Part of a steakhouse dinner. We had this with some lobster bites, onion rings, and scallops. PnP and chilled. Note copied below.
"GORGEOUS nose. Beeswax, white fruit and white stone, lemon oil. Palate is voluptuous and very full. Dried apricots, yellow florals, beeswax. Acidity is rather quiet but that’s what Rhone varietals offer. Great quality but not my preference. 94+ quality. "
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TN: Nose shows plenty of citrus, stone fruit and honeysuckle. Palate shows lots of rich, unctuous citrus oil and stone fruit (apricot and peach) with hints of honeycomb and some spice. Nice medium-long finish....love SQN! 95-95+ for my discerning palate! Drinking extremely well right now...I will likely drink my last bottle in the next 1-3 years.
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Cracking the whip; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Eagan, MN): N: Peeled, fresh and ripened clementines with a subtle injection of dark honey. A bit of zest as well that adds nice complexity to the aromas, giving it some nice bitterness and an additional boost of citrus.
P: A gentle creaminess with a fresh lift coats the palate with deep white and dark yellow melons, aged citrus notes (while still maintaining freshness), a touch of honey and bitter wax. Everything leads into the finish, where a bit of spiced tree bark gets introduced.
The palate has an essence of orange and other citrus notes, with a nice intensity and freshness at the same time. These seem to age really well. If the weightiness can thin out as this ages more, while keeping the freshness, this would be amazing with even more time.
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Non-chardonnay white wine (Craig's yard): Unctuous, the nose is insane, rich, dense. Absolutely fantastic if you like big wines. Regrettably, it did get woody, slightly bitter and alcoholic as the bottle warmed up.
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This was a treat! Typical SQN texture, i.e., viscous, honey-like mouthfeel that coats the tongue. A Rhone blend that features lots of Roussanne and other white varietals. Cork was saturated and crumbly, but wine was superb!
Color was medium golden yellow. Nose showed white flowers, tropical fruits and some mild spice and spring rain. Palate showed lots of tropical fruits (pineapple and honeyed mango seemed prominent). Wine had a hint of sweetness, but enough acidity that it was more of an after-thought. The wine also showed layers of beeswax, some bread dough and some mild cedar notes. All in all, a pleasure to drink, and squarely in my wheelhouse!
95, and likely peaking right now! I would suggest drinking up in the next year or so based on this bottle. A very pleasant surprise for an American white wine with this kind of age on it!
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Mature golden yellow color. Notes of tangerine, quince, ripe orchard fruit, citrus and pear. The palate follows the bouquet in terms of flavors, with a rich, weighty texture. Terrific.
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Dried pineapple, still some fresh tropical fruit, spice (allspice, white pepper). Temperature important here — too cold and it doesn’t show enough, too warm and the alcohol is prominent). Long finish
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SQN & BBQ (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe with moderate structure, giving it fleshy textures that are rich and nicely dense, just slightly lacking brightness. Drink up.
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Tasted non blind. Followed over about two and a half hours.
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Graham crackers, brown spices, waxy yellow pears and lychee. Flavors of yellow pears, lychee, creme brûlée and minerals on the lengthy finish. Medium to bright acidity, full bodied. Drink now. Might be able to hold longer if you wish but I can't imagine this wine getting any better than it is right now. Drinking beautifully and picked up a point since my last visit.
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Braxton Cellars Cellar Raid (Libertyville, IL): Robust. Moderate dark yellow color. Funky nose with some nicely integrated oak. Peach fuzz, sense the white pepper from the Viognier with some age. Palate is lighter and more supple than many SQN whites. Nice lift on the finish. A uniquely elegant SQN white this time around. Really enjoyed.
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Raid the Braxton Cellar (Braxton Cellar - Libertyville IL): Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe and lots of butterscotch coming through at this age that I thought detracted from the overall balance vs when tasted a few years back. Still enjoyable, but absolutely time to drink up.
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This clear and mid golden coloured wine was poured using the Coravin. The nose was dominated by honey and some wheat. In the glass were lighter citrus flavours of lemon, peaches, graham crackers mixed with some honey which gave it a lovely warmth. I really enjoyed this wine.
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At ten years of age, I was really worried that this might be falling apart, but this was a really strong showing. Pretty massive and rich, but in a way that is totally appropriate to the style. The fruit skews very tropical, with big mango and pineapple notes, that all have a cartelized air to them, along with smoke notes, oak notes, baking spice and a touch of honey. The acid is pretty squarely medium, but there is enough to keep this from getting bloated. This does a very good job of handling the high alcohol, which seems totally integrated and was a big improvement from the bottle I had several years ago. Given the overall concentration, this seems to have several good years left in it, but it was drinking very well right now.
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The 2008 Kolibri is actually quite amazing stuff and a totally adorable effort. It builds upon a voluptuous heritage with balance and integration as keywords. This effort is certainly very well balanced and expresses an almond, lemon oil like palate and a rich profound texture. Like most whites from SQN, this effort reminds me of a northern Rhône white, but it is actually so much more than that... Most likely, this wine has a decade to go in the cellar. Bravo! (score is 94+)
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drank side by side with body and soul 2007.... this was the better of the two but both were fantastic.. this showed its bouquet and its many layers of flavor much more clearly and was less "hot"
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My last bottle, open in bottle for 4hrs...69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier...last had this in 2011, noticed some heat, and wasn't up to the high standards. This bottle at age 9 is going out in style! Beautiful youthful aged shimmering gold with green hue... rich and buttery mouthful of pitted orchard(apricot, peach) fruit, as well as baked apple. The acidity is still intense, nice cut through the rich fruits. Still shows some heat though, little cocktail fume at times, noticeable but not offensive. Exotics abound! Smoked hazelnuts, white honey butter, flint strike...as well as the florals...honeysuckle, jasmine, agave. This is a great age for these wines...and letting them come to room temp from the fridge is key. Always a pleasure!
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Opened 30 min to stand and air, stored nicely at 12-ish degrees C and probably served 14-15C. At first, on the nose it has intense jammy summer fruits, alongside honey, sandy minerals, hint of camphor and spice. The palette is equally good, with a wide range of notes and flavors - apple slices, nuts, glycerin, savory compote, buttered shellfish, woodfired oak - it keeps evolving in the glass. Excellent length to carry through the flavours, and seamless integration with oak which was present but not overpowering.
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nice and toasty nose, with a little manuka honey, very ripe and alcoholic, floral, almost a little peachy and stone fruit. After opening up more, there was more sweetness and became so buttery. Beautiful.
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USA 1995 (@ JK): Dark yellow. In the bouquet floral, but also vegetable soup, broth, celery, anise and salty licorice. On the palate a very special wine with caramel, exotic fruits, litchi, some sweetness, but also something salty. Very special and beautiful. (Tasted and scored fully blind.)
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Although usually approach SQN whites with caution this was a very nice surprise. Very much the Rhine white it sets out to be, evolved but still with some fresh feel to it. Felt a lot older than a 2008 vs a Rhine white and we would have guessed a lot older if it was blind. Nice waxy texture, very nice acidity , lovely ripe fruit. Light citrus, mineral edge. Very good and better have this sooner than later. 94
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I'm a fan of the SQN reds but the whites always leave me looking for more balance. I appreciate the attempt to approximate a rhone white and get almost all of the notes and flavors that others have noted. It's just that, for me, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. They just don't seem to come together into a delicious wine. Had the same reaction to it whether with food or without food. At the very least, I can save some money by passing on the SQN whites in the future and leave more for the rest of you who like it more.
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Not my favorite style. Way too rich and oily, without the acidity level I like with my whites. There is also too much heat for my preference on the back end here. The tropical fruit notes are intense. The nose is the best part here. It's just so out of whack. No balance.
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SQN - Legends: Jammy exotic fruit with a huge lack of acidity. It still tastes nice but it seemed quite muted and a little strange on this day. The oily fruit was to much without the acidity coming through. Should perhaps have been decanted way longer but that is just a guess.
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2015 Wine Dinner at Kingstons (Fairfield, CT): A really nice white rhone blend. Poured the bottle into 5 glasses 30 mins prior to consumption. I got a lot of wax and tropical fruits. Thick in mouthfeel. Finish has some acidity. Saved some for later when it got to room temperature. I think it drank the best somewhere between room temp and cellar temp. It has several more years ahead of it, but drinking well at the moment.
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Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of waxy yellow pears, light notes of apricot and a hint of sea foam. Flavors of yellow pears, kumquats and minerals. Medium acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold. Maybe splash decant right before serving to wake her up a little.
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Honeysuckle, clove, vanilla, baking spices on the nose, this wine continues to open with time in the glass. I might even consider a short decant. It massive, at 14.9%, it will stand up to any food you put it against. It seems to completely lack acidity, but I rather like massive white wines of this style from time to time. It's bold and masculine
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What a white ! Nose of sandalwood, honey, berries, shellfish and nectar. Mouth was filled with glycerin, honeyed leather, a hint of star anise to give the taste definition. And it just kept on going hours after the pour. Simply amazing stuff.
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Very big, lush & tropical. This really took about 45 minutes or so to really open up and really could use a quick decant in the future. At its best, this had big notes of ripe pineapple, lemon, ginger, slight honey and baking spices in perfect harmony. However, this is a continually changing wine and you are going to get hit with awkward sips with way too much alcohol. On balance, I'll take the good with the bad, because the "good" is really spectacular. With the acid and the concentration of all the other elements, this could probably age for quite a long time. Because of the full bodied nature of this wine, it was served a little towards the warmer side, in the future, I'd opt to go a little colder to tamp down some of the alcohol and rely on the abundance of fruit to push through. The 94 probably represents the medium between the spectacular and the disappointing.
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Color: very light straw color and likely unfiltered. Yellow diamond.
Nose: Llmony citrus, central coast floral, and minerals
On the pallet: wonderful saline minerals, agave nectar, middle eastern citrus, dry summer wild flowers, and soft spices on the tongue. Very long mineral finish that makes you want more.
A spectacular effort not to be missed.
Now, if I could just get on that damn mailing list!
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Drinking perfectly now and feels like it has a couple more years in it. Popped and poured two glasses at lunch, vacuvin in and chilled until evening when it was even better. Gorgeous.
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In my opinion this needs more time. Amazing as that may sound, SQN whites are long lived and get better with time. Find when Manfreds whites are young they can be acidic and a little tart. With time that settles and his whites are among the best on the planet. Will give my remaining 4 bottles at least 3 more years before I try another.
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I love this wine, I have had it probably 5 times this year and it keeps getting better!! When opened it was almost sweet, never tasted that but after about 10 minutes it wore off and was just beautiful.
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When first opened, very closed. My wife didn't like it at first but it opened up very nicely. About an hour later is was very nice though still an unusual white.
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SQN makes a white that dares to be different. Complex, bold - it changed a lot over the night. I got peach and lychee flavors with a medium long finish. A strong wine by itself or with light fare.
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The wine looks Yellow colored. The legs are Medium. The body is Light/Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. Multiple layers of fruit/stonefruit crushed rocks/minerality and that complex flavor profile of a Roussane. The wine finishes Medium. Very impressive!
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A very complex and good wine indeed! The sweetness was borderline on being too much for me. Had it been drier I would have rated it higher. But all in all very impressing!
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A Post 50th Birthday Celebration with Friends (The Grunzweig Wine Room, Los Olivos): Golden hued and inviting when poured, the nose was more tropical than floral, with notes of lychee, pineapple, honey and a touch of petrol/mineral oil as the viognier arrived to the party. Lush and unctuous honey and waxy coconut in the mouth, and a noticeable touch of heat. After a while, some marzipan and faint cloves. Impressively long finish. I very much enjoyed this but did find it utterly transformatory relative to other roussane-led wines I've enjoyed.
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Berserker Fest Friday Dinner - SQN Table (Blue Star Bistro - Chicago, IL): Fragrant, more yellow colored fruit. Lovely funk and damp earth. So much intense compote, peach. Fuzzy peach, and in your face. Palate is long and layered. Very balanced. Cantaloupe action with coconut, and vanilla city. Long finish. Killer mouth feel.
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Chicago Berserkerfest Dinner (Blue Star Bistro - Chicago IL): Floral and perfumed start. Big and fat ultra-ripe fruit flavors, making the palate slightly less exciting than the nose. Powerful with good concentration. Most tasters' Wine of the Flight, myself included, although most others enjoyed this more than I did tonight.
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Not a whole lot of specifics, but i will say that this is the second occasion that i have had this, the previous being about 2.5 years ago. The wine was good then, though a bit funky. Yesterday night it was singing ... great acidity, some citrus, spice (clove?) and layers of other flavors. Definitely enjoyable. Color was a darkened / golden yellow.
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Anniversary Dinner (The Anvil Club, East Dundee, IL): Pulled the cork about two hours prior to dinner, poured a small taste and put the cork back in. Upon opening, florals dominated the bouquet and the palate was full of bright citrus oil qualities. A couple of hours later, teh aromas turned to mineral oil, citrus, apple and florals with a lanolin-like undertone. Apple, melon, lanolin and clove qualities on the palate. 90-92 pts.
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Tasted at cellar temp and it didn't live to its potential. Put it on ice for an hour and it finally revealed itself. Honeysuckle, mandarin, and passion fruit.
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A complex wine with wonderful floral notes. It had an oily type consistency but a very nice complex taste. It developed more and more in the glass and was enjoyed by all.
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Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour. Light-medium gold. Peaches, flowers, rubber, honey on the nose. Full body, rich ripe fruit, spice and honeyed floral notes follow the nose plus a hint of licorice, oily palate-coating presence, great balancing acidity and fruit hide the alcohol well, medium-long finish. Should continue to drink well for many years. Outstanding.
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Misc Tasting: Intense and dense honeyed nose with a touch of vanilla and hints of rubber and liquorice-root. Dense on the palate with candied rubber a lot of honey and and again a hint of spicy vanilla. Complex flowery notes also coming through but also a very concentrated style. Impressive but seems to lack a lot of acidity for my taste. However an interesting wine that should be able to age for a very long time!
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Johnny brought this to Devon for dinner with Dana for Restaurant Week. Second time trying this wine in the last year and I must be honest, this did not perform nearly as well as the last time around. The nose wasn't nearly as pronounced as last time around. Some nice underlying earth and honeyed apple and pear. Spice on the nose as well. Different and not your typical fruit forward wine. Palate brought more to the table. More of that dark roasted nuts and apples with vanilla and some sweet cinnamon and nutmeg baking spice. Long finish. Low acidity and high alcohol. Rich and thick. Nice but not up to par.
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I opened this while cooking for Thanksgiving, and it didn't get much play from my guests. So here I sit a couple of days later with half a bottle that hasn't really budged. Massive stone-fruit character. Very Viognier driven aromatics. Oily, peppery and spicy on the palate. Amazingly unctuous with a honeyed, spicy character. Definitely a ringer for a super-serious and flambyant Hermitage ala Chapoutier. Fascinating wines that seem to need a lot of age.
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Just a Friday with buddies (Austin, TX): Oily and dense. Nose of pineapple, lychee, lemon oil, mango. On the palate, very heavy with flavors of lemon curd, peaches, white fruit, and a big whack of oak. Finishes with a nice acidic lift that balances the whole package. If I had these I would be holding them for a while to let the oak integrate better. Very well made and a definite treat.
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Oily, dense and chewy, this white has a lot of stuffing. Some tropical fruits but good bit of marzipan and citrus oil mixed in with a bit of food wax. Long finish that is lingers on the palate - flirts with the edge of being a little too heavy but has enough acidity to avoid any flabbiness. These are so fun to drink!
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Cracked on my wife's 40th. First SQN white. And what a singular white! Like so many of the best wines, this gave you something different every time you went back to the glass. Sometimes like sucking on a hard butterscotch candy, sometimes like breathing in honeysuckle flowers. Thought at first that the sweetness might overpower, but the acidity gave it amazing balance. It is a credit to Manfred Krankl that he can produce wine with such mouthfeel, intensity and balance. A total winner.
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a very xciting white indeed. Deep gold and straw. Nose is full of white flowers and apricot. This is rich and heavy but not too much. It needs some spicy food. We had it with fried fish in creamy horseraddishsauce.
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Some Cornas and other Northern Rhones (Fuel, Wilmette IL): nose: rich and interesting nose filled with tones of warm honey, waxy tones, brioche, creams and some liqueur tones. Not what I would expect from a white rhone blend but still very good
taste: full bodied with a very fat feel and low acid. Very rich and complex with tones of creams, warm honey, wax, and a whole lot of brioche
overall: very different from white rhones i've had in the past, but extremely good nonetheless. This was a large wine and could use a few years to really come into balance
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San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 5/24/2012 (French Market Grille, Rancho Bernardo, California): 70% roussanne, 30% viognier. Clear light golden yellow. Exuberant bouquet of clover honey, tangerine, mango, jasmine. Unctuous, sauternes-like mouthfeel with flavors of nougat, minerals, pear and fresh cream. Tasted like, and paired well with, the crepes suzette for dessert. Also a nice compliment to lobster. I imagine this would also pair well with veal sweetbreads and perhaps foie gras. Tied for SECOND PLACE tonight. It's funny to see how frequently the word "very" appears in SQN tasting notes. All of these wines are "very" something. Except ordinary.
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Northern Rhone Varietals (Fuel - Wilmette, IL): This tastes like french toast...and I love french toast. The Rhone blend has a big nose of cream, toffee, and apple cider. Certainly not traditional, but I found this really nice. Great length and depth - don't expect minerality.
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Rich, delicious, full-bodied, intense dried apricot/pear fruit with pine nut, honey, sweet butter, and spice flavors, high viscosity, excellent structure, clearly a fruit bomb, this is more of an after dinner wine
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JT is having a baby (Houstons - Irvine, CA): Given all the positive reviews here on CT this wine is clearly well liked. But to be honest, I don't really get it. For to my palate, the wine seems a bit too manipulated, too overworked. The result for me is a compact and muddled palate and an overall lack of freshness. That said, there are some interesting aromatic elements to it -- some good, some not so good, such as dried apricots (yum), nectarines (yum), toasted marshmallow (no), and cotton candy (ok). Dry in the mouth, with some nice acidic citrus fruits, but the finish is extremely bitter and alcoholic. I'm glad I got to try it, but this is not a wine that I would buy for myself.
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An evening with Sine Qua Non (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Slightly less honorable and noble than the Body & Soul. Peach-yoghurt, banana-candy, marshmellow, limoncello, tiny hint of liquor-infused chocolate, floral notes of orangeblossom and jasmine. Wonderful nose, in the mouth it's searching for balance. It's a tad hot at the moment. Beautiful young wine, though. 18/20
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Very impressive wine. Like a high end white Rhone, but at the very top. Matched very well with the Haddock, but also stood alone very well. Just wish I had more. Wonderful floral and melon flavors, smooth viscous mouthfeel, complex aromatics. Just a joy.
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Rhone Dinner (Sun Wah Chinese BBQ): Johnny brought this to Sun Wah for our Rhone dinner with Jill and Greg too. Somewhat limited tasting notes. Lovely aromatics. Tropical fruit and just clean fresh air on an island. Stoney wet brioche laced with some butter and fresh lime zest. The palate is well endowed and really uniquely Old World in some bizarre ways. The wine was all about balance. There was not too much of any particular aspect - fruit, earth, rock, alcohol, acidity. Everything just...worked. I absolutely loved this wine and I almost agree with Parker who placed this at 97 pts.
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69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier.......this shows a little more heat than I remember last? Might be my palate tonight. Rich and fresh pit fruit(apricot, peach, nectarine) as well as some baked apple and pear. Has beautiful florals of honeysuckle and jasmine...and drips with wild honey butter, smoked marshmallow, and some toasted hazelnut. Plenty of crisp orange citrus acidity to lift the rich fruit...but there is a sharpness to it, as well as that alc heat. Not the "perfect" balance that you expect from SQN. Again, might just be my palate at this given time....I do love the flavors...just not up to standard for me. I think some Chardonnay in the blend would have helped tone down some of the sharpness.....glad to see MK going back to it!
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Beautiful bouquet with yellow fruits and good freshness. On the palate mild with soft tropical fruits, some honey and tart lime. Also some soft candy acidity which I usually don't like, but in this wine it is in its place. Complex and elegant wine. Still very youthful.
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Thanks Blue Oval for sharing another SQN with us. Pale color with an initially reticent bouquet. Eventually opened a bit in the glass with aromas of apple, blanched almond, waxy white fruit and minerals...Rhonish. Flavors of white fruits and minerals, developing an acetone quality on the finish. 89-90 pts.
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Tough to imagine what food this would pair with. Wild and wooly, big, greasy white Rhone flavors. Like a Beaucastel VV blanc on steroids. The complexity in this is off the charts, I just wish there was a bit more elegance.
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Wow! Past SQN white have been a little on the sloppy side, but this one is beautiful! Powerful and well put together... showing very well now. Best dry white SQN ever?
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). A very young with with potential. This was fairly deep in colour with a lemony nose to it. Very smooth on the palate where the lemons continued to show. Light in alcohol with a hint of a sour aftertaste. I would like to try this again in a year or so.
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nose of lychee and petrol, and on the palate pear, tropical fruit, touch of wet stone and honey, and minerality with nice acidity. it was amazing the weight and viscosity of this wine yet the silky texture. 96-97
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Fresh and elegant. What a treat. Drinking very nicely, but the lack of Chardonnay in this vintage does miss some dimensions compared to the vintages with Chardonnay.
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SQN Dinner (Lockkeepers): Golden in color, a bit darker than I would expect. The nose had a golden raisins note to it and alcohol. On the palate, this is slightly bitter. Tons of alcohol and a hot finish. With air, it smoothed out a bit and picked up a waxy note. Others liked this far more than I did and I suspect this will round out ore with age. Not my cup of wine though.
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On first opening, I thought this was chardonnay, as it was only showing some pear, nuttiness, straw, and some butteriness. With time, the nose blossomed with riper pear, apricot, honey, mineral, hazelnut, mineral, and white flowers. Showed a real balance of body and finesse across the midpalate, with a long pleasing finish. Yowsa.....
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Popped and poured. Haystack straw yellow-gold in the glass. Pineapple, flower notes, and a wet stone nose. Full bodied with a lanolin mouth feel. Thick without being heavy. White stone fruits, light honey flavor, some pineapple/tropical fruit notes, a mineral/stony streak and good acidity. Pleasant finish where the minerality comes through. This is pretty full throttle and will be better with some time in the bottle. California meets white Hermitage. Not a wine for everyone, but I like it.
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Really enjoyed this but not as much as the first bottle. Tropical fruit flavors burst fromt he glass. Pineapple, lemon, citrus with great acidity. I found it a bit hot and somewhat cloying.
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With a deep gold hue, the honeysuckle, floral, peach, vanilla and petrol nose opens to a full bodied, robust, sweet, spicy, cantaloupe and petrol flavored wine. This is a blend of 69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier. This wine is not for everyone, but if you like a full throttle style of white Rhone, it could be up your alley.
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Wineterfest 2011: Wine "C" of the white flight. Added to contrast with the chards of the flight. More golden color than the others. Nose of butterscotch, honey, maple, and some smokiness. Mouth echoed the nose - butterscotch, smokiness, honey, hint of citrus and banana. Also some chalkiness / minerality. Delicious. 3 1sts, 3 seconds.
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Orange marmalade, pineapple, lemon curd on palate with amazing acidity. On the nose, along with the tropical fruit, a beautiful array of field flowers. Color was somewhat cloudy. I would have guessed Roussanne if tasted blind.
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Like the hummingbird on the label looking for the perfect sip, golden color, nose has yet to show it self, flavors, just a kiss, not a food wine, flavors are easy to miss with anything thrown their way, on their own, just a pleasure to sip and enjoy, pure spring time and nectar in a bottle.
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Good wine with soaring aromas of honey, clove spice, and sweet citrus. Smooth and round on the palate with good weight. I prefer some acidity in my whites which this was lacking, however, I can see how this could be a highly rated wine for those who prefer this style.
Slightly cloudy and not too deep in colour, this wine was poured 30 minutes after opening. Very well balanced with notes of vanilla and honey. No edges to it at all but got smoother after a short time in the glass. I enjoyed this and am curious how it drinks in another six months to a year.
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12/14/2023 - Rbhan12 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Part of a steakhouse dinner. We had this with some lobster bites, onion rings, and scallops. PnP and chilled. Note copied below.
"GORGEOUS nose. Beeswax, white fruit and white stone, lemon oil. Palate is voluptuous and very full. Dried apricots, yellow florals, beeswax. Acidity is rather quiet but that’s what Rhone varietals offer. Great quality but not my preference. 94+ quality. "
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10/20/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Marvin (WineBurrowingWombat) Visits Minnesota; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Jason's House): Amazing wine for a 2008 white wine....of course, it is SQN, and therefore a Rhone blend. I like this wine; it is a nice alternative to Chardonnay! Every bit as good as last bottle!
TN: Nose shows plenty of citrus, stone fruit and honeysuckle. Palate shows lots of rich, unctuous citrus oil and stone fruit (apricot and peach) with hints of honeycomb and some spice. Nice medium-long finish....love SQN! 95-95+ for my discerning palate! Drinking extremely well right now...I will likely drink my last bottle in the next 1-3 years.
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10/20/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 96 Points
Cracking the whip; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Eagan, MN): N: Peeled, fresh and ripened clementines with a subtle injection of dark honey. A bit of zest as well that adds nice complexity to the aromas, giving it some nice bitterness and an additional boost of citrus.
P: A gentle creaminess with a fresh lift coats the palate with deep white and dark yellow melons, aged citrus notes (while still maintaining freshness), a touch of honey and bitter wax. Everything leads into the finish, where a bit of spiced tree bark gets introduced.
The palate has an essence of orange and other citrus notes, with a nice intensity and freshness at the same time. These seem to age really well. If the weightiness can thin out as this ages more, while keeping the freshness, this would be amazing with even more time.
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9/18/2023 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
Non-chardonnay white wine (Craig's yard): Unctuous, the nose is insane, rich, dense. Absolutely fantastic if you like big wines. Regrettably, it did get woody, slightly bitter and alcoholic as the bottle warmed up.
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9/17/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a treat! Typical SQN texture, i.e., viscous, honey-like mouthfeel that coats the tongue. A Rhone blend that features lots of Roussanne and other white varietals. Cork was saturated and crumbly, but wine was superb!
Color was medium golden yellow. Nose showed white flowers, tropical fruits and some mild spice and spring rain. Palate showed lots of tropical fruits (pineapple and honeyed mango seemed prominent). Wine had a hint of sweetness, but enough acidity that it was more of an after-thought. The wine also showed layers of beeswax, some bread dough and some mild cedar notes. All in all, a pleasure to drink, and squarely in my wheelhouse!
95, and likely peaking right now! I would suggest drinking up in the next year or so based on this bottle. A very pleasant surprise for an American white wine with this kind of age on it!
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9/18/2022 - Sennma wrote:
This has become a wine that is more about its lovely texture than the fruit components.
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12/13/2021 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow! So fragrant! A little acetone and alcoholic on the nose. Ripe on the palate.
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4/4/2021 - bettyandrodger wrote:
How lucky am I to receive this gift from a friend! Beautiful caramelized mango and burnt honey notes. A true joy to sip and savor.
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3/5/2021 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Mature golden yellow color. Notes of tangerine, quince, ripe orchard fruit, citrus and pear. The palate follows the bouquet in terms of flavors, with a rich, weighty texture. Terrific.
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10/20/2020 - eadsaaron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Past peak, but still rather good. Long finish, with matches, pineapple, marzipan, coconut.
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1/25/2020 - ews3 wrote: 92 Points
Dried pineapple, still some fresh tropical fruit, spice (allspice, white pepper). Temperature important here — too cold and it doesn’t show enough, too warm and the alcohol is prominent). Long finish
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8/17/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
SQN & BBQ (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe with moderate structure, giving it fleshy textures that are rich and nicely dense, just slightly lacking brightness. Drink up.
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7/26/2019 - RAD2626 wrote: 92 Points
Honey colored. Complex taste. Can taste the Viognier highlights. Beautiful distinct wine.
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6/29/2019 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional dinner group; Best bottles in white and red. (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): In the bouquet some glue and yellow fruits. On the palate caramel, butter, a lot of sweetness and acidity. Very full bodied and a great length, but the wine lacks refinement imho for a higher score.
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3/6/2019 - wineismylife wrote: 95 Points
WIML95
Tasted non blind. Followed over about two and a half hours.
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Graham crackers, brown spices, waxy yellow pears and lychee. Flavors of yellow pears, lychee, creme brûlée and minerals on the lengthy finish. Medium to bright acidity, full bodied. Drink now. Might be able to hold longer if you wish but I can't imagine this wine getting any better than it is right now. Drinking beautifully and picked up a point since my last visit.
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3/3/2019 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Braxton Cellars Cellar Raid (Libertyville, IL): Robust. Moderate dark yellow color. Funky nose with some nicely integrated oak.
Peach fuzz, sense the white pepper from the Viognier with some age. Palate is lighter and more supple than many SQN whites.
Nice lift on the finish. A uniquely elegant SQN white this time around. Really enjoyed.
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3/3/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Raid the Braxton Cellar (Braxton Cellar - Libertyville IL): Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe and lots of butterscotch coming through at this age that I thought detracted from the overall balance vs when tasted a few years back. Still enjoyable, but absolutely time to drink up.
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12/23/2018 - Rosengoo wrote: 94 Points
This clear and mid golden coloured wine was poured using the Coravin. The nose was dominated by honey and some wheat. In the glass were lighter citrus flavours of lemon, peaches, graham crackers mixed with some honey which gave it a lovely warmth. I really enjoyed this wine.
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9/22/2018 - Seafoam Manor wrote: 95 Points
At ten years of age, I was really worried that this might be falling apart, but this was a really strong showing. Pretty massive and rich, but in a way that is totally appropriate to the style. The fruit skews very tropical, with big mango and pineapple notes, that all have a cartelized air to them, along with smoke notes, oak notes, baking spice and a touch of honey. The acid is pretty squarely medium, but there is enough to keep this from getting bloated. This does a very good job of handling the high alcohol, which seems totally integrated and was a big improvement from the bottle I had several years ago. Given the overall concentration, this seems to have several good years left in it, but it was drinking very well right now.
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8/3/2018 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 2008 Kolibri is actually quite amazing stuff and a totally adorable effort. It builds upon a voluptuous heritage with balance and integration as keywords. This effort is certainly very well balanced and expresses an almond, lemon oil like palate and a rich profound texture. Like most whites from SQN, this effort reminds me of a northern Rhône white, but it is actually so much more than that... Most likely, this wine has a decade to go in the cellar. Bravo! (score is 94+)
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3/24/2018 - Ishara wrote: 95 Points
Impeccable bottle. Rich notes of honey, melon, apricot.
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2/20/2018 - Ricky99 wrote: 95 Points
drank side by side with body and soul 2007.... this was the better of the two but both were fantastic.. this showed its bouquet and its many layers of flavor much more clearly and was less "hot"
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8/1/2017 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle, open in bottle for 4hrs...69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier...last had this in 2011, noticed some heat, and wasn't up to the high standards. This bottle at age 9 is going out in style! Beautiful youthful aged shimmering gold with green hue... rich and buttery mouthful of pitted orchard(apricot, peach) fruit, as well as baked apple. The acidity is still intense, nice cut through the rich fruits. Still shows some heat though, little cocktail fume at times, noticeable but not offensive. Exotics abound! Smoked hazelnuts, white honey butter, flint strike...as well as the florals...honeysuckle, jasmine, agave. This is a great age for these wines...and letting them come to room temp from the fridge is key. Always a pleasure!
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5/18/2017 - bengti Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened 30 min to stand and air, stored nicely at 12-ish degrees C and probably served 14-15C. At first, on the nose it has intense jammy summer fruits, alongside honey, sandy minerals, hint of camphor and spice. The palette is equally good, with a wide range of notes and flavors - apple slices, nuts, glycerin, savory compote, buttered shellfish, woodfired oak - it keeps evolving in the glass. Excellent length to carry through the flavours, and seamless integration with oak which was present but not overpowering.
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5/17/2017 - Peech Likes this wine: 96 Points
nice and toasty nose, with a little manuka honey, very ripe and alcoholic, floral, almost a little peachy and stone fruit. After opening up more, there was more sweetness and became so buttery. Beautiful.
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12/30/2016 - tcarter Likes this wine: 98 Points
In a perfect drinking window. Showing exceptionally well right now. Lush and balanced. Held up well over the course of 4 hours.
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9/24/2016 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
USA 1995 (@ JK): Dark yellow. In the bouquet floral, but also vegetable soup, broth, celery, anise and salty licorice. On the palate a very special wine with caramel, exotic fruits, litchi, some sweetness, but also something salty. Very special and beautiful. (Tasted and scored fully blind.)
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1/27/2016 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Although usually approach SQN whites with caution this was a very nice surprise. Very much the Rhine white it sets out to be, evolved but still with some fresh feel to it. Felt a lot older than a 2008 vs a Rhine white and we would have guessed a lot older if it was blind. Nice waxy texture, very nice acidity , lovely ripe fruit. Light citrus, mineral edge. Very good and better have this sooner than later. 94
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8/28/2015 - Topper wrote: 89 Points
I'm a fan of the SQN reds but the whites always leave me looking for more balance. I appreciate the attempt to approximate a rhone white and get almost all of the notes and flavors that others have noted. It's just that, for me, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. They just don't seem to come together into a delicious wine. Had the same reaction to it whether with food or without food. At the very least, I can save some money by passing on the SQN whites in the future and leave more for the rest of you who like it more.
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6/6/2015 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Not my favorite style. Way too rich and oily, without the acidity level I like with my whites. There is also too much heat for my preference on the back end here. The tropical fruit notes are intense. The nose is the best part here. It's just so out of whack. No balance.
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5/19/2015 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
Really really good, less minerals than the body & soul, but rally powerful, yellow fruit, good stuff!
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5/9/2015 - canan wrote: 92 Points
SQN - Legends: Jammy exotic fruit with a huge lack of acidity. It still tastes nice but it seemed quite muted and a little strange on this day.
The oily fruit was to much without the acidity coming through. Should perhaps have been decanted way longer but that is just a guess.
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4/28/2015 - sayward Likes this wine: 94 Points
2015 Wine Dinner at Kingstons (Fairfield, CT): A really nice white rhone blend. Poured the bottle into 5 glasses 30 mins prior to consumption. I got a lot of wax and tropical fruits. Thick in mouthfeel. Finish has some acidity. Saved some for later when it got to room temperature. I think it drank the best somewhere between room temp and cellar temp. It has several more years ahead of it, but drinking well at the moment.
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4/17/2015 - tcarter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Peter Bothe's 40th Birthday (Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak in Glendale): Phenomenal.
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3/10/2015 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind with dinner.
Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of waxy yellow pears, light notes of apricot and a hint of sea foam. Flavors of yellow pears, kumquats and minerals. Medium acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold. Maybe splash decant right before serving to wake her up a little.
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2/14/2015 - ShannonGroomes Likes this wine: 95 Points
wow, tasted cotton candy, peach, finished clean
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11/30/2014 - CManthei wrote: 94 Points
Honeysuckle, clove, vanilla, baking spices on the nose, this wine continues to open with time in the glass. I might even consider a short decant. It massive, at 14.9%, it will stand up to any food you put it against. It seems to completely lack acidity, but I rather like massive white wines of this style from time to time. It's bold and masculine
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10/29/2014 - bengti Likes this wine: 100 Points
What a white ! Nose of sandalwood, honey, berries, shellfish and nectar. Mouth was filled with glycerin, honeyed leather, a hint of star anise to give the taste definition. And it just kept on going hours after the pour. Simply amazing stuff.
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10/24/2014 - Seafoam Manor wrote: 94 Points
Very big, lush & tropical. This really took about 45 minutes or so to really open up and really could use a quick decant in the future. At its best, this had big notes of ripe pineapple, lemon, ginger, slight honey and baking spices in perfect harmony. However, this is a continually changing wine and you are going to get hit with awkward sips with way too much alcohol. On balance, I'll take the good with the bad, because the "good" is really spectacular. With the acid and the concentration of all the other elements, this could probably age for quite a long time. Because of the full bodied nature of this wine, it was served a little towards the warmer side, in the future, I'd opt to go a little colder to tamp down some of the alcohol and rely on the abundance of fruit to push through. The 94 probably represents the medium between the spectacular and the disappointing.
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10/19/2014 - Ricky99 wrote: 96 Points
Wine of the Night in our Garces event.... just an absolute beauty
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10/19/2014 - Ricky99 wrote: 94 Points
Great glass of wine but failed to surpass the Kolibri and Hoodoo Man
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8/15/2014 - Hodad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Color: very light straw color and likely unfiltered. Yellow diamond.
Nose: Llmony citrus, central coast floral, and minerals
On the pallet: wonderful saline minerals, agave nectar, middle eastern citrus, dry summer wild flowers, and soft spices on the tongue. Very long mineral finish that makes you want more.
A spectacular effort not to be missed.
Now, if I could just get on that damn mailing list!
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8/1/2014 - sbbulldog wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful blend magically showing the best of both grapes. Deathbed request. Double yum.
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7/23/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
My tasting notes included honeycomb, bee's wax, touch of citrus nose, sweet subtle fruit, floral nose, and everyone liked it.
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6/6/2014 - Dale B. wrote: 94 Points
This is better than previous bottles. The sharp edges have softened and there are layers of rich, chewy fruit. Decanted for 1 hour.
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3/29/2014 - mavericksane wrote: 94 Points
Drinking perfectly now and feels like it has a couple more years in it. Popped and poured two glasses at lunch, vacuvin in and chilled until evening when it was even better. Gorgeous.
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3/25/2014 - Kemo Sabe wrote: 92 Points
In my opinion this needs more time. Amazing as that may sound, SQN whites are long lived and get better with time. Find when Manfreds whites are young they can be acidic and a little tart. With time that settles and his whites are among the best on the planet. Will give my remaining 4 bottles at least 3 more years before I try another.
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2/28/2014 - patwjr Likes this wine: 95 Points
PnP. Not revealing at first, but over 2 hours of drinking the bottle opened up beautifully, more fruity at the end. Everyone LOVED it!
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12/19/2013 - Bull Dog 21 Likes this wine: 96 Points
I love this wine, I have had it probably 5 times this year and it keeps getting better!! When opened it was almost sweet, never tasted that but after about 10 minutes it wore off and was just beautiful.
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11/28/2013 - agbailey Likes this wine:
When first opened, very closed. My wife didn't like it at first but it opened up very nicely. About an hour later is was very nice though still an unusual white.
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11/3/2013 - gunnm Likes this wine: 93 Points
SQN makes a white that dares to be different. Complex, bold - it changed a lot over the night. I got peach and lychee flavors with a medium long finish. A strong wine by itself or with light fare.
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11/2/2013 - buckeye76 wrote: 96 Points
FLORAL NOSE WITH CITRUS AND VANILLA. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE. VERY RICH WINE, ALMOST THICK WITH NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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10/28/2013 - Geoff Likes this wine: 96 Points
The wine looks Yellow colored. The legs are Medium. The body is Light/Medium. The wine has Smooth texture. Multiple layers of fruit/stonefruit crushed rocks/minerality and that complex flavor profile of a Roussane. The wine finishes Medium. Very impressive!
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10/13/2013 - Lord Rodney wrote: 93 Points
A very complex and good wine indeed! The sweetness was borderline on being too much for me. Had it been drier I would have rated it higher. But all in all very impressing!
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9/21/2013 - Sennma wrote:
Feels like this bottle is closing down for a bit...not nearly as good as the bottle last fall. Will let the others rest for a bit.
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7/29/2013 - leadpencil wrote: 95 Points
Golden color, full bodied with balanced acidity. Peach, honeysuckle, coconut, waxy finish.
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5/24/2013 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 91 Points
A Post 50th Birthday Celebration with Friends (The Grunzweig Wine Room, Los Olivos): Golden hued and inviting when poured, the nose was more tropical than floral, with notes of lychee, pineapple, honey and a touch of petrol/mineral oil as the viognier arrived to the party. Lush and unctuous honey and waxy coconut in the mouth, and a noticeable touch of heat. After a while, some marzipan and faint cloves. Impressively long finish. I very much enjoyed this but did find it utterly transformatory relative to other roussane-led wines I've enjoyed.
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5/17/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Berserker Fest Friday Dinner - SQN Table (Blue Star Bistro - Chicago, IL): Fragrant, more yellow colored fruit. Lovely funk and damp earth. So much intense compote, peach. Fuzzy peach, and in your face.
Palate is long and layered. Very balanced. Cantaloupe action with coconut, and vanilla city. Long finish. Killer mouth feel.
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5/17/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Chicago Berserkerfest Dinner (Blue Star Bistro - Chicago IL): Floral and perfumed start. Big and fat ultra-ripe fruit flavors, making the palate slightly less exciting than the nose. Powerful with good concentration. Most tasters' Wine of the Flight, myself included, although most others enjoyed this more than I did tonight.
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5/3/2013 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Sine Qua Non Dinner, volume II (Maloney & Porcelli, NYC): continues to be one of my favorite of the SQN whites (perhaps behind Petition?). Pineapple and stone fruit.
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4/29/2013 - agbailey Likes this wine:
Not a whole lot of specifics, but i will say that this is the second occasion that i have had this, the previous being about 2.5 years ago. The wine was good then, though a bit funky. Yesterday night it was singing ... great acidity, some citrus, spice (clove?) and layers of other flavors. Definitely enjoyable. Color was a darkened / golden yellow.
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4/26/2013 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Anniversary Dinner (The Anvil Club, East Dundee, IL): Pulled the cork about two hours prior to dinner, poured a small taste and put the cork back in. Upon opening, florals dominated the bouquet and the palate was full of bright citrus oil qualities. A couple of hours later, teh aromas turned to mineral oil, citrus, apple and florals with a lanolin-like undertone. Apple, melon, lanolin and clove qualities on the palate. 90-92 pts.
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4/26/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Opened by Allred at Anvil for 5th anniversary. Lovely floral notes with a creamy sensation. The Viognier really showed well in this blend. Lovely.
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4/26/2013 - Vino Me wrote: 87 Points
Allred. 69% Rousanne and 31% viognier. Rhone nose. Cinnamon. Malty. Lacking in fruit. No heat on finish this time. 87 points.
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4/21/2013 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
For what this was, it was interesting and amazing. Very well made. Waxy white Rhones just aren't my shtick.
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4/16/2013 - HRT wrote:
Amazing wine. Rich, caramelized, lovely wine.
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3/30/2013 - Dnathanson wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at cellar temp and it didn't live to its potential. Put it on ice for an hour and it finally revealed itself. Honeysuckle, mandarin, and passion fruit.
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3/26/2013 - brynmair Likes this wine: 96 Points
A complex wine with wonderful floral notes. It had an oily type consistency but a very nice complex taste. It developed more and more in the glass and was enjoyed by all.
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3/19/2013 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pop and pour. Light-medium gold. Peaches, flowers, rubber, honey on the nose. Full body, rich ripe fruit, spice and honeyed floral notes follow the nose plus a hint of licorice, oily palate-coating presence, great balancing acidity and fruit hide the alcohol well, medium-long finish. Should continue to drink well for many years. Outstanding.
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2/8/2013 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Misc Tasting: Intense and dense honeyed nose with a touch of vanilla and hints of rubber and liquorice-root.
Dense on the palate with candied rubber a lot of honey and and again a hint of spicy vanilla.
Complex flowery notes also coming through but also a very concentrated style.
Impressive but seems to lack a lot of acidity for my taste.
However an interesting wine that should be able to age for a very long time!
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2/2/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Johnny brought this to Devon for dinner with Dana for Restaurant Week.
Second time trying this wine in the last year and I must be honest, this did not perform nearly as well as the last time around.
The nose wasn't nearly as pronounced as last time around. Some nice underlying earth and honeyed apple and pear. Spice on the nose as well. Different and not your typical fruit forward wine.
Palate brought more to the table. More of that dark roasted nuts and apples with vanilla and some sweet cinnamon and nutmeg baking spice. Long finish. Low acidity and high alcohol. Rich and thick. Nice but not up to par.
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12/22/2012 - HRT wrote:
Lovely honeysuckle nose. Pear, apricot, nectarine on the palate. Rich and lush.
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11/22/2012 - Eric Likes this wine:
I opened this while cooking for Thanksgiving, and it didn't get much play from my guests. So here I sit a couple of days later with half a bottle that hasn't really budged. Massive stone-fruit character. Very Viognier driven aromatics. Oily, peppery and spicy on the palate. Amazingly unctuous with a honeyed, spicy character. Definitely a ringer for a super-serious and flambyant Hermitage ala Chapoutier. Fascinating wines that seem to need a lot of age.
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11/7/2012 - Melli wrote: 96 Points
Fabulous wine to drown my election sorrows
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10/5/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 92 Points
Just a Friday with buddies (Austin, TX): Oily and dense. Nose of pineapple, lychee, lemon oil, mango. On the palate, very heavy with flavors of lemon curd, peaches, white fruit, and a big whack of oak. Finishes with a nice acidic lift that balances the whole package. If I had these I would be holding them for a while to let the oak integrate better. Very well made and a definite treat.
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8/3/2012 - madeiradog wrote: 92 Points
Oily, dense and chewy, this white has a lot of stuffing. Some tropical fruits but good bit of marzipan and citrus oil mixed in with a bit of food wax. Long finish that is lingers on the palate - flirts with the edge of being a little too heavy but has enough acidity to avoid any flabbiness. These are so fun to drink!
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7/31/2012 - DHutch wrote: 95 Points
Yummy stuff.
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7/8/2012 - prelypchan Likes this wine: 96 Points
Cracked on my wife's 40th. First SQN white. And what a singular white! Like so many of the best wines, this gave you something different every time you went back to the glass. Sometimes like sucking on a hard butterscotch candy, sometimes like breathing in honeysuckle flowers. Thought at first that the sweetness might overpower, but the acidity gave it amazing balance. It is a credit to Manfred Krankl that he can produce wine with such mouthfeel, intensity and balance. A total winner.
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7/5/2012 - Sennma wrote: 96 Points
This wine has really come together with some time in the bottle. My favorite white SQN.
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6/10/2012 - Lord Rodney wrote: 93 Points
a very xciting white indeed. Deep gold and straw. Nose is full of white flowers and apricot. This is rich and heavy but not too much. It needs some spicy food. We had it with fried fish in creamy horseraddishsauce.
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5/24/2012 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Some Cornas and other Northern Rhones (Fuel, Wilmette IL): nose: rich and interesting nose filled with tones of warm honey, waxy tones, brioche, creams and some liqueur tones. Not what I would expect from a white rhone blend but still very good
taste: full bodied with a very fat feel and low acid. Very rich and complex with tones of creams, warm honey, wax, and a whole lot of brioche
overall: very different from white rhones i've had in the past, but extremely good nonetheless. This was a large wine and could use a few years to really come into balance
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5/24/2012 - Javachip wrote: 93 Points
San Diego WineSpectator.com Offline, 5/24/2012 (French Market Grille, Rancho Bernardo, California): 70% roussanne, 30% viognier. Clear light golden yellow. Exuberant bouquet of clover honey, tangerine, mango, jasmine. Unctuous, sauternes-like mouthfeel with flavors of nougat, minerals, pear and fresh cream. Tasted like, and paired well with, the crepes suzette for dessert. Also a nice compliment to lobster. I imagine this would also pair well with veal sweetbreads and perhaps foie gras. Tied for SECOND PLACE tonight. It's funny to see how frequently the word "very" appears in SQN tasting notes. All of these wines are "very" something. Except ordinary.
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5/24/2012 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone Varietals (Fuel - Wilmette, IL): This tastes like french toast...and I love french toast. The Rhone blend has a big nose of cream, toffee, and apple cider. Certainly not traditional, but I found this really nice. Great length and depth - don't expect minerality.
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5/21/2012 - phenricsson wrote: 94 Points
Big, fat, rich and aromatic, but still vibrant and fresh. Very impressive.
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3/24/2012 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious, full-bodied, intense dried apricot/pear fruit with pine nut, honey, sweet butter, and spice flavors, high viscosity, excellent structure, clearly a fruit bomb, this is more of an after dinner wine
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3/20/2012 - Paul Lin wrote:
JT is having a baby (Houstons - Irvine, CA): Given all the positive reviews here on CT this wine is clearly well liked. But to be honest, I don't really get it. For to my palate, the wine seems a bit too manipulated, too overworked. The result for me is a compact and muddled palate and an overall lack of freshness. That said, there are some interesting aromatic elements to it -- some good, some not so good, such as dried apricots (yum), nectarines (yum), toasted marshmallow (no), and cotton candy (ok). Dry in the mouth, with some nice acidic citrus fruits, but the finish is extremely bitter and alcoholic. I'm glad I got to try it, but this is not a wine that I would buy for myself.
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12/10/2011 - jkoenen wrote: 92 Points
An evening with Sine Qua Non (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Slightly less honorable and noble than the Body & Soul. Peach-yoghurt, banana-candy, marshmellow, limoncello, tiny hint of liquor-infused chocolate, floral notes of orangeblossom and jasmine. Wonderful nose, in the mouth it's searching for balance. It's a tad hot at the moment. Beautiful young wine, though. 18/20
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12/10/2011 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 95 Points
SQN Kolibri 2008 () Kleur: Vol goudgeel Aroma / bouquet: Prachtig, voor een jonge wijn een bijzonder indrukwekkende complexiteit, caramel / butterscotch, tropisch geel fruit, royaal houtgebruik maar niet storend in deze 'smaakexplosie' Smaak / Afdronk: Opvallend frisse aanzet, tegelijkertijd dik en rijp, filmend, mooie balans. Maar kan m.i. nog beter worden. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooi glas, mijns inziens kindermoord. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 95/100
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12/3/2011 - Geoff wrote: 97 Points
Very impressive wine. Like a high end white Rhone, but at the very top. Matched very well with the Haddock, but also stood alone very well. Just wish I had more. Wonderful floral and melon flavors, smooth viscous mouthfeel, complex aromatics. Just a joy.
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11/11/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Rhone Dinner (Sun Wah Chinese BBQ): Johnny brought this to Sun Wah for our Rhone dinner with Jill and Greg too.
Somewhat limited tasting notes. Lovely aromatics. Tropical fruit and just clean fresh air on an island. Stoney wet brioche laced with some butter and fresh lime zest.
The palate is well endowed and really uniquely Old World in some bizarre ways. The wine was all about balance.
There was not too much of any particular aspect - fruit, earth, rock, alcohol, acidity. Everything just...worked.
I absolutely loved this wine and I almost agree with Parker who placed this at 97 pts.
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11/1/2011 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 91 Points
69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier.......this shows a little more heat than I remember last? Might be my palate tonight. Rich and fresh pit fruit(apricot, peach, nectarine) as well as some baked apple and pear. Has beautiful florals of honeysuckle and jasmine...and drips with wild honey butter, smoked marshmallow, and some toasted hazelnut. Plenty of crisp orange citrus acidity to lift the rich fruit...but there is a sharpness to it, as well as that alc heat. Not the "perfect" balance that you expect from SQN. Again, might just be my palate at this given time....I do love the flavors...just not up to standard for me. I think some Chardonnay in the blend would have helped tone down some of the sharpness.....glad to see MK going back to it!
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10/8/2011 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful bouquet with yellow fruits and good freshness. On the palate mild with soft tropical fruits, some honey and tart lime. Also some soft candy acidity which I usually don't like, but in this wine it is in its place. Complex and elegant wine. Still very youthful.
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10/5/2011 - Vino Me wrote: 88 Points
Brought to an offline by Blue Oval. A concentrated wine with spice and pear notes. Detected some alcohol and heat on the finish. 88 points.
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9/17/2011 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Big and rich, but all the parts in balance. Exotic and spicy accents overlay chewy white fruits. Fresh finish.
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9/3/2011 - Knicksfan wrote: 93 Points
Very enjoyable. Nice complexity and backbone.
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8/27/2011 - AllRed wrote: 89 Points
Thanks Blue Oval for sharing another SQN with us. Pale color with an initially reticent bouquet. Eventually opened a bit in the glass with aromas of apple, blanched almond, waxy white fruit and minerals...Rhonish. Flavors of white fruits and minerals, developing an acetone quality on the finish. 89-90 pts.
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8/13/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
Tough to imagine what food this would pair with. Wild and wooly, big, greasy white Rhone flavors. Like a Beaucastel VV blanc on steroids. The complexity in this is off the charts, I just wish there was a bit more elegance.
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8/9/2011 - jlgnml wrote: 90 Points
Nice color, good nose, semillion flavor on the palate, got better in the glass.
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7/11/2011 - Knicksfan wrote: 93 Points
Love it. Floral, asian spices, tropical....so much complexity and no flab.
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7/10/2011 - patwjr wrote: 95 Points
PnP a half glass, then decanted two bottles for 1.5 hours. The half glass at first wasn't showing much. The decant made a big difference.
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6/21/2011 - FakeAccount wrote: 95 Points
Wow! Past SQN white have been a little on the sloppy side, but this one is beautiful! Powerful and well put together... showing very well now. Best dry white SQN ever?
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6/18/2011 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 4th Annual; 6/17/2011-6/18/2011 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): lemon, citrus, and pineapple notes come through on this. well integrated with a pleasant long finish. has a little bit of heat that detracted from this.
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6/18/2011 - Rosengoo wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). A very young with with potential. This was fairly deep in colour with a lemony nose to it. Very smooth on the palate where the lemons continued to show. Light in alcohol with a hint of a sour aftertaste. I would like to try this again in a year or so.
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5/31/2011 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Cotton candy; Big; High alcohol but not heavy
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5/8/2011 - pchubb wrote: 96 Points
nose of lychee and petrol, and on the palate pear, tropical fruit, touch of wet stone and honey, and minerality with nice acidity. it was amazing the weight and viscosity of this wine yet the silky texture. 96-97
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5/6/2011 - KristianT wrote: 92 Points
Fresh and elegant. What a treat. Drinking very nicely, but the lack of Chardonnay in this vintage does miss some dimensions compared to the vintages with Chardonnay.
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5/1/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 84 Points
SQN Dinner (Lockkeepers): Golden in color, a bit darker than I would expect. The nose had a golden raisins note to it and alcohol. On the palate, this is slightly bitter. Tons of alcohol and a hot finish. With air, it smoothed out a bit and picked up a waxy note. Others liked this far more than I did and I suspect this will round out ore with age. Not my cup of wine though.
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4/23/2011 - Haltermr wrote: 93 Points
On first opening, I thought this was chardonnay, as it was only showing some pear, nuttiness, straw, and some butteriness. With time, the nose blossomed with riper pear, apricot, honey, mineral, hazelnut, mineral, and white flowers. Showed a real balance of body and finesse across the midpalate, with a long pleasing finish. Yowsa.....
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2/27/2011 - huntinpagan wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Haystack straw yellow-gold in the glass. Pineapple, flower notes, and a wet stone nose. Full bodied with a lanolin mouth feel. Thick without being heavy. White stone fruits, light honey flavor, some pineapple/tropical fruit notes, a mineral/stony streak and good acidity. Pleasant finish where the minerality comes through. This is pretty full throttle and will be better with some time in the bottle. California meets white Hermitage. Not a wine for everyone, but I like it.
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2/12/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 90 Points
Really enjoyed this but not as much as the first bottle. Tropical fruit flavors burst fromt he glass. Pineapple, lemon, citrus with great acidity. I found it a bit hot and somewhat cloying.
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2/1/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
With a deep gold hue, the honeysuckle, floral, peach, vanilla and petrol nose opens to a full bodied, robust, sweet, spicy, cantaloupe and petrol flavored wine. This is a blend of 69% Roussanne and 31% Viognier. This wine is not for everyone, but if you like a full throttle style of white Rhone, it could be up your alley.
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1/25/2011 - christopher wish wrote: 88 Points
very nice but so over the top! perhaps it will settle down in the next few years. if you do like in-your-face white wine this is the bottle for you!
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1/8/2011 - agbailey Likes this wine:
Wineterfest 2011: Wine "C" of the white flight. Added to contrast with the chards of the flight. More golden color than the others. Nose of butterscotch, honey, maple, and some smokiness. Mouth echoed the nose - butterscotch, smokiness, honey, hint of citrus and banana. Also some chalkiness / minerality. Delicious. 3 1sts, 3 seconds.
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12/29/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 95 Points
Orange marmalade, pineapple, lemon curd on palate with amazing acidity. On the nose, along with the tropical fruit, a beautiful array of field flowers. Color was somewhat cloudy. I would have guessed Roussanne if tasted blind.
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11/25/2010 - shadow wrote: 99 Points
Like the hummingbird on the label looking for the perfect sip, golden color, nose has yet to show it self, flavors, just a kiss, not a food wine, flavors are easy to miss with anything thrown their way, on their own, just a pleasure to sip and enjoy, pure spring time and nectar in a bottle.
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11/12/2010 - ronlite wrote: 90 Points
Big California chardonnay feel; not my favorite SQN white
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11/10/2010 - G Kapoor wrote: 89 Points
Good wine with soaring aromas of honey, clove spice, and sweet citrus. Smooth and round on the palate with good weight. I prefer some acidity in my whites which this was lacking, however, I can see how this could be a highly rated wine for those who prefer this style.
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11/6/2010 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly cloudy and not too deep in colour, this wine was poured 30 minutes after opening. Very well balanced with notes of vanilla and honey. No edges to it at all but got smoother after a short time in the glass. I enjoyed this and am curious how it drinks in another six months to a year.
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