. Perhaps the nicest white from SQN I have had.
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8/29/2014 - pipegarcia Likes this wine: 98 Points
39% Roussanne, 31% Viognier and 30% Chardonnay. Uvas provienen de Alban y Eleven Confessions. Fermentado en barricas y con sus lías por 15 meses. Cuerpo amarilloso intenso y denso. Mantequillas flores blancas y frutas cítricas(limón verde). Aterciopelado en boca y bien balanceado. Caudalis kilométrico!!! Una joya
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8/14/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 86 Points
Eclectic Wine Dinner (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Powerful fruit but I don't think age has been kind. This was much better within a few years of release. Tonight this came across as too exotic and tropical for my tastes tonight, and the alcohol further accentuated with the fruit slightly softened with age.
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8/14/2014 - KenK wrote: 91 Points
Aromas of woody quality, dark rich dense heavy oily aromas.
Dense spicy warm waxy oily dark spices. Long fat rich. Hard to see this pairing with food as almost a meal on itself. Perhaps for a cold night with a heavy white bean soup not a summer sipper.
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1/31/2014 - dougie Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine. Expected a lot and it delivered. Impressed!
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12/23/2013 - rdsboca Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine rocked. It was so well integrated. Nudged out the 2006 Body and Soul. Classic white rhone varietals on palate and great harmonious lemon and citrus in mid palate. Loved this. My favorite SQN White to day. Remind myself to not drink these young and wait for 7 years of age plus.
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6/8/2013 - Knicksfan wrote: 94 Points
Sadly my last bottle....loved
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6/7/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: 95 Points
Needs some air--decanted about 30 minutes ahead of drinking, and the last glass (90 minutes after opening) was the best and this was still on the upswing. Out of the gate this was a bit reticent on both the nose and the palate, but it really came alive with tasty white peaches, floral elements, and some tropical notes. I think this has plenty of life left. (PE: 92 on the first taste, 96 on the last glass--give it air!)
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5/4/2013 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Huge, exotic nose of vanilla, floral notes and spice nose. Palate has rich fruit with a waxy body. Decent underlying acidity. Full bodied, waxy finish. Good wine in the SQN white style. Bad QPR.
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5/3/2013 - Wine Trader Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich & oily...Loads of complex flavors...Chilled right out of the bottle, Black pepper, jack cheese, pine needles, pineapple, Lysol lemon cleaner, hay, pound cake, nutty peanut butter on the back pallet. Very interesting dynamic wine. Awesome.
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1/12/2013 - tooch wrote: 76 Points
Saturday with David White (Domaine Wine Storage & Sun Wah - Chicago, IL): Intense nose of butterscotch, smoked nuts, and lemon oil. A real bruiser of a wine that punches you in the face with not only the flavors, but its alcohol and viscosity. Has the feeling of a butterscotch/lemon mixed drink.
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12/11/2012 - Ki Punwar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Again, quite a rich wonderful wine with lots of butterscotch. Really unique.
Love this wine.
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9/1/2012 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, rich, full-bodied citrus fruit with vanillin, honeysuckle, pear, and nutty flavors, excellent structure, slightly sweet
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8/28/2012 - onholiday wrote: 90 Points
Still has quite a bit of oak. Needed time to air. Initiall, metallic with oak and vanilla. As it warmed up to room temp (about 2 hours), the viogner came through with exquisite aromas that the palate just could not quite match. Still, it opened to acid, tropical friut, viscosity. Still had a metallic edge to it though. Day two...about the same
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8/6/2012 - Ki Punwar wrote: 95 Points
Massive wine. Really improves with air and as it warms up to air temp. Notes of lemon oil, honey/butterscotch, pineapple, a viscous, thick, wine.
On Day 2 even better. complex and full bodied. Not for everyone but I love this wine.
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8/5/2012 - dbg wrote:
Pale yellow color. Pineapple and honeysuckle on the nose. Full bodied, layered lush sweet fruit with good balancing acidity, a bit less of the "oily" consistency seen in a lot of white Rhone and SQN whites but it's in there, medium-long finish. Should drink well for a few more years. Outstanding.
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8/1/2012 - paulst wrote: 96 Points
A unique earth and fruit nose; complex; layers of complex fruit with lemon, honey, melon and light banana; long smooth round creamy finish.
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7/30/2012 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION Likes this wine: 95 Points
HUGE white wine. Honey, lemon zest, wet stones, and tropical fruit. An intense 15.8 ABV.
See more detail at
http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/26213287191
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7/1/2012 - cephomer wrote: 95 Points
Drank this wine with the Fredericks, in combo with Sublime Isolation. I wasn't sure of all the grapes in this blend, but 1 or my first impressions on sipping it was that there had to be a decent amount of viognier in there, and of course there is 31%, which gives it much of its spiciness and tropical fruitiness--especially pineapple. The wine showed a bright, honey-like yellow color, with a definite stony or mineral quality, and loads of vibrant fruit, lemon oil (maybe hint of cheesecake), on the nose and palatte; a viscous, dense-bodied and complex wine that only got better and better in the glass. The wine's multiple layers showed thru better I think as the wine warmed a bit. I loved this wine, but I would NOT recommend it without food. This wine didn't strike me as being overly hot, but that could be due to the fact that I drank the Sublime Isolation right after it--and that wine is very hot (15.7% hot to be exact)! My bud's comment was that this was like drinking a red wine that happened to be white. Truly an excellent example of how good SQN can be.
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6/29/2012 - Javachip wrote: 85 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 6/29/2012 (The University Club, San Diego): 15.8% alcohol. 39% roussanne, 31% viognier, 30% chardonnay. Clear light straw yellow. Grassy, cauliflower puree, acacia flower, butterscotch, baked white peach tart. Really not as enjoyable as some of those descriptors may imply. I struggled to make sense of this, and do not see Parker's 95 points at all. Maybe it's just my general antipathy toward white Rhones, but I found this to be rather graceless. It placed second-lowest among eight wines tonight.
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6/29/2012 - Racer117 wrote: 90 Points
Thanks to Whine-oh for opening this. Straw color. This smells of peach schnapps and tangerire. Low acidity, viscous body. Honeyed stone fruit flavors with brown/asian spices. Well made but I've found that White Rhone blends just don't float my boat.
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6/26/2012 - kenarn wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed this bottle with dungeness crab, Richard, Helen, Beth and Arden. Very Limey, with clean long finish. Suffered in comparison to the 2003 Sublime Isolation. Try again in a couple of years.
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5/4/2012 - jdlee1232 wrote: 96 Points
This is a beautiful wine -- dense, complex, vibrant.
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4/7/2012 - mdvino63 wrote: 92 Points
Huge and rich. A very flamboyant wine. The chardonnay is definitely noticeable. Pineapple is a great call and definitely the predominant fruit note, though this a real melange Nice minerality, and the lush richness is buffered by ok acid. Quite delectable. Thanks to Sujit.
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2/18/2012 - ShannonGroomes Likes this wine: 92 Points
These wines are just too big for my tase, but opened a '05 white and found it to be corked or really really off, so I tried this vintage to compare, this was MUCh better, opened nicely the warmer it got, toasted pineapple, maybe apricot too, rich , I like this big of a wine young.
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11/10/2011 - jdabrowski1027 wrote: 93 Points
SQN vs Rhone Dinner (BLT Steak, DC): This is a monster SQN white, just massive. The nose is like a lemon cheesecake with touches of honey. It's rather tight on the palate, but does have a good shot of acidity to keep it in check. The finish reveals a anise quality that comes across as slightly hot.
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10/3/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
White Rhone on steroids. Very ripe, but not as oily and unctuous as other SQN whites I've had. A wine that goes with everything yet nothing with regard to food pairing.
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9/23/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
Blending and Getting Blended in Las Vegas (Room 701, Marriott Grand Chateau, Las Vegas, NV): WIML93-94+/-
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of toast, lemon oil, brown spice, vanilla and yellow pears. Flavors of lemon oil, brown spices, yellow pears, yellow apples and a bit of minerals on the medium to long finish. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. I'd drink. Why not?
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9/18/2011 - cadamson wrote: 92 Points
Did not think I would care for the style....but, turned out pretty decent. Alcohol was reasonably hidden. Apricot, oily beeswax, a bit of butter. Yes, big, but pretty balanced and different.
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7/5/2011 - PIR wrote: 91 Points
not nearly as bright as it was in the past-don't know if these rhone varietals are tightening up/shutting down. Good, but a bit unremarkable.
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6/18/2011 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 4th Annual; 6/17/2011-6/18/2011 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): nose shows wax and apricot. oily palate of honeycomb, butter, and some overripe pear. could this already be declining? med (+) finish shows some heat.
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6/18/2011 - Rosengoo wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). This slightly oily wine was very buttery on the palate. It had a mid yellow colour to it with a very mild bouquet on the nose. I enjoyed this glass.
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5/1/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 87 Points
SQN Dinner (Lockkeepers): Light golden in color. The nose has a vanilla milkshake quality to it which I liked. Also some floral tones. This was served colder and perhaps that tamed the alcohol a bit. The finish had this "sherried" quality to it. With air and warmth, this got better and did not show more alcohol. I liked this more than the Kolibri, so perhaps these wines do need age to develop.
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4/21/2011 - phenricsson wrote: 95 Points
Drank the SQN The Hoodoo Man 06 together with the Kongsgaard VioRus 06. Two wines made by larger than life, genius winemakers. Same year and very similar grapes. Still the wines were very different. We were all very impressed with both wines, but they changed a lot over time and at different temperatures. At times we rated them between 92 and 97 points, but could not really agree on a favourite. Both wines were among the very best white wines from these varietals we’ve had. We felt that the Kongsgaard was slightly better at lower temperatures but the SQN needed to warm up a bit. The Kongsgaard was a bit cleaner with darker floral notes, lychees and some tropical fruits. Very thick and fat on the palate. Great, crisp acidity, especially chilled. Hoodoo Man was a bit more smoky and spicy, more pungent, almost musky. This was also very fat and thick but it also had the crisp, clean citrus together with marmalade and honey. At times you could taste the Chardonnay, especially when warmer. Both wines had a very intense and long aftertaste. Parker gave both of them 95 and I think we ended up around there as well, maybe both were closer to 96, but for sure we enjoyed the wines and the chance to try them side by side.
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4/14/2011 - St Paul wrote: 90 Points
Its good with a lot of burgundy flirting even though I think its Rausanne and Viognier in this as well as Chardonnay. Nice
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3/13/2011 - AtoZ wrote: 95 Points
yummy. honeysuckle and flowers... not oaky this time around. Drinking great. Barbara's birthday @ L.
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2/21/2011 - pchubb wrote: 93 Points
On the nose lemon oil and a combination of citrus and tropical fruit. the texture on the palate was viscous and oily, with a combination of butter, citrus, tropical fruit, and finally some oak on the finish.
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2/11/2011 - Winetex wrote: 91 Points
More oak integration than a previous bottle so this was quite a bit better.
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2/7/2011 - jonnyoro wrote: 92 Points
this wine is very big and the word oily comes to mind- an obviously intriguing blend, lovely citrus fragrance, and a little heat- more like an apertif for me but delicious nonetheless...
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12/26/2010 - sunalsorises wrote: 92 Points
Excellent acidity. Reminded me of Chenin Blanc from Loire. Not a good value.
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12/18/2010 - phenricsson wrote: 91 Points
Huge mouthfeel but not as expressive as the first bottle.
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12/4/2010 - ronlite wrote: 88 Points
Good, not great
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11/1/2010 - Bardamu wrote:
Not going to score this, sadly. I had been looking forward to drinking this wine for quite some time and it was, sadly, a terrible disapointment. Completely shut down, it gave off very little in terms of aromatic or flavour profile.
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10/23/2010 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Sine Qua Non Dinner: the Younger Wines (Custom House Tavern - Chicago IL): Smells and flavors of peach and pineapple, but with good spice alongside. Chardonnay seems to add a small sense of reserve to this otherwise flamboyant wine. Massive fruit from start to finish, some from fruit, probably as much from new oak. Rather nice and enjoyable, but I can't see this getting much better.
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10/23/2010 - scooter260 wrote: 94 Points
Enjoyed at TPC Sawgrass with brother at Ruth's Chris. Excellent. Viscous and heavy. Good start to the dinner.
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10/9/2010 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Massively tropical nose and palate. Really good spice helps keep the over-ripeness in check. I appreciate how well made and concentrated this wine is, but it is not my preferred style for white wine.
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10/9/2010 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Big viscous wine. Some apple cider action. Oaky, vanilla. The palate and nose both show monster tropical fruit.
Not as well integrated as the last bottle and a bit hot on the finish. A plump wine with lower acidity revealing a super rich taste.
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10/9/2010 - psmith wrote:
Topical, weighty feel. Lanolin. Waxy notes, and clearly a lot of alcohol though still reasonably drinkable and balanced. Heady. Full blown style. Nice.
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9/21/2010 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted in a flight with 2003 Sublime Isolation and 2007 Body and Soul. This is tremendously good wine expressing an almost fresh acidity and oiliness (from the Rousanne component), mature meadow flowers, nectar, lime and ice cream of pears (!). This is a truly honorable effort from Manfred Krankl with many years to go in the cellar. Highly recommended.
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9/1/2010 - mikeaukenbals wrote: 93 Points
At providence w rach and babs. Decanter and got better over course of 2 hours
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7/12/2010 - Knicksfan wrote: 94 Points
Strong fruit with good complexity and nice acid. A bit of oak but not distracting. Long finish - thoroughly enjoyed
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7/2/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 93 Points
As rich and any cali chardonnay out there. Lots of oak here for sure........However, the blend is able to walk the tight rope without going overboard. This wine has a smooth glycerine month feel which is really stunning. Quite unctious!
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6/25/2010 - jc-mmb wrote: 93 Points
while a very good bottle of wine, my least favorite bottle of hoodoo that i've had. great color. nose and palate show a little too much heat and oak. seems little out of balance-too brambly. finish still terrific and long, but lacking that sqn richness and pow. sounds like nit-picking, i know. i did like this but it really paled against body and soul.
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6/12/2010 - MarkC Likes this wine: 93 Points
This might be in a bit of a dumb phase, as it took a long time to open up and start to show its best. Still an outstanding wine, this bottle seemed a bit down compared to the last one. Plenty of rich, ripe fruit, hints of petrol, incredibly thick, mouthcoating texture while remaining light on its feet. After several hours it started to show even better--in retrospect I would have decanted this. (PE: 94)
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5/8/2010 - pakabear wrote: 93 Points
I quite like this except for the touch of heat at the end.
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5/8/2010 - Rosengoo wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/10). This was my least favourite of the three white wines served with dinner. Light in colour with a very mild floral bouquet. The wine was not overwhelming but I did catch a lemony taste at the end.
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5/8/2010 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 3rd Annual; 5/7/2010-5/8/2010 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): Honeysuckle and some citrus notes. Tropical fruit and butter, but with enough acidity to be refreshing, this had a medium, glycerin-rich finish -- longer than the Sublime Isolation. Paired with Caramelized Sunchoke Ravioli.
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4/27/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
TN: SQN, Terry Hoage, Aalto, Turley: This got better all night long. Popped and poured straight from the wine fridge, I bet its better today. Awesome nose! Almonds, orange rind, orange marmalade and a hint of lemon rind. With air, this morphed into the same flavors added to a vanilla shake. I really loved the nose. Even a slightly floral tone. On the palate, this needed to warm up to really show its stuff. Complex with layers of fruit. Really crisp and precise despite the immense size. There is a lot of alcohol but its not hot. Its shows in body and finish. Lovely white wine.
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4/10/2010 - last chance wrote: 95 Points
Blind California Cult Cabernet Tasting (Mill Creek, WA): Nice nose of tropical fruits and spice, with an oily and rich palate packed with lemon/lime flavors. There was a note of some spicy oak that really showed up on the long finish. There was a mention about about Viognier possibly being in the blend. I didn’t know that, but that may help explain the tropical fruit flavors that are on the nose. A really wonderful white wine. This was a little cold when I tasted it, but the quality was still very evident.
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4/4/2010 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine:
Super!
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3/14/2010 - RedLoverJim Likes this wine: 92 Points
A Very Rhone Sunday (Farpointe Cellar): Some flinty lemon aromas. Creamy flavors with a litte stone and pepperiness.
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3/14/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
Saturdays at One - Volume 12: WIML94
Opened and served immediately. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of wet stones, lychee, tropical fruits, a hint of spice and an added note of paraffin. Flavors of yellow pears, yellow apples, a little passion fruit with some minerals and spices. Medium to bright acidity, medium body. Drink or hold.
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3/14/2010 - mmurry Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose was a bit tight, but I did get citrus, apple, tropical fruit, and spice. The palate was earthy and buttery. It also had apple, citrus, and some spice on the finish.
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2/26/2010 - cct wrote: 94 Points
A chameleon of a wine. At first terribly (in a good way_) floral and screaming Roussanne, apricots, bananaas, honeysuckle, and ester-y stuff, with very rich palate presence, almost oily-butter type texture blended with great acidity and freshness that are almost a yen-yang thing of beauty. pulling it off quite well. Over time more of a Viognier floral prettiness more than the earlier brawn on the nose, becoming more lithe over a couple of hours, gaining focus and clarity. A complicated and delicious wine that is to use a painful phrase, outside the box for sure. Flat out lovely. Thanks Chuck. 94pts.
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2/19/2010 - Winetex wrote: 89 Points
Completely overoaked. Underneath the oak there was some beautiful fruit but it was quickly overwhelmed. Not really my preferred style but I get the attraction. Heat on the finish also detracted from the wine.
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2/15/2010 - scooter260 wrote: 90 Points
Monster nose. Thick and viscous. Tons of oak and butter and butterscotch. Really long finish at the end but a burnt aftertaste. Odd. Don't know what to make of this wine....two down, two to go. Enjoyed with Wakame sushi.
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2/14/2010 - jasonmalumed wrote: 93 Points
Drank at room temperature. The only thing that comes to mind when I think back about this wine is "expansive". It just seemed to keep growing in the glass, getting more and more interesting as I let it sit. In the mouth as well, just seemed to invade every single part of my palate. Beautiful deep golden yellow, with some slight cloudiness. On the nose, very beautiful and perfumey, lots of flowers, apple and different pome fruits, oak, eventually giving way to some real deal minerality as well with about an hour of opening up. On the palate, massive wine. Absurd mouthfeel, have never experienced a wine like this before. Definitely agree with an almost hazelnut component, along with apples, asian pear, lemon, and white creamed honey, and almost a white truffle note on the back end. Ate with the duck confit on a savory apple tart with a hen's egg and shaved truffle from Sovana Bistro in Kennett Square, PA and was honestly the single best wine pairing I have ever experienced.
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2/14/2010 - mike l. wrote: 91 Points
other people were more blown away than i, but this was a little boring, just a lot of oak and butter. it is fairly delicious and has a nice mouthfeel, but not complex or amazing enough to warrant the price or a huge score. nevertheless pretty fun even if poor qpr. id rather save up and buy a sqn red than 2 of their whites.
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2/13/2010 - stevetimko wrote:
On the nose, an oaky fart. Much swirling didn't open it up. The palate didn't match. There is some oak but there's also tropical fruit and some apple. A little bit of honey. Nice finish. Balanced but a huge wine. This was sent by overnight delivery from Pittsburg to Las Vegas and that may have exaggerated the flaws. If travel shock wasn't an issue, I'd say hold on to this wine to see if the oak resolves.
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2/12/2010 - christophee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big oak on the nose, palette and finish. Some carmel corn, herbaceousness and tropical fruit. Pleasantly aggressive mouthfeel. Fun…for some reason reminded me of Blazing Saddles quote, "Go do that voodoo that you do so well!" Opened-up for an hour and paired with Japanese cuisine.
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1/27/2010 - kstoddard wrote:
Blind Night: Cloudy fluorescent yellow color. Oaky tropical fruit nose. Taste of lemon and apple. Loads of toasted oak on the palate and mid palate. Full bodied. Alcoholic finish. Very heavy handed and tiring to drink. Respectfully unrated. 15.8% alcohol. My initial guess was a domestic Chardonnay. Wow, that says everything about this wine. Brought by Jeff.
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1/27/2010 - jeff nowak wrote:
yikes. going the wrong way. this was hot and an oak joke. what is going on?
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1/5/2010 - phenricsson wrote: 94 Points
Big, rich with a massive mouthfeel. Like glycerine in the mouth. Very long after taste. The layers of flavor just kept unfolding; lemon, hazelnuts and on the finish first minerals and then tropical fruits.
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1/4/2010 - JJL wrote: 92 Points
Drank with homemade chicken soup, but this time, the '05 Chave ended up in the broth and man was it good. The Hoodoo gives up absolutely nothing when it is cold. Must serve at almost room temperature to get the most from it. The nose was similar to the last bottle, lilies and honeydew. And the palate was oily like a Rhone blend typically is, with lots of spice and green flavors, very much like a scallion. Again the finish displays some nuttiness, like walnuts. Strange, but it actually seems to fill you up, tough to drink more than a glass.
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1/1/2010 - MarkC wrote: 94 Points
Is much better at room temp (i.e., around 70). Interesting to me how much it shuts down at a cooler temp. Another excellent bottle, although this one seems to be missing a bit of the verve of the previous ones. Honeysuckle, lemon oil, a bit of tangerine, with a waxy, mouthcoating texture. (PE: 93)
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12/11/2009 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
This was my 3rd bottle out of four, and it is stellar wine. Very rich, round, yet not cloying at all. It's hard to believe this is 16% alcohol, as there is not a trace of heat. Honey, quince, and nuts. This is a rich wine that serves well as a cocktail but then actually transitions to the dinner table quite well. This was actually a great match with potato latkes and apple sauce and even with roast chicken. Sigh, how patient will I be before I drink my last bottle?
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12/4/2009 - JJL wrote: 93 Points
They say don't cook with anything you would not drink. So the first glass of the bottle went into the pot with the chicken bones and vegetables for the stock base of tonight's homemade chicken soup. The rest of the bottle was consumed with the soup, and while it was a very good match, I think it would go even better with Turkey soup. With a belly full of goodness, I sat down and evaluated the wine. The nose is very floral and tropical with strong lily, honeydew and mango aromas. The palate is oily as to be expected for a white Rhone blend, a bit spicy and oaky, with some mushrooms and walnuts for good measure. This is a very good white, I think even better than the Chapoutiers that I have had, but I think the Chave '05 is better and the Chave '06 is amazing. In all, a good showing for an American Rhone blend.
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11/7/2009 - MarkC wrote: 97 Points
Still needs some air. At first, popped and poured, this was outstanding (95 points) but with air it really came on. Lemon oil and hazelnut predominate on the nose. The finish is simply rich, viscous, white and yellow citrus fruits with nutty elements and a bit of the tropics thrown in for good measure. I notice a bit of nutmeg or allspice as well. Continues to be one of my all-time favorite white wines. (PE: 97)
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10/29/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: 94 Points
Lovely tropical fruits on the nose with a touch of honey and some oak. Very tasty mix of white fruits on the palate and the relatively high alcohol is very well concealed. Finishes strong with some oak on the back end but it isn't overly offensive in any way and in fact, it just adds to the overall complexity of the wine. It improved as it came up to room temperature from cellar temp. One of the best white wines I've had. I'd love to revisit this wine in a few years as I think it has potential to get even better.
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10/29/2009 - Eric wrote:
Drinking very well. Honeyed, funky nose, wonderful palate, rich, dry, some hints of apricot, some nuttiness. Very complex and pleasing wine that has really matured well over the past year. Not a hint of heat.
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7/18/2009 - patwjr wrote: 94 Points
Need to give this one a few more years to come together. Very good, different, kept changing as we drank it over 1-2 hours.
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7/9/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
remarkably consistent notes with my last tasting. spice and oak. maybe i can take my own advice and hold this wine for a while to see if it can integrate. unique wine, i imagine not for everyone, maybe even me.
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7/7/2009 - jc-mmb wrote: 96 Points
what a wonderful wine. full of fruit and great acid backbone. the viognier really sparks this wine to new and different levels. tropical fruits, peaches and pears, lavender and other floral character, a racy spiciness and a great rounded out palate. big on the palate but not flabby. finish continues on for some time without being hot or overly acidic. the viognier seems to linger on the finsh for a long time.
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6/20/2009 - the godfather wrote: 89 Points
Served to warm and although complex, got nothing but heat
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6/16/2009 - quigley13 wrote: 96 Points
Even better than last time. Great juice.
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5/25/2009 - clayfu wrote: 93 Points
IS SINE QUA NON THE GREATEST WINE IN THE WORLD? We go to school to find out!; 5/22/2009-5/25/2009: Big ol deliciously complex nose of fresh cut caramelized pineapple. Syrupy glycerin like apple with crushed walnuts and butterscotch. A finish of sweet pear and a hint of alcohol. Okay acidity. Everytime I took a sip i wanted to say it was over alcoholic but it wouldn't let me! It straddles the border of balanced big syrupy wine and an over oaked alcoholic wine. Damn you Sine Qua Non for teasing my palate!
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5/19/2009 - DianeR wrote: 96 Points
All I can say is WOW. It had a citrus-y nose, and initially I wasn't overtly impressed... until I tasted it. It's a remarkably complex wine, with layers and layers of flavor and the longest finish I've ever had on a white wine. This is really, really good.
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5/16/2009 - mdstenner wrote: 96 Points
The most complex and rewarding white wine I have ever enjoyed. One can talk about the fruit all day, but it was the denseness and purity of the fruit that impressed me. It was like two glasses of wine stuffed into one. The aroma and palate was always evolving, complex and complete. I particularly liked the way the wine finished with a bitter lemon note. Just a complete and close to perfect wine. It seemed to lack for nothing.
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5/15/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 91 Points
remarkably similar to the petition in as much as it was very spicy on opening, and then settled down. in fact, it was too much like the petition...it seemed to lack a personality of it's own. my first taste. some nuttiness and apricot mixed with a general citrus melange. the oak needs to settle down. i seem to like these wines with a bit more bottle age.
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5/15/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 90 Points
Golden yellow color. Oak nose. Tastes of apple, lemon and orange. Spicy finish.
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4/17/2009 - Mike V wrote: 93 Points
Purchased off the list at Passionfish. If you ever find yourself in Monterey you HAVE TO EAT HERE. Casual atmosphere, service that is very professional. Sustainable seafood that absolutely rocks. The wine was served at the perfect temp. $110. Great bottle artwork impressed all. The wine is pale gold. Subtle lovely nose tropical fruit and brown sugar. Long tropical finish with some pear and hazelnut. Moderate apperant oak. Goes really well with the Crab salad and Sturgeon. YUM
Followed with a glass of Baumard Quarts de Chaume and chamomile cream brulee. What a night.
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4/12/2009 - Renegade wrote: 90 Points
A clear hay yellow color this wine has an astonishing 15.8% alcohol. Aromas of green apples, melons, vanilla and hazelnut and on the palate green apples, vanilla, hazelnut and oak. Not exactly my style of wine, but for this style they did a good job. Should probably improve over the next 2 to 5 years.
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3/28/2009 - ews3 wrote: 94 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 2nd Annual (Le Paradou, Washington DC): my favorite of the whites (also the youngest, though i appreciated some of the aged whites, so i think that is just a coincidence) . stone fruit and more oak than some of the other whites -- but very well integrated. finish goes for 40 seconds, and although there was a little heat, i really liked the finish
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3/26/2009 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
HDH BYO Dinner (Blackbird - Chicago IL): Tropical fruit aromas with sweet poached pear and hints of vanilla. Slightly less tropical on palate but still giving a slight sense of mango. Aromas were exciting, palate less so, still very fat but also a bit flabby.
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3/26/2009 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Hart Davis Hart BYO Dinner (Blackbird): Lovely rich complex nose. Tight balanced chardonnay / rhone blend. An interesting wine, especially alongside all the actual white rhones. The nose is more interesting than the palate here, but the wines holds its own.
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3/26/2009 - KenK wrote: 93 Points
Hart Davis Hart – BYOB (Blackbird Chicago): Nice nose of sweet apple wrapped in vanilla toast. Big ripe wine pushing the edge. Flavor packed with apples, pear, and touch of mango. Slight hint of heat on finish. Nothing shy here. 93
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3/25/2009 - crimedog wrote: 90 Points
DAWGS - March (McKinney, TX): Light golden color. Burnt hay, light apple. Full bodied, creamy and oaky palate, butterscotch, a little fruit, good acidity, long caramel finish. Very good for this style, which is not mine.
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3/21/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
DAWGS March 2009 - Rhone Varietals (WineWave's house in McKinney, TX): WIML93?
Tasted March 21, 2009 at an offline.
Opened and served immediately. Yellow color in the glass, slightly cloudy looking. Nose of brown spices, parafin and lychee. Flavors of pear and apricot core. Medium acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. Just a half step behind the previous bottle last week.
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3/21/2009 - MarkC wrote: 97 Points
This was the wine I was drinking while I was preparing dinner, so I didn't get as much time or quantity as I would have liked. However, it is still one of the best whites I've ever had, and definitely showed as well as the last bottle. It will be interesting to see how this ages, and I'll do my best to keep a bottle or two for the long haul, but it is so good now it's hard to keep my hands off.
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3/11/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
Oklahoma City Offline - 03/11/2009 (Can't really say...): WIML94
Tasted March 11, 2009 at an offline.
Opened and served immediately. Light yellow color in the glass, fairly clear looking overall. Nose of beautiful florals, sea foam, quince and a hint of brown spice. Later upon revisit added a lovely note of graham crackers. Flavors apricot core and brown spices intertwined with a solid base of minerality. Medium acidity and body. Drink or hold. This wine was all that and a bag of chips.
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3/9/2009 - thenapalist wrote: 95 Points
This wine is showing even better than the last time I had it. beautifully full bodied white that just slides like oil through the mouth. Beautiful flavors of nectarines, apricots with a touch of donut glazing. Still preferable at about 55-60 degrees as it has beautiful aromatics. This one can battle the best of Aubert anyday.
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2/28/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Craft NYC/LA Live (New York, NY): I enjoyed this more than the Aubert, but didn't love it like I did in January. Dirt again and some saline.
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2/28/2009 - PIR wrote: 93 Points
stunning nose-complexity of aged white burgundy, violets and tea-the downside is the heat. This wine seems to have a fair bit of alcohol and if not served quite chilled it seems a bit flabby
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2/26/2009 - jc-mmb wrote: 98 Points
boy did i love this bottle. what a nose. rich and flamboyant, loaded with tropical fruits, exotic spice and a wonderful hazelnut/nutty component. big lush palate the doesn't quit. again loaded with wonderful fruits and spicy nuttiness. the finsh just goes on and on. how can this disappoint anyone?
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2/26/2009 - jaimetown wrote: 92 Points
Flamboyant and explosive aromatics of tropical fruits and lime. Rich and balanced on the palate, this wine is really a killer white with said aromatic flavors on a oily yet somewhat nervy frame. A really wonderful drink and I enjoyed several glasses of it! Thanks to Alex for sharing.
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2/15/2009 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 94 Points
super oily with tons of complex flavor profiles, a bid herbal on the back end. excellent wine.
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2/15/2009 - the godfather wrote: 94 Points
heck of a penetrating nose, thck and waxy, very very yummy
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2/9/2009 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Johnny brought this gem to Shaw's Seafood to enjoy with myself and Jill.
I am incredibly excited for my first Sine Qua Non experience.
The color is a deep gold. Lovely exotic aromas of lush tropical fruit, marmalade and coconut jump out of the glass.
While showing lots of ripe fruit, there is a unique spicy floral note that is impossible to ignore. One of the most profound noses on any white I've experienced.
The liquid is super viscous. The palate is sappy and desnse yet remains light on the finish with impeccable balance. Beautiful acidity and a roaring 15.8% alcohol are in perfect harmony.
I am completely blown away by the luxurious and enriching experience this extraordinary white elixir has brought me.
I'm officially hooked. Manfred...you ARE the man.
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2/6/2009 - Mrbuzz wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic balance, rich, loaded with flavor. Buttery pit fruits, exotic spice, smoked hazelnut, peach blossom florals, lemon honeycomb, toasted vanilla marshmallow oak. Big and creamy, almost oily, but has crisp minerals and spice to balance. Seems richer than the Petition....not as much Viognier? Just fascinating to sip through a bottle.
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2/6/2009 - veniceslug1 wrote: 93 Points
Big rich and bold. Nice perfume but dominated by butter and richness.
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2/1/2009 - AtoZ wrote: 95 Points
First taste was oak and more oak. Rounded out though with spicey peppery fruit. Really enjoyed it. Drink for Summer BBQs. At L with D & SVe
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1/23/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
100 Pt Syrah - SQN and Northern Rhone (Dan and Amanda's Home): Very nice. This is a big, big wine and stood up to being tasted after the SQN reds (as well as before, of course). I loved it. I got lemon, straw, acid. Great mouthfeel.
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1/17/2009 - last chance wrote: 96 Points
6 courses paired with SQN, Schrader, and Torbreck wines (Bellevue, WA): Popped and poured. The nose of this wine had citrus, tropical fruit, and perfumed/floral aromas with notes of green apple and oak. The palate had nice lemon/lime zest flavors with a light honeyed nuance and minerality that gained intensity through the long finish. The outstanding mouthfeel and acidity of this wine really complimented the Lobster Mac & Cheese that this was paired with. My first SQN white, and one of my favorite white wines to date!
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1/6/2009 - PortFanatic wrote: 96 Points
Wonderful, inviting nose. Huge fruit, but also has great acidity and structure. The finish lasts for minutes. It reminds me of Aubert on steroids - it has that intense minerally finish, but showing much less oak. Unbelieveable wine. I believe that this is the best SQN white (so far)- and I've had them all.
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1/4/2009 - caldwell wrote: 98 Points
My bottle kept getting better for the two and a half hours that it was open. Fantastic bottle of wine. This has density, richness, length and character. Really outstanding. Other bottles won't live to see 2010.
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1/3/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 95 Points
Big but great balance. Typical awesome SQN mouthfeel and finish. Softer and more sexy than the Petition.
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1/3/2009 - MarkC wrote: 97 Points
Wow--spectacular wine. Neck-and-neck with the Rien Ne Va Plus as the best white I've had. Amazing balance and depth. Lemon oil, orange marmalade, lanolin, with zesty acidity and nutmeg and cinnamon. We guzzled this as it was hard to stop refilling the glasses. Will be interesting to see if it improves, but it's amazing right now.
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12/23/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 88 Points
Soapy aromas of apricot and candle wax. Rich on the palate with a really fat midpalate. Fortunately, the acidity was there. A bit candied in flavor but fortified with vitamins and minerals on the finish.
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12/18/2008 - jc-mmb wrote: 94 Points
huge, wonderful floral aromatics. just the right amount of heat and well integrated. great zip on the fore palate. mid palate is full of flowers - honeysuckle, rose petal - and fuits like fig, pear and green apple. earth is nicely represented. finish is consistent but a bit short at present. can't wait for this in six months or so.
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12/14/2008 - Phin wrote:
Very fresh and clean. Fantastic.
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11/30/2008 - quigley13 wrote: 95 Points
Great bottle that improved in the glass and warmed up a bit and got some air. It was extremely fresh with citrus flavors and great acidity to last for the long haul. I think this will improve quite a bit with more age but it is tough to resist now.
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11/27/2008 - AlexRed wrote: 94 Points
Big and chocked full of flavor and weight. oily yet tender, melon and tropical under the big heavy veneer of light smoke and a mouthfeel that left you feel like you were digging through it finding new stuff as long as you could concentrate.
enjoyed it before dinner. not a crowd pleaser, not your run of the mill "oh this is great". a lot to think about with this. 2 glasses left in decanter in the fridge was still unfolding 24 hours later.
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11/23/2008 - scooter260 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent wine....though we were taken aback by all the pepper and spicy notes during the first hour it was opened. The pepper soon wore off. Unique wine...very thick and butterscotchy. Will wait a year to open another. Enjoyed at La Belle Vie with KC and Tom.
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11/20/2008 - thenapalist wrote: 94 Points
Excellent bottle. Definitely on the young side and needs at least an hour to open up but has plenty of promise. I would recommend drinking this a bit closer to room temperature as it allows the flavors and aromatics to come out.
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11/15/2008 - sbbulldog wrote: 94 Points
I get the smoke on the nose and butterscotch on the palate. For me, the acid is apparent, to the degree that it balances an otherwise huge experience. I noted an element of tropical fruit and the finish is endless. Thanks, Geof! I'm enjoying this alone tonight.
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11/15/2008 - FakeAccount wrote: 95 Points
BIG, HUGE wine. Marmalade and fruits in your face. Smoky oak also on the nose. Full-bodied. I always recommend to drink the SQN whites early, and this is no exception.
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11/14/2008 - shadow wrote: 93 Points
velvet, dry, sweet, little heat at the finish, sipped at cellar temperature, will try chilled tomorrow, another orginal.
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11/9/2008 - win wrote: 90 Points
Lots of butterscotch, and deep flavors....seemed like a thicker wine with very little acidity. Almost over the top.
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11/7/2008 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Spicy, oily and intense. This is not much of a note, but this is one heck of a serious white wine.
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11/4/2008 - wizard8080 wrote: 98 Points
I have to say I love Roussanne. This reminds me of a 99 Beaucastel Cdp Roussanne VV I had a while back. Floral and fruit marmalade perfectly integrated with great body and acidity.
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