Berserker Fest Friday Dinner - SQN Table

Blue Star Bistro - Chicago, IL
Tasted Friday, May 17, 2013 by beezer6 with 893 views

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

Flight 2 (3 Notes)

  • 2010 Sine Qua Non The Monkey 92 Points

    USA, California

    Very young and tight overall. Dark gold color. Super buttered popcorn. Spicy and zesty. Unique sweet corn quality.
    Touches of sulfur and funk. Big and extracted like all SQN whites.
    After tasting the '08 and '09 next to this '10 you can see how nicely these tend to come around in as short as a year or two.

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  • 2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Deep gold color. more balance than the '10 just tasted. Very creamy and showing awesome earth tones.
    Tropical fruit city, oak, lemons sweet tea and green bell pepper.

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  • 2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri 94 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    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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Flight 3 (4 Notes)

  • 2000 Sine Qua Non Incognito 92 Points

    USA, California

    Rubber tire. Band aid. Purple plums. White pepper.
    Palate shows some age for sure. Drink now. Touches of ox and leather. Nice but fading.

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  • 2004 Sine Qua Non Into the Dark 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Sexy and subtle. Cinnamon, caramel, molasses, raspberry and milk chocolate. Not as in your face as other SQN.
    Little bit of ink and crayon. Depth on the mid palate is excellent. Very bright and sexy blood orange finish.

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  • 2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c 94 Points

    USA, California

    Spice driven baking spice and pepper spice.
    Anise, licorice, big and beautiful. Some raisin and red veggie qualities - cotton candy too.
    Finish is good, long and well endowed. A little hot but enjoyable and very pretty. Needed time to open up.

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  • 2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series 95 Points

    USA, California

    Perfume. Lots of floral play. Very nice and one of the most pronounced aromatics of the group. Lots of cinnamon, exotic purple spices. Asian balsamic and blood orange accents.
    Very long and clean finish. Glad I have one in the cellar.

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Flight 4 (4 Notes)

  • 2003 Sine Qua Non Syrah Papa 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    So unctuous and so inky. So so rich and extracted while still being light on its feet somehow.
    Plums, fruit wall of anise and baking spices, cinnamon, exotic stone fruit and black olives. Briney and some green olive too.
    One of the more savory offerings of the night.
    Palate comes across a bit lighter than the nose but is still a confirmation of all the fruit, meat and earth. Fantastic. Thanks Alan.

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  • 2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Poker Face 96 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Holy crap this stuff is phenomenal.
    Darker touches of molasses and roast nuts and meat - vanilla cocoa.
    Absolutely massive and penetrates the palate with finesse and precision - out of bounds tasty.
    So dense and thick. Black fruit, rock and pepper. Lots of rich meaty game and smoke on the back end. Just black all day.

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  • 2008 Sine Qua Non Syrah B 20 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Decanted two hours before dinner. Maybe a bit young, but I still enjoyed the wine.
    Pretty, lighter strawberries and cotton candy. Super sexy and red road tar showed - different than any other wine that evening. Lots of smoked meat too. A little juicy, creamy and savory with truffles and fresh linen. Rich and lots of savory veg on the palate. Needs some more time but still nice with a solid decant.

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  • 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Tasted side by side another identical bottle. This was mine. The other scored a similar 93 points.
    This, however is certainly not a 100 point wine yet.
    Lovely violets, gray peppercorn. More purple berries. A touch of menthol, eucalyptus.
    Really big fruit. Lower acidity overall. Give this another ten years to settle in. Lots of potential.

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Flight 5 (5 Notes)

  • 2006 Sine Qua Non Syrah A Shot in the Dark 97 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Wine of the night. Not even poured at our SQN table - I'm grateful.
    Tomato stew, plump roast red pepper and exotic Asian spice drive. Absolutely endless layers of fruit, earth and more spice.
    The texture was unreal. It was caressing but powerful. Not at all overdone. This is mind blowing to the point that every single whiff brings another aroma to decipher. Stunning.

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  • 2004 Colgin Syrah IX Estate 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Lots of olive. Dense and lots of earth. Perfume of truffle and sulfur. Lots of pink peppercorn. Typical Colgin Syrah styling. Great.

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  • 2005 Saxum 44 Month Barrel Age James Berry Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Didn't love this one. Lots of vanilla and oaky milk chocolate. Didn't see too much fruit. Maybe it needed a little more time, not sure.
    Sexy molasses and maple aromas. Very saturated. It was hard to play in this company. Any other night one glass of this would suffice. Big big big juice.

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  • 2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    Olive tapenade. Black coal and rock. Different from the rest of the group. Absolutely an Alban wine.
    Black cherries. Very much dark spice driven covered raspberry compote.
    Fatty sizzling bacon grease as well. Rich and robust. Very rustic sporting low toned fruit.
    I find this in the Seymour's bottlings more often than the other Syrah.

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  • 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    The second of two bottles consumed this evening. The other brought by yours truly received 94 points.
    So much purple exotic sexy chocolate and cassis. Fid and fresh earth. Not as bright and balanced as bottle one but very similar qualities overall.
    A little more brooding and intense.

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Flight 6 (4 Notes)

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