December 27, 2022 - For the price point and "opportunity cost" of cellaring 15 years, underwhelming. Cannot compete with fine aged Southern Rhones.
April 4, 2021 - Great wine, drinking beautifully with excellent fruit and long delicious finish.
September 14, 2019 - As good as it gets. Does SQN Grenache age better than the Syrahs -well this certainly was one of the better I have had.
June 14, 2019 - Oozing with dark berries and cassis, ending with pepper. Unctuous mouthfeel. Complex, full bodied with a long finish. A beauty
May 30, 2018 - Jailbreak Brewery restaurant opening SQN wine dinner with Justin Bonner (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): There is so much black pepper hear that if tasted blind, I would have guessed as Syrah. Expressive nose displaying decadent black and red fruit, blackberry, crème de cassis, blackberry pie, black cherry, cherry liqueur, strong lavender, dark spices and earth. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black fruit, unctuous yet silky and polished, warm and round, bright acidity, strong earth mineral and a long decadent black fruit driven finish with strong black pepper and liquid smoke at the end. Excellent showing.
September 30, 2017 - Opened in the bottle for two hours and then decanted two more. Fully resolved with the exception of heat on the nose and some light tannins. Extracted and sweet but definitely balanced. Raspberry syrup, vanilla cake batter, smoked ribs, cherry liqueur, forest floor, iron, thyme, baked plums... Long, lingering and caramelized on the finish (1 minute plus). Overall a great combination of syrupy red fruit and smoke. Yes maybe overly sweet but the layers/complexity are off the charts. No longer my preferred style but come on. Has plenty of time but not sure if it improves from here.
March 20, 2017 - One of the best bottles of wine I've ever had. Drank alongside the equally perfect Syrah at The Arthur J in Manhattan Beach. Perfect with the pot roast (don't be fooled...that pot roast will blow your mind). Incredible mouthfeel. Just kept getting better as the night went on.
November 14, 2015 - Outstanding but your. Give it a few more years. Slightly preferred the Syrah.
September 19, 2015 - Decanted for 2 hours. Smooth, balanced, delicious. Enjoy now or hold.
August 17, 2015 - This bottle was opened and poured with minimal decanting. It was clear and very deep purple in colour. The wine had tons of red cherries and caramel both on the nose as well as in the glass. The tannins and acidity were both surprisingly low and although the alcohol levels on this wine are very high, you wouldn't know it. The only flaw in this bottle tonight was a slightly sour aftertaste to it and that is probably my own fault due to the lack of decanting. Overall, this is a great wine.