Frey's Cat Ranch (Somewhere in the Northern Burbs, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 20 minutes. Drank a glass over an hour. Fantastic nose with savauge, bacon fat, cured meat, aromatic, floral, black raspberry, black berry, black pepper, and licorice. I really love the nose, but the palate is nice too, a bit sharp on the back end, but impressive nonetheless: Big, ripe, palate staining purple fruits, plum, blackberry liqueur, Tart cherry skin, gravelly minerality, so savory, lacquer, long but a touch edgy on the finish. Outstanding.
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Decanted for 30 mins (mostly to get rid of sediment).
Love this wine! Awesome nose, palate and texture....everything I love in a SQN! Nose is complex, with floral, dark fruit roasted meats, some earthy notes and some iron. Palate showed lots of dark fruit coupled with notes of blood, bacon fat, spice, earth and forest floor. Texture is silky and the finish goes on and on. This is an excellent wine and still youthful at 19 years. This style and wine are totally in my wheelhouse! Easy 96+ to 97 for me. Drink or hold.
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Opened, tasted a snifter and she was closed as expected, a fair bit restrained and metal like.
5h+ later, this SQN despite its now age, was showing very youthful springy and elegant. Colour clear and mid ripe cherry.
As the time passed, it became more boxy muscular and showy, and the elegance stepped back one step.
It is a huge surprise how we she still shows so well after this time.
This bottle on a lark was pitted against its namesake, and for intents of purposes, similar wine the Atlantis Fe203 - 1b - which despite being opened minutes apart showed a whole different characteristic.... more on that on my next review.
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KYD #2.4: Lush dark plum and cherry fruit mixed with notes of blood and coffee. The flavors are very clean and has an amazing mouthwatering acidity. An absolutely stunning example of aged SQN and it is just drinking amazing right now. The aftertaste is long and persistent, continuing to add complexity to the flavors! It will probably continue to evolve over time but I don't see it improving in quality from where it is right now! Amazing wine!!
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Quirky, funky and unusually complex. Hard to describe for this enthusiastic amateur but still, very enjoyable. Not like any other Sine qua Non we’ve enjoyed!
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Surprisingly very smooth on the palate for a Californian Syrah grading at 15.3°. The juice is textured and very elegant. It's practically silky. The aromas enter gently into tertiary notes, the blueberry giving way to earthy and sanguine notes. The harmony and complexity that emerge from the wine is perfect, on a balance of great class. The wine is racy with a gliding texture from start to finish. Superb final on the blood orange which opens the way to an infinite length.
Group dinner with Marvin (The Kenwood): Pretty much exactly how a bottle 11 months ago tasted, maybe even more secondary/tertiary qualities. Big, dark, deep, meaty, olive tapenade, dense, crazy complex. I commented that this wine has chest hair. My 5000th note!
P: Rich and integrated dark red fruits with a sheen of blue berries, menacing black minerals, and rich and deep earth. The texture of this on the palate is like fine velvet (I refuse to use the word 'smooth').
Showing beautifully. So well integrated and I totally did not expect this. This totally kicked me in the crotch and spat on my face, scolded me for opening its younger siblings too damn early (surprise). This seemed like it can still go for another 4-6 years before possibly catching the touch of tertiary notes. Amazing. Wine of the night for me and probably everyone else.
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Friendly get-together - Big CA Wines!: These wines are amazing! Definitely a treat to drink! Is it a big wine? Heck yes! Even at 17 years old, it is still big, but oh so good! For me, this is probably the best rhone blend in the world!
The palate is dominated with lots of black fruit with some tar and smoked meat, a little bramble and some Kirsch and Blackberry liqueur. What really stands out, besides being well balanced is the plushness of the texture, providing a luxurious mouthfeel! Love these wines....wish I was smart enough to get on the list early and had lots of these! 97 points (out of 98...my highest rating to date!) Always a decadent treat!
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Dinner with Marvin (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Dark purple/red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. Really consistent with my note from a bottle about a year ago. Quite aromatic, cured meats, scorched earth, cassis, blackberry liqueur, ultra savory, full bodied and super concentrated, good acidity keeps this lively; boysenberry, well textured. Decidedly modern and big, but they pull it off really well.
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1 hour slow ox. A total fruit bomb, but in a great way. This monster has settled down to hide the prodigious alcohol and approach a velvety smoothness that is completely palate coating. The minor element of Viognier comes through on the nose and makes this a 100 point wine on the nose alone. The depth of black dominant with underlying red and Viognier sweetness from being overripe is a crowd pleaser with ton of class. One of the best SQNs.
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Decanted 90 minutes before service. In the glass, deep, dark magenta - if not a bright, youthful color, certainly no visible signs of aging. On the nose, ripe black fruits, currants, and a hint of bacon. On the palate, fully saturated fruit, suggestions of dark chocolate in the smooth, silky texture, with energetic notes of citrus and ample acidity bringing elegant balance, and it's that balance that really distinguishes the wine. Compared to our previous bottles, it seems this one was finally emerging and moving into prime time. Outstanding. WOTN.
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From the get go this was really ready to inspire and dazzle. A syrah with that meaty, soya, fruit mix that want to power everything. Hedonistic. Still seemed not anywhere near its end of plateau. Potentially a higher note down the road.
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Opened for New Years Eve party. Drank a nice pour over the course of an hour and half (was drinking too well to last any longer in my glass). Very hedonistic with plenty of fruit, but had acidity and tertiary flavors to balance it out perfectly! One of the best wines I had all year! Lots of dark fruit, some bramble and smoked meat. While the fruit was the star, the other flavors made their presence known! Mouthfeel was silky and finish was long....a great wine! ill need to get a couple more bottles! 97 easily for my palate!
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NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Saturated very dark purple/red color with a 2mm clear edge. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. Well, I love the nose; very aromatic, high toned, gorgeous ripe black fruits; blackberry cobbler, boysenberry, creme de cassis, bacon fat, roasted meats, ultra savory and glossy. The palate is flashy, lush dark fruits with a little green streak, pepper, garrigue, smoked meat, white pepper, very good acidity that keeps the fruit largely in check. Satiny texture with polished tannins. There's a lot going on here, full and lush, but lots of cool fruit and acid make it work. 94+pts.
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New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): First off, this wine is BIG and impressive. Big, dark, deep, meaty, the palate has a shit ton of fruit and way more acid than I was expecting. I feel like the fruit takes me past my comfort zone and then the acid brings me back on the finish.
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Deep purple color, Big nose full of dark fruit and spice, The wine is still huge at 16 years old and likely has a long life ahead of it. Very smooth while also mouthcoating and super savory. Lots of dark fruit flavors with a super long finish.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Beautiful nose of flowers, leather, roasted meat, dark plums, black currants and a hint of brown spices. Rich flavors of plums, boysenberry marmalade, black currants and a hint of Bing cherry. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold. Wow.
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Nice dark sweet aromas of ripe black cherry fruit, née leather, and toast vanilla. Nearly creamy texture and dense sweet blackberry blueberry flavors in a largely seamless fashion. Just a hint of alcohol. Not as complex as others but a great mouthful of wine. I don’t see this improving or deteriorating much anytime soon.
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In a good drinking window right now. I'm not sure how much this improves with more age but I don't think it fades anytime soon either. Enjoyable SQN overall. A bit on the "lighter' side compared to the bigger hitting EBA so not quite as pronounced nose etc but still a great bottle if you like the style.
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Double decanted 4 hours before drinking. In a beautiful spot right now and anticipate a long life ahead of it. Big, intense nose that leaps out of the glass followed by intense, full-Bodied Syrah fruit with a long finish. No hurry to drink remaining 3 bottles.
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This one is for the ages. After 8 h of decanting it was sooo young. Huge freshness lifts this big boy to an unique liquid in the glass. So dark, so structured so good. I will wait for the next bottle for 2025 !!!!
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Extraordinary Californian Grenache but that’s what we are used from Manfred Krankel. Great fruit, lovely texture, nice spice and all woven together with fully integrated tannins. Gorgeous wine!
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose of blackberry, plum, vanilla and spice. Ripe black fruit, smoked meat, coffee and spice on the palate. Dense and layered, waves of flavor with a very long finish. Full bodied. A massive wine. Wow! Served with grilled Waygu ribeye steaks.
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Truffles and a couple of bottles: Blind. 1a. Pepper, citrus, chocolate, blackberry - plenty of lift and appeal. Has style and surprising finesse on the palate, lots of sweet fruit but fantastic length and layers of flavour. Still very young but quite thrilling - has really come along nicely in the 10 years since I last tried it.
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No movement at all from my 2016 note. Still plenty of tannins, so I just don't know what to tell you. Wait 10 more years and try again? Glacial evolution, but such pure fruit and robust tannins...
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Unmistakably SQN, no surprise. A smoky, ripe nose gives way to concentrated, extracted notes of jammy red and black berries, licorice, pepper, vanilla, and camphor. Dense and compact mouthfeel, somewhat porty. Would seem to have two decades left.
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Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of currants, tobacco, plum and a hint of roasted meat. Flavors of currants, plums and black berries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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deepish purple red color, high toned polish and red fruits on the nose, dark sweet berries, on the palate a rollercoaster ride of blueberries, chocolate, ripe cherries, liqueur and sugar-coated bramble, like nothing else on earth- take it or leave it, and for my part- as is usually the case with SQN- I really did enjoy this. ****, ready to go but could potentially develop a bit more, time in hand so no rush to drink in any event.
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Had the Grenache last night, and thought it was world class. The Syrah, even better. Both have just the most awesome, tongue tingling acidity. The Syrah smells of smoke, thyme, chocolate, plum, baking spices, blood (hence the name? How was this profile achieved?). I can’t fathom this drinking any better, but I think it still has some shelf life left. Why risk it though? Superb. Consumed with spit roasted tenderloin sliced on rosemary bread.
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Saxum Vertical Tasting (Mathias@Michael): Simply put, this is a stunning wine and the intensity is just amazing. It is very juicy and has a lovely "clean"/refreshing cherry fruit with an incredibly powerful acidity. It is also starting to yield some blood and smoked meat. Very long acidic aftertaste. A beautiful wine!
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Very ripe nose. Tar, burnt rubber, blackberry liqueur and cola. Over the top. Rich and ripe on the palate with more of the nose profile in an unctuous frame. Polished and extracted. It was loved by the crowd. Way too much for me. Not scored as this is well made in a style I do not enjoy.
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Worth the wait. Racy black-tinged red fruit or red-tinged black fruit (some kind of mix of red and black fruit), black olives, floral and potpourri. Concentrated, yet lighter in mouthfeel than I would have expected from such concentration. Vibrant, yet mellow at the same time. Elegant fruit weight? Featherweight density? Linear depth? Relaxed tension? This is a unique, yet wonderful, mix of harmonious contrasts. My struggle to describe it is as much a reflection of the nature of the wine itself as any deficiency in my tastes or vocabulary; it resists easy categorization and pat phrases. Bottom-line: both interesting and delicious.
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Tasted blind in the "spot the Sine Qua Non" game. Aired for 1+ hour in bottle before drinking. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purplish ruby colour. Thick legs. Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with a beautiful bouquet of floral violets, vanilla oak, tobacco, licorice, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, salty minerality. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol (15.3%), velvety high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of meaty gamey meat, sweet tobacco, savoury black olives, salty tangyness, licorice, waves of dark black fruit - blackberries, black cherries, blueberries. Damm long finish. Outstanding quality. Definitely the Sine Qua Non! Prime time to drink it and enjoy. Great balance with power. Unforgettable emotional experience. I am giving this one more point just because it still gives me fond memories the day after. This was the 1c bottle label.
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The dark side !!!!! OMG !!! This is deep deep violet in colour. Licorice and herbs and sweet cherries in the nose. I smelled and smelled. Enormous bouquet . On the tongue its concentrated and sweet. After swallowing comes a giant wave of freshness cleaning your mouth and makes you wish to take the next sip. This is big but not heavy. I could have drunk it all night. Unbelievable looooong finish. This was after 5 h of decanting. Has years to go. Love it. Will wait a fwe years and will rate it 100 !!!!!
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From Magnum. On the nose, a nice funky, pepper aroma with some saddle leather and stewed plum. Same on the attack, with ripe purple plum, dusty blackberries, leather, railroad tie, camphor, incense, and some salty limestone. A fascinating array of flavors wandering around the palate; at times, somewhat missing their mark in terms of focus, but still showing that the path of flavor globetrotting still offers enjoyment and a medium for cerebral rumination... (and a wandering of flavors is indeed how I experienced it, as opposed to exacting, delineated, or astutely directional). A little funky and wild overall.
The conclusion amongst the table was that this wine needed more time. Though the 750s of the Atlantis have apparently been drinking phenomenally, the fact that this came from Magnum was seemingly indicative of a wine prepared to the long haul. A wine to revisit in 2021 (if stored from Magnum). Still, a compelling and interesting bottle of wine. Brought by a generous friend. 95++ points with more upside in a few of years.
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Drukkin í tilefni af 30 ára hittast fyrst afmæli okkar Hildigunnar (sem er reyndar 17.). Drukkin með confit de canard. Fullkomin samsetning. 30 mínútna umhelling. Mjög dökkt á litinn. Kominn smá aldur í jaðar. Í ilmi, jarðartónar, sveit, gúmmí, dökkir ávextir. Í munni Dökkir ávextir, kaffi, krydd (pipar), sæta. Ofboðslega mjúkt og fágað. Topp 3 vín á ferlinum fram að þessu.
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Bad boy wine night - mostly high octane wines with a surprise or two. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Wine 5 -The first note is pepper and caramel and the fruit is opulent and luxurious, a telltale sign of SQN. Expressive nose displaying rich red and black fruit, blackberry jam, cherry, coffee, a hint of tapenade and smoke. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, silky and polished, no noticeable tannins and a long peppery finish. The bottle looks tall so I cheat and guess it correctly. It has reached the peak drinking windows. The overall expression is significantly different than the 17th nail served next by a coincidence. This displays the clear Syrah peppery characters as the caramel/oak note is not as strong. It also seems not as concentrated.
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So rolled the dice and bought a bottle at auction. Simply wow, first taste of a SQN wine and simply outstanding. The depth and richness, truly an experience.
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Paul blinded us on this one. It was very ripe with raisins and dried fruits and some alcoholic heat. There was also some tobacco and green bean. It kind of reminded me of an Amarone. When he said it was Shiraz we were racking our brains to think who ijn the Barossa or McLaren Vale could have made such a wine. It was smoky, full, sweet and relatively low acid. It was actually a very good drink with char grilled boned leg of lamb. I reckon if you could buy it for around 100 bucks you'd tuck a few away in the cellar. I suspect you probably can't buy it for a hungie.
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I only had a taste but his was very good with some air, showing dark, ripe fruits and seemed to be holding well. Was a good after-dinner wine and enjoyed by all. A-
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Decanted for 3.5 hours before service. In the glass, deep saturated red, shading to pink at the rim; this looks like a one-year old wine, not an eleven-year old wine. On the nose, crushed blackberries, blueberries, olives, and a hint of dried herbs. On the palate, more of the same, mated with a very smooth texture, and mild tannins on the long finish. For this fruit-forward style, this is an exceptional example, with balance and smooth texture that's often absent from similarly-styled Syrah-based bruisers, and I'd be more than happy to drink it again - but this is not at the same level as a Guigal LaLa at peak maturity, and if you're expecting that, you will be disappointed. Will it reach that level in another 5-10 years? I'm not sure the tannins are there to support it, but time will tell.
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I know SQN is not everyone's cup of tea....but OMFG is this wine TASTY!!! bought 3 on release, and this was the last one, and was easily, easily the best one (drank the last one 2 years ago).
Popped the cork and was somewhat overwhelmed (per what I expected) by a very meaty/reductive note. This settled down and I was left with a wondrous melody of dark fruits, spice, and bacon (hard to explain....but less "meaty" than when first opened). Just haunting aromas. Pretty sure my dog even smelled this from across the room and came over to see what was going on.
On the palate, this is all rainbows and butterflies. Just glides across your mouth with incredibly smooth, sweet, dark fruits, and rose petals. Damn this is tasty. So well integrated and IMHO, probably even better in a year or two. Wish I had another one, but I am certainly not sad I popped this now. Perfect ending to an amazing night.
Cheers!
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Still young, fresh, intense, vibrant and packed to the rim with black and blue fruit, flowers, incense and espresso, rich, fleshy, flashy textures and a long, intense, powerful, sweet fruit filled finish.
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Cedar, lots of fruit, red bell peppers, very open and just drinking perfectly well right now. Really amazing wine. We compared it to the extended barrel aged 17th Nail and this was more open and the 17th Nail had a crazier texture, hard to pick a favorite
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Fe2O3 1b - My first wine for 2016. Big and sweet yet very well balanced and delectable. Nose is expressive and quite mature with ripe, even jammy, damson fruit, violets, licorice and sweet and spicy toasted oak. On the palate it is plush with loads of sweet fruit and spices. Perfect with burgers and grilled meat.
Decanted and served. The nose is singing for the pop of the cork,light spice, violets, dark fruits. The wine felt well aged, had a beautiful depth and persist and elf flavour and nice core of acidity. Big but well balanced and once again we find that amplified balance that SQNs have, classy and with finesse. For sure it has quite a few summers in it. A good 95
Deep purple color with a bouquet and flavor of candied plums, accounting for a wonderful fluidity in the mouth, but without the sugar. Peppery notes appeared in the long finish. Great balance and definition. We tasted some extraordinary wines while at the beach, and this was one of them, and another wow. You would be hard pressed to find a similar wine even on the holy slopes of the Rhone Valley.
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I recently had Stein, the illustrious '12 Grenache that was literally the finest Grenache Cuvée that has ever come out of the Red, White and Blue country. The Atlantis '05 Syrah Cuvée is without any doubt on the same echelon. Blueberry, raw meat, cashew, warm strawberry pie, marijuana, granite and molten lava. Exceptionally long, layered and forceful. Not to be ignored, this Bathsheeba of a Syrah is the most magnetic wine one could imagine. At the height of development and intergration, this current phase should last another ten-plus years. There is so much to contemplate. Drink now - 2026.
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Decanted for 5 hours... After 2 hours it developed a jammy bouquet, strawberries covering the high alcohol perfectly. On the palate it is incredibly well made, far from overwhelming with a structure that is often missing even from top Syrah... Served blind, most people thought it was a great vintage of Guigal's La Landonne
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What a phenomenal bottle of wine - big yet elegant. Loads of dark berries with hints of tobacco and graphite just fill the glass. It attacks the palate with bursts of black and blue berries but somehow there’s a lovely elegance as it lingers. Long, lustful finish with hints of spice. Really nice!
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Opened and decanted for ~ 3 hours and enjoyed at Harbor 60 steakhouse. Tonite this wine was absolutely exceptional. The nose was intoxicating and seemed to change each moment. There were scents of raspberries, gasoline, vanilla, and olives among others. The coolest part was that the nose was evolving the entire night. On the palette the wine was incredibly smooth with beautifully integrated tannins and a 60+ second finish. This wine was absolutely delicious and seems like it will continue to provide drinking pleasure for at least 5-7 more years.
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This is awesome stuff. A beautiful nose of black and red fruits and spice continues to the palate where there is a touch of white pepper and dark cherry, raspberry, blueberry notes all on a silky fairly weightless frame. Quite a long finish, but not as plush in mid-palate and long in finish as a small handful of SQNs I've had that bordered on perfection (or were perfect..JFTLOI for one!). Still a beautiful fantastic wine that seems early on in a super long plateau of maturity.
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Sunday Night Sine Qua Non Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Meaty black fruit aromas with lots of black pepper. Firm and powerful black fruit again on palate, with both black pepper and some Asian five spice that comes through best on finish. Good length.
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I have previously said that the Poker Face is the most opulent SQN syrah I've ever had and the Raven the most exotic. I found the Atlantis to have the purest expression of Rhone varieties and a deep sense of place. To me, the character lies somewhere in between a Chateauneuf and a Cote-Rotie. It is so fragrant with wildflowers, grilled summer fruits, a bounty of farmers market produce, dried herbs, and bay leaves. I loved drinking this without decanting and watching it evolve over the course of the meal. The mouthfeel is luxuriously silky, blueberries, and peppery bacon, with an elegant weightlessness that I also found in the JFTLOI. Drank Fe203-1b bottle.
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Some GREAT wine swith friends (new and old) (Chris and Renee's Home): I have had this wine half a dozen times at least and this was the best showing yet. Still not at peak but getting there. Probably has two decades of life at least in it. Loved this last night. It had been slow-oxed for 8 hours when we sat down and the last sip was the best for me. Purple in color. The nose is beautiful with black raspberries, dark cherries, blueberries, sandalwood, and some vanilla. Lush and wonderful texture. Juicy acidity. On the palate, this is ripe and jammy fruit, but so well balanced. It has a deft touch to it that is not cumbersome or heavy. Lots of layered complexities unwind in the glass. Just a gorgeous wine.
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One of my favorite wines. Had it over 15 times. Still very rich and ripe but has lost a touch of its freshness and focus. It picked up some spiciness with food and benefitted from 2 hours of decanting.
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Bright strawberry nose. Palate of raspberry and strawberry with a long spicy finish. Slightly candied but not over extracted. Moderate tannins. Plenty of life left. Paired well with a steak at Jean Georges.
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Last bottle of this. Showing a more mellow side compared to a couple of years ago, but equally enjoyable as it is showing more nuance now. An epic wine and glad to have been able to have several bottles and follow over the years. Drink and enjoy.
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Wine Flock - Central Coast Syrah Intro/Retro (My Place - Chicago, IL): Wow aromas. Full nose with big blackberry, herbs and exotic spice. Love the layers and complexity. Palate has crazy depth of flavor with layers of blue and black fruit. Big spice kick. Long with good acidic backbone that provides lift and balance. My 1/12. Group 2/12.
Chicago Wine Flock..."Top Central Coast Syrah from Rich" (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Open 5+ hours before serving, with a quick double decant when opened. Started with huge spice and ultra ripe fruit and a powerful, slightly off-putting garrigue character, which softened over time into something charming. Lots of black fruit with a real dark plum essence, but still well balanced. I thought this wine in the middle of tonight's flight after one hour with the 12 wines, but found it much longer and more interesting at the end of the night. I liked this wine, but the group liked it even more than I did tonight.
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Dinner at the Fung's! (Fung's): 1b label Super big wine. nose of berries lots of it with lots of spice. when you drink it, it's almost like berry syrup with a really spicy kick to it. paired with the chocolate cake it was perfect!
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Very hard to put into words the expertise that must have gone into creating this wine. The nose, the fruit, tannins and acidity are all so well integrated. It is a true symphony for the senses. Paired well with a juicy steak.
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No formal note taken last night, but this had an amazing, very distinct, meaty nose. Huge wine, but silky smooth and effortless in carrying its own weight.
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Decanted for two hours before imbibing. The wine is opaque purple with an exceedingly complex nose of black currants, bacon and caramel. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and concentrated with blueberry, blackberry, espresso and chocolate and more subtle, notes of oak and pepper. It has a memorable, lengthy finish with silky tannins. Because it is perfectly integrated, I would drink it now and not wait for it to improve with time in the cellar. Close to perfection.
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Focused. A singular wine with lot's of plurality. This was the best food wine my wife and I have had this year. Campfire with pine forest. Palate was evolvling overtime with each drink. Finish was almost to the point that you could not get rid of it but in a good way. I never thought this would be a great food wine. Wow.
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Unbelievable! This is a wine to remember. Sweet black and blue fruit, fully integrated, smooth and delicious with a long finish. Beautiful nose. At a dinner with other exceptional wines, this one stood above all others.
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A heck of a Monday Night in Cleveland (E. 4th street): This is in a very nice place right now. Still seems to be on the upside, but getting close. The nose has black raspberries, blue berries, campfire notes, and floral notes. Lovely juicy, velvety texture. On the palate, great black raspberry fruit. Also red raspberries and some earthiness underlying the wine. Great balance. Food friendly at this point. Delicious.
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wow! wow! wow! just amazing how smooth and integrated this wine was. everythign works, the finish keeps going. and did mention the silky texture. just great
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Some green notes which blew off after 5-10 min. Smooth, in balance. Great wine! Went well with grilled duck breast. The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Fast. It smells like Strawberry, Raspberry, and Black Pepper. The body is Full. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Long.
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Notes similar to previous bottles. So much power, but not heavy at all. In a great spot and I'd recommend trying one now if you have a few. Will save my last bottle for another year or two, but I think this is pretty prime right now.
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Decanted a few hours and needs more time. Deep color still, don't be in a rush to drink this. Has many years left. At least 5 years. Great bottle. If you want to drink. Decant for at least 4 hours
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Amazing nose as always. Smokey BBQ sauce and deep dark fruits. The palate is thick and mouth coating with smokey beef, bacon and a petroleum note. Long and impressive. I love this wine. I usually find black pepper in this and it wasn't there this time.
This was far less tannic than the Dangerous Birds (which was tasted side-by-side with Atlantis). Had an earthy and spice rack nose and flavor profile. There was an incredible smoothness and long finish. This wine did not show its alcohol. Drinking well now, but will continue to age nicely.
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Sampled 11/22/12. A powerpacked and dense wine in every respect. Perhaps too much so. The tannins are yet to be fully resolved, and I'm just not sure how well this wine will evolve. It could be the big bang which explodes into a beautiful complex universe or it could flame out like a super nova and suddently turn into a empty shell. I actually preferred the Grenache 2a more. Nonetheless, in the current moment it is still a very solid wine with so much black fruit and some spice that you just can't ignore it. I will need to revisit this wine in about 3+ years to see what happens to it.
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Incredible. Only word to describe this wine. Decanted 4 hour and drank from a mag. Booming nose and flavors. Signature SQN balance and integration. Just a sensational bottle of wine all the way around. 95+
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Sine Qua Non the Cult of Cults; 10/10/2012-10/11/2012 (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London & The Square, London): Decanted for 45 minutes and much needed. The wine is for sure on the young side but still in its drinking window and not a bad time to enjoy this even though it could probably last a lot of years. Not sure it will improve though. The colour is vibrant dark red and the sign of 15.5% alc does point you that this will be a big wine. Big indeed but not a monster, good exctraction but even for purists like us it didn’t feel overdone or overplaying one artificial element to compensate for something else. The nose once it relaxes leads with light spice, coffee bean aromas, light barrique and a blend of dark fruits. Open and exuberant nose long and stayed vibrant throughout the 1.5hrs that we monitored it. On the palate u do feel the strength and density , of.. well pretty much everything. But as we said above this is no monster and in its strength it feels balanced, just everything to the 11. We really did enjoy this and granted there is always some stargazing when you have an SQN in front of you still this was well worth it. 94-95 and not sure how it will evolve to be honest.
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Meat stick, charcoal, smoke, mild black berry, and robust long finish. Unreal mouthfeel/finish of peppered bacon fat. I am a believer of the hype and hooked for life. These wines are monstrously huge yet balanced.
See more details at http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/26998723566
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Dinner with Friends (Inovasi - Lake Bluff IL): Blackberry and black cherry aromas with great spice aromas supported by charming floral notes in the background. Very similar fruit profile on the palate with black pepper, anise and dried thyme. One thing I find particularly remarkable for SQN Syrah and Grenache is they they retain incredible balance and finesse despite the fairly robust alcohol levels, which almost never protrude.
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Glorious bouquet of bacon fat, blackberries, grilled herbs, and pepper. Similar on the palate, full-bodied, rich and ripe, voluptuous, Rubenesque wine. Even in the Caribbean where it was 84F outdoors, this did not overwhelm the fresh wahoo entree. I know, I know, wrong climate and wrong food for this wine, but the price on the restaurant wine list was irresistible.
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Rich, delicious, highly extracted, full-bodied blackberry fruit with loads of peppery, spice, and black olive flavors, excellent structure, high viscosity, great depth and layers of flavors, long finish
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1b label - Amazing wine. For me, it flirted with perfection, but just needed a few more years. More elegant and reticent that some of the other SQN I've had. All the stuffing was there. Great blue/purple fruit, amazing aromatics. Worth the hunt as always. - Drank @ Ocean Room, Kiawah Island
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This wine just got better and better over the course of the night. The best taste was the little bit left in the bottle that I consumed directly from said bottle. Still plenty of tannin and quite a strong frame, but oozing with gobs of fruit--mostly blue and black--and complimented with black pepper and meat. Still the most Old World-like SQN Syrah for my palate, this has somehow managed to get even more voluptuous in the last couple years. In a great place right now, but I expect it to get even better. (PE: 98)
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Sine Qua Non vertical (Carlton Restaurant, Zurich): You drink this wine and you instantly know this is a heavyweight, a bit alcoholic, in fact one of the few where alcohol still is a bit dominant, but very very good nevertheless, sweet with an entire oriental spice market hidden in that bottle. What a wine!!
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Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): A real change of pace from the rest of the wines. Talk about drinking a meat stick...wow, this was pure pepperoni. Sure, the weight and body was a bit big for me, but the flavors were quite nice. Certainly exotic, and certainly young...I'd like to revisit this in 10 years. I could see this being really something special.
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Very well balanced for a wine of its size. It wasn't as showy as some SQN's (and I mean that as a compliment), but it still tilted toward the lush end of the spectrum. Drinking very well at the moment.
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Dark dark purple in the glass. Lovely nose of white and black pepper. Still lots of fruit on the nose as well. The palate has really started to mellow out since I last had this in March 2009. Lovely wine with several more years to reach its peak.
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Fill was not quite as high as normal. (This was bought on release and kept in my cellar as all the other) Wine looked more mature (80) than normal and a bit more ripe fruit. Still great focus and intensity. Love this wine. Saved half for next day - just as great.
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OMG wow wine. Incredibly complex nose with meat, game, currats and spice--you couldn't help but sniff this for minutes between sips. Incredible intensity, very concentrated spice, currant and dried fruit characteristics that carry through on a lengthy finish that added espresso. Incredible wine that is drinking well after an hour of air. Smooth, seamless, with unrivaled complexity, though never seemed heavy or overdone. Even the morning after, I can still smell and taste this.
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Hits some high, floral notes off the nose. Dominating palate, with a lush, silky mouthfeel, explosive red and dark fruits, but then finishing seemlessly, with precision and maybe even a bit of magic this wine has big and flavorful fruit combined with elegance and balance.
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Opened to celebrate Emma's promotion. Decanted for several hours, but even the initial tiny pour was fantastic.
I loved our first bottle on release, and bought some more on the secondary market. Sadly, the next two were less interesting. The last was better, but I worried about a seeming over-ripeness. This bottle didn't have that fault.
Dark, opaque purple. Strong, complex nose of ripe dark fruit, oak, and savory elements. Full bodied, and the taste matched the nose. Long and quite delicious. I didn't pick up on the pruney over-ripeness I worried about with the previous bottle. The wood was still present, but a little less obvious. I think this has come out of its shell and should continue to improve. Great wine for the hedonistically oriented.
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Wednesday Night Club - December 2011 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind - splash decanted 7hrs prior to dinner - Woof, what a gorgeous nose, huge notes of ripe black fruit, tar, rubber and anisette, the palate grabs your attention and never lets go, you either love this wines or you don't and I do. Decadently deep and rich. Very distinctly SQN.
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rich syrah on the nose, smooth entry, wide spread of enveloping flavors that last long after its gone, great wine, my forth time, love this vintage of SQN
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Poured to me blind. I called it Syrah and subsequently Sqn. Awesome nose of coffee, rocks, beef and very dark fruits. Thought it might be northern Rhone for a minute but went back to Sqn. The palate is nothing short of awesome. Game, black berries, herbs, and chocolate. The palate is still a little tight after three hours in the decanter but what a wine! (252 views)
Rhone Dinner (Sun Wah Chinese BBQ): Opened about 5 hours prior to consuming. This was a perfect pair with our meal at Sun Wah - the best Peking duck in Chicago. The color was dense and dull - thick rich juice poured form the bottle with noticeable thickness. Gorgeous aromatics just erupting from the glass. Spicy creamy raspberries, blueberries and a pronounced white AND black truffle quality that I couldn't stop wooing over. The layers of aromatics both savory and sweet were endless - chocolate, meat, smoke, baking clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, touches of brie cheese. Fantastic experience. New World without a doubt and if I tasted this blind I probably would have said SQN to be absolutely honest. So different from anything else I've tasted. Rich and dense but still completely enjoyable and balanced to a T. My favorite SQN tasted to date. Out of this world spectacular. Currently in my Top ten wines all time. Period.
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SQN vs Rhone Dinner (BLT Steak, DC): Wowzers. The nose is slightly reductive, in a very inviting way. Smoked meats shine through, and some floral hints (maybe co-fermented with some viognier?). Upon my first sip I remember tasting blueberry pie, both in the fruit profile, but also in the flaky crust. There is some chalky notes that balance out the massive pure fruit. The finish lingers leaving you with powdered cocoa. Impressive.
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Fantastic. Opened for three hours and drank over two hours. The last glass had pepper just jumping out of the glass. Saved some for the next day and still rocking.
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Charlie's 65th - Lots of wines! (Charlie's Home): This had been open for a while before I got to it. This showed much earthier than I remember it although plenty of black raspberries, blueberries, white pepper and some grilled meats. A delicious wine. Amazingly lush texture.
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This wine was fabulous tonight. Although we popped and poured it, it was almost flawless from the beginning. A very dark purple in colour with long legs as well. Tons of berries, vanilla, caramel, and even some chocolate on the nose. The wine itself had all these flavours in the mix with a perfect balance of spices as well. I could drink this wine all the time if I had a bunch of them.
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Really delicious and extremely well made wine. Left open for four hours and decanted for another four. Intense nose. Smooth, silky black and blue fruit with a backbone of vanilla and black pepper. Seamless texture and a long finish.
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Tonight this wine was simply amazing. Despite popping and pouring, the balance of flavours and spices in this wine was nearly perfect. It had a nice bouquet of berries and pepper. The wine not overly dark in colour. Lots of vanilla in the mouth with some notes of smoke and perhaps even a little maple. This might have been 100 points if we had decanted it for a few hours.
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). This was great tonight and is really coming into it's own. Very deep purple colour with lots of vanilla on the nose. A near perfect balance of tannins with cherries and vanilla flavours. Superbly balanced and ready to enjoy now.
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Sooo good. Enjoyed with ribs. Distinct pepper note. Concentrated blueberries and cherries but with such balance and grace like I have never tasted. It was like a peppered steak with blueberry reduction sauce in a glass. Opened for 3 hours before serving. My first one of these. Might be looking for more.
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elzer cancer society charity dinner. from magnum. nice, reasonable showing for this, but in keeping with previous tastes, not a blockbuster for the house. it lacks the pizzaz and showy fruit of so many previous vintages.
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Best showing of this wine for me--it was simply spectacular. The bit of edge I found in previous bottles is gone, and it is really well-integrated, with boatloads of fruit, yet still plenty of structure. Dark red and black fruits (raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate, blackberry) dominate the palate, and it's oh-so-good. The wine is ripe and round, and I didn't want the bottle to end. (PE: 98)
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At the Square, London. After 30min in the decanter this was still remarkably tight and closed for a SQN syrah. Incredibly complex nose, that makes you go back and back to it. Over the next two hours, it changed constantly and was at its best after a good hour and a half. The palate is similar, you have plenty of fruit, but it is quite restrained at this stage. There is that magnificent balance between richness of the fruit and some kind of balancing tobacco, cigar box elements that give you a finish that has hints of stones or salt. Incredible wine, although very different from other SQN's.
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Popped into the decanter and poured, this Syrah offered pungent blueberry, blackberry jam, fennel, coffee, spice box and liqueur aromas. Thick, rich, dense and mouth filling, this full bodied wine is a tactile experience. Gobs of soft, ripe, polished berries coat your palate. The wine with a blast of espresso, dark berries and jammy flavors. This is a wine for pleasure seekers. I was happy to share this with friends from Bordeaux and my special co-hostess.
Napa Offline and a whole bunch of wine, mostly Syrah (Napa Valley Wine & Cigar): Another great example of this wine. If you don't like this wine, it has to be about style, which I understand. It is so well made and seamless. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has great fruit, black raspberries but also blueberries and a graphite quality. Also some anise. I suspect that the anise comes from the Whitehawk vineyard as that seems to be consistent (IIRC, there is about 25% Whitehawk in this wine). On the palate, this is so smooth. Where it does not have the lightness of Saxum, it does have a juicy/velvety texture that coats the mouth and the acidity that makes you want to swallow and takes another taste. Long finish. Probably my WOTN, but it did have the advantage of being almost all gone when I tasted it, so it got a nice "decanting" in the bottle. First bottle to be drained, but that was probably based on the label as much as anything.
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Really good but this is my 2nd bottle that lacked a long finish and as much complexity as I have come to expect from SQN. Enjoyed at Cave Vin with the Irby's.
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First SQN wine for me. Deep purple in the glass. Extraordinary complex nose with oak, spice, graphite. Blackberry liqueur with a distinct pepperiness on the finish, which is not apparent in the nose. Superb.
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Utterly sublime. The wine of the night for me and in everyone's top 3 in a recent tasting of Parker 100 pointers. Decanted for 3 hours and then recorked and drank over the next 3. Probably could have even used more time, but it had shed the hot notes it had out of the bottle and had an unusual complexity and constantly changed over the course of the evening. Lots of tobacco, spice and red fruit that did not overpower like some of its rhone ranger counterparts (see: Saxum JB).
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Smokey BBQ, beef and dark fruits blast from the glass. The palate is rich and smooth, full of ripe red berries, baking spices, black pepper, and some vanilla. Long smooth finish. A great bottle of wine, but it didnt have the verve of the last one I had.
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Enjoyed at Thanksgiving. #3 of 3 against Raven Grenache and Pictures Grenache. Delicious wine! Not as heavy and viscous as we thought it would be. smooooooth.
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Decanted for 2.5 hours, put back into bottle and reopened & decanted at restaurant and drank over 2 hours. Nose and taste changed every time we went back to our glasses. Blackberries, blueberries, a slight burn of high alcohol, still too tight after all this air. Needs more time in cellar. Higher rating potential at later date - give it another 3-5 years.
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Dujac, Conterno, Casa Piena, Realm, SQN, Saxum (WSWOTY), Clos Mimi (Dante's): Some might think that is a disappointing rating (for an RP100 point wine) and I might agree. This wine was outstanding, but when your expectations are high... I have had this a few time now and I think it is in a tweener phase. Past it's lush baby fat, not quite showing all of its complexity, perhaps asleep a bit, the oak seemed too pronounced. Yet, the texture is sexy and juicy. There is still a lot of fruit; black raspberries and blueberries. Pin point balance and a long finish. Not the best at working with foods. This wine had been decanted for 8 hours and maybe that was an issue though i don't think so. FWIW< I would hold these at this point.
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18 bottles of Sine Qua Non (Copenhagen, Denmark): Probably the darkest wine in the line up of SQN syrahs. Very strong notes of tobacco, cigarbox and thyme. Persistent flavours. Impressive wine - very close to perfection.
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Sine Qua Non Dinner: the Younger Wines (Custom House Tavern - Chicago IL): Sensational aromatics of black fruit, spice and a good floral contribution (amazing how far 2% Viognier can go!). Black cherry, blackberry flavors with licorice, pepper and sweet oak spices. More pepper comes through on long, balanced finish.
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Gave this a five-hour decant, and it seemed just about right. I wish I could capture the aromatic explosiveness of this wine when it's first opened to share with tasters, but the combination of acid and alcohol on the palate is searing at that point. When we finally tasted together, the aroma was much more elegant, with notable blackberry and raspberry and a gorgeous floral element, as well as a subtle caramel note with further aeration. The berry profile is mirrored on the palate, with a just a hint of grilled meat and white pepper, and a long aftertaste of red fruits and minerals that keep this tidy. Many folks commented that it was equally enjoyable alone or with the grilled steaks, wrapped in bacon, and I got a clear impression that it was the favorite wine that night. My third bottle of this, and clearly the best one yet. 2005 remains my favorite year from SQN so far; everything from that vintage (the white "The Petition," the reds - especially the 17th Nail, the Mr. Ks, and the Atlantis sweeties - especially the wonderfully unique Grenache VdP) has been wonderful and memorable. (I admittedly have not had the Rose from this vintage.)
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Impenetrably dark purple. Nose of dark black fruits like blackberries, scorched earth, minerals. Huge mouthfeel, spice, pepper, black juicy fruits, lots of exotic minerality. The finish was long and a bit alcoholic. This wine needs some time to knit together but in 3-5 years it will be spectacular. Hold.
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Incredibly extracted fruit, with a lot of spice, eucalyptus and even incense on top of lovely soft and sweet tanins. One of the best and most interesting wines ever tasted.
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Decanted for 2.5 hrs. 90;91. Dark, very young looking, almost luminescent color on rim. Very thick looking. Nose of blood, earth, minerals, dark roasted fruits. Mouthfeel is round, soft, end-to-end, almost elegant. Big structure but balanced. Later very sweet but there is a bitter tinge at the end to balance that. The palate is explosive but sophisticated, nothing stands out, everything is harmonious. Aftertaste is very long, very dark cherries, plums, spicy oak and it has some jalopenos. This wine is best if drunk at below 65 degrees. After 4 hours it is even better, it is getting sweeter, especially on the aftertaste. LOVE IT!
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A fantastic bottle that was decanted for all of 5 minutes. Very well balanced with some vanilla notes to it. A very long finish with just enough spices to it and no alcohol aftertaste. Wonderful.
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/10). This lighter coloured wine had a strong grape jelly bouquet to it. In the taste department, I could also get some chocolate flavours in an overall mild wine. There was a slight alcohol aftertaste to it.
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At the event: Ruby/purple color, with a typically effusive nose of black fruits and a floral note. Lots of showy cassis and blackberry on the palate, but still wound-up pretty tight, with a presence of heat that I didn’t notice in a previous bottle. A nice finish with plenty of pepperiness, but again shy of previous bottles. 94+ AFTER THE EVENT: Poured the left-over amount (?!) and found the smoother texture, more complex, longer finish wine (without the heat) that I’ve come to associate with SQN. This wine needs a bare minimum of 2 hours of air (at least at Denver's elevation). I still enjoyed what we tasted at the restaurant, but it’s clear that we tasted it during its ascent, not at its apex… which can also be said for the wine in its long-term evolution – it’s still a really young wine! 96
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This is just now starting to come into it's own. I've experienced some VERY nice bottles of this but I have to say this might be the best. Not ultra jammy by any means nor is it overly ripe or juicy. This against the Raven is like night and day. Right out of the bottle you can tell this wine has class. The fruit is pure precision with mouth fulls of dark fruit (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry) and secondary notes of milk chocolate, vanilla and some cotton candy. The gaminess is there but not in over abundance. Beautiful floral notes in the aromatics. Don't know that this will get any better. It might lush out a bit and shed some grip but don't know if this is a 20-30yr wine. IMO, the drinking window on this is now-2020.
I very nice bottle of wine but this one showed quite a bit of heat which spoiled it somewhat for me. Hope my next bottle is as good as the previous bottles I've consumed.
was somewhat skeptic of this wine given lumpy price tag, however it was definitely an eye opener. Definitely a fruit bomb but very well made and was dynamic over the course of the evening. Drinking very well right now.
Brought to a birthday dinner: Decanted 1 hour and the nose exploded over that time of strawberry, blackberries, spice, and fruit. The finish seemed to last forever with each taste better than the last. Wines like this from SQN, is the reason I continue to buy them. Incredible now, but will be even better in a few years.
2005 Syrah Horizontal representing 4 continents (Casa Tomek): Even better than the last time I had it. Notes consistent with the last ime. Incredible balance, texture and nose. The nose for me was all about earth and spice. Unbelievable mouthfeel and a finish that goes on and on. A great example of syrah. Should improve, but I think this is very close to its peak. My #1 WOTN, the group's #2.
Breathed in bottle for three hours, consumed over the next 2. Evolving, intoxicating nose. Luxuriating in the aroma all night might have been enough. A seamless tapestry consisting of layers of red, blue and black fruit, dark chocolate, spices (especially clove), a touch of pleasing gaminess/funk, well integrated French Oak, mint, and a faint notion of grapefruit. Dark color and intense flavors might lead you to expect a full bodied wine yet the feel is silky and elegant. Extremely clean, focused, succulent, well balanced, with a finish that lingers and makes a home in your memory. The scary thing is that I think this wine is just beginning to show what it has.
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Gorgeous looking wine, blackish core with color going all the way out to the edge that is showing a bit of amber. 91;79. Flowery nose with roasted fruit, blackberries and minerals. Very heady and you can smell it from 3 feet. Mouthfeel is full and completely end-to-end. There is not a single part that sticks out in any way. The palate is very intense, exotic and with a long aftertaste that is kept from getting overly delicious by minerals and a touch of grapefruit zest. Superb balance; sweet fruit, great mouthfeel, ample but sweet tannins and a refreshing acidity coupled with minerals and graphite to add complexity makes this the best Fe2O3 we've had so far.
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Had at CT kitchen table, decanted for 2 hours (first tried it after 1 hour but benefited from more time). Deep purple. Silky smooth with an extremely long finish, this was our favorite wine of the night.
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Third bottle consumed. Slow oxidized for four hours, decanted for two. Opaque purple, all the way to the rim. Nose: Less sawdust than earlier bottles, still smells like SQN, though. Very strong plum/prune element, which was interesting, if not hugely attractive. Still, a very strong, complex nose, very good. On the palate, it was tannic, but not overwhelming. Very full bodied. Dominated by dark fruit, and some secondary elements of chocolate and mineral. No heat. Very long finish. Balanced, if not as thrilling as the last bottle. Excellent.
I'm a little worried about the pruney element, and will watch out for that going forward.
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Pop and pour, enjoyed over a couple of hours. This wine was most remarkable for its texture and construction. The rather reticent nose alluded to charcoal, game and brambles; but the finish and mouthfeel were the stars here. It was like drinking some hyper-concentrated concoction of velvet and blackberry liquor, yet it was completely devoid of heat and almost ethereal on the finish. Absolutely perfect balance of alcohol, acidity, tannin and fruit. There wasn’t a single component that could be isolated. Dark plums, and a woodsy spice repeats on an insanely long and creamy finish. With better planning, I would’ve decanted at least a couple of hours to coax a bit more from the nose.
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Damn. I wanted to hate this so I could dump the rest at profit. But this was too good to hate. Big and powerful from the cork pop, but never spoofilated, over-ripe, or alcoholic. Recognizable as syrah, complex, long, and delicious.
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How do you even describe this wine? To me, it is all about the texture, aromatics and mouthfeel. As my brother put it, it is like having your tongue wrapped in silk. This wine continued to evolve throughout the night with very little taste being constant. I will try to hold off drinking my next bottle for 3-5 years. Yeowza.
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This has been the most Old World of the last several vintages (at least to my palate) and it continues in the vein, but it seems like it's going through a bit of a transformation as well. The nose showed great--very SQN-like. The palate is heavy with black pepper, but also shows dark red and black fruits, hints of fruit compote, beef blood, graphite, and leather. I think another year or two and it will start to really open up. (PE: 95)
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The nose is full of fruit - kind of like a young fruitty cab. Hints of sage, lots of fruit - welches grape jelly (without all the sugar), and chocolate, evolves in the glass, more fruit, aroma galore with tannins showing up after the initial flavor blitz. This is quite complex and full flavored Excellent.
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9 Blind Mourvedre: The nose of this wine had big blueberry and spice aromas. This seemed just dripping with fruit in comparison to many of the Mourvedres that we had tasted earlier in the evening. The palate had a nice mix of red and blue fruits with some complex herbal and mineral notes. The mouthfeel was big and so very smooth. This was a wine that just begged you to take another drink. We were tasting this blind at the end of the Mourvedre tasting with no clues about what it was. I had almost completely finished my glass before it was revealed because it was so tasty and easy to drink. I tasted this wine for the first time about 6 months ago, and this wine was drinking much better than it was back in March.
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sometimes its just right, had with the best lamb chops you can get at Randle's in Garretsville, this is Sarah, perfectly balanced, melt in your mouth, dark, floral, hint of spice, subdued and exuberant, alcohol was no where to be seen, zero tannins.
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Decanted for 2 hours. A rich nose of blueberry and pepper. This is drinking really well now -- better than the last bottle I had some time ago -- full-bodied and nice balance of fruit, tannin and acid. Has very complex flavors. Even though it's drinking great now, this will continue to improve with age.
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15.3% alcohol. decanted. my last taste in may was underwhelming. this is markedly more interesting tonight. much redder than previous syrah vintages. the alcohol still interferes with the finish. it's strong in the midpalate intesity and mouthfeel. based on this bottle i have some optimism about favorable development. hold. 92+
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Another weekend of Excess; 8/21/2009-8/24/2009 (Chicagoland): A very big wine. Inky color with an intense nose of very dark fruits. Some black cherry, blue and blackberry, kirsch, and some herbal notes. Rich sweet fruit on the palate with some decent minerality. Long finish. A very nice wine.
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100 point dinner in Sweden. (magnum). Decanted 2 hours. Magnificent wine. Surprisingly not closed at all, tasted great. Purity, intensity, class, power, hedonistic. Wow, this tasted great! Best bottle of this I’ve had. 100p.
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Pleasantly surprised with how well the SQN Atlantis Syrah was drinking. I have had this wine once before about a year ago and it was not drinking up to its praise at all. Other Cellar Tracker notes suggest this wine is over-rated. I agree somewhat (it doesn't merit triple digits), but it is still a fantastic wine and is starting to come around. Flavors of blackberry, plum, mineral, anise and gun metal. Similar flavor profile as the 2003 Reva drank prior to the Atlantis, however, the Atlantis was slightly less concentrated yet slightly better balanced than the Reva. I would put the Reva just ever so slightly ahead of the Atlantis. I was thinking of selling this wine, but no longer. Hold for two more years before drinking.
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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: Pop and pour a nose of really strong mint and olive juice with just loads and loads of black pepper and baked vegetables. Really hot on the nose. Sweet gobs of strawberry on the palate with dirty minerality and peppered meats. A long strawberry finish that's marred by another huge chunk of alcohol and grippy tannins. Second time i've had this and the alcohol and oak is pretty high. It's saving grace is that really nice sweet fruit and peppered meats that I found particularly expressive among it's brethren of other Syrahs
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A dense nose of mocha, black pepper, blueberry, kirsch, and licorice. The palate is full-bodied and perfectly balanced between fruit, acid and tannin. Begins peppery but this blows off with air and time. For such a massive wine it is incredibly smooth with open knit and complex flavors. It seems to close down a little with air, becoming less overtly fruit forward and more tannic. Gets very frippy. It's evolving all of the time though, which bodes well for the future. It is drinking superbly now. My first SQN red and I hope not the last.
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this wine has been a bit unnerving. i'm used to SQN syrahs showing like a peacock's tail when young. is the move to more estate grapes robbing that expressiveness? i thought the performance tonight mundane, merely politically correct, and dare i say manipulated. combine this with the rumblings i'm hearing about the raven...
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G6 (Kevin): Opaque purple color. Blackberry nose. Tastes of blackberry, blueberry, tobacco, mocha, cherry and pepper. Lots of oak. Well balanced. Seems tight and closed down. A bit one-dimensional. Two in the group mentioned it was off or not showing well. A nice wine nonetheless.
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Overly sweet and rich with a more monotone nose than previous bottles. Spicy. Seems like it's entering a little more closed down stage. Got better after about 2 hrs decant but still in the realm of too rich for me. tasted ripe and Californian.
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My first SQN wine. Didn't decant it but it showed its wonder upon opening. The wine has it all, and presented every layer of its complex flavor in a delicate way. Sweet and silky tannin. A little spiciness as always in a Syrah wine. Also, the fruitiness demonstrates the young and easy-going side of this wine. A true master piece.
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The first thing, and always the first thing with a SQN, is how balanced and smooth they are, especially considering the massiveness in them. This Syrah is the black hole in the jam berry universe! Rich and oozing dark wild berry, blackberry, boysenberry fruit.....kicked up with white and black pepper spice, dried Bing cherries, charcoal dust, dark chocolate mocha niblets. Big and plush.....kirsch liqueur, no burn, yet big with spice and acidity kick. Again, well balanced. Also shows some smoked bacon on cinnamon waffles drizzled with raspberry syrup.....shit-you-not!! Just doesn't get much better than this!
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Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/09). This wine had a very strong bouquet with a mid range colour to it. It was very strong on the alcohol side to it yet had a good balance to it. Quite spicy. It will be interesting to try this in a couple of years as my guess is that it needs a little time to settle down and take the edges off.
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I had trouble trying to identify all of the aromas going on with the nose of this wine. Just too complex to try to deconstruct. This was tasted next to the Papa Syrah, and while the Atlantis did have slightly more fruit, neither of these Syrahs were fruit laden by any means. Now I understand why so many SQN Syrah tasting notes don't have a lot of specific aromas or flavors identified. This was a highly singular expression of Syrah to me - haven't tasted anything like the Atlantis or Papa to date. Both bottles were well crafted wine, but not really a style that I would enjoy often. I didn't get to taste the Atlantis on day 2, but I did notice that the Papa did show more fruit on day 2, and I enjoyed it slightly more. Wonder if the same development would have happened with this wine.
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as others have also noted, i was a bit underwhelmed by the bottle i opened several months ago. however, with 3+ hours in the decanter, this was absolutely stunning. i drank this on wed 18 march 2009 & remember it was quite meaty initially. i had company ove, dinner & an '03 shafer hillside prior to this one, so no detailed notes, but it made everyone smile.
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I finally get it! This is the third time I had this bottle and finally it was just singing from the heavens. The nose was insane. Bacon fat, smoke, mint, and who knows what else was going on, I smelled this for 10 minutes. Still very young, but I think it is in a great spot. Massive blueberry, vanilla, mocha, with harmonious balance. The complexity in this wine was crazy, very fun to drink
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Old School Wineauxs do Rhones (The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch): Served blind. Funky nose giving green stem notes, pepper, bacon and some vanilla. Lean feeling yet showing plenty of oak keeping it soft. Juicy with greenish stems and some heat. Good but not exceptional and in need of some time.
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Uncorked DK Sine Qua Non Event (and some pretty interesting jokers...) (Restaurant Premisse, Copenhagen): Very dark red. Very intense nose dominated by mint, intense herbal notes, loads of roasted coffee, juniper and pepper! Intense with a great presence in mouth. At present it doesn't really unfold over the mid palate, but still impresses with a seriously long aftertaste of liquid pepper. To me it seemed like a next of kin to Imposter McCoy and Incognito and even if it will never be 100 points it is still a classic in the making. (Uncorked DK average: 95,7 - lowest: 95 - highest: 96)
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I was somewhat disapointed in the previous bottle of this wine I consumed but this bottle was awesome. Starts with an explosive nose right out of the bottle. So dark it's almost black. One of the longest finishes I can remember in a wine. This wine has it all including a beautiful mouth feel. It's an extremely complex wine which is surprising since it's so young. This wine is so good now it's hard to believe that it will improve with a year or two of ageing but I bet it will. One of the best wines I've consumed over the last year.
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Tasting note from memory. Tons of earth and spice on the nose, in the mouth amazing texture, lift and length. A truly memorable experience. This wine is only going to get better. Was decanted for eight hours, then consumed over four.
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Do yourselves a favor and decant for at least 1 hour....othrwise, I was surprised to smell the pepper...I have never experienced that before...there was also a light cream aroma...after 1 to 1 1/2 hours decant the wine really opened up....I really enjoyed this wine....I had it next to the 2006 El Nido (which is going to be great in a few years). Still not quite what I am looking for but a great experience.
The taste followed the nose....smooth, slightly creamy and definately peppery...black pepper
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It is as they say. One of those wonderful wines that is almost esoteric in that on any given night it is going to show a different element of what wine is about. Exceptional.
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Yup, Dad said this was the best bottle he has ever consumed. Actually thought it must have been a Cabernet. My view is about the same... Enough words have been spoken here, so we shall let the points do the talking here. I do ponder how this will evolve in the long term...
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Dark and fantastic. My 1st SQN. This was absolutely stunning - had power, finesse, big aromatics, subtle details. Would have loved to see this open up more, but the table was big and we drank it fast. Gobs of blackberry, spice and everything nice. I think I'll get on the mailing list by about 2027 - if i'm lucky.
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Decanted for about 5 hours before dinner. Seemed richer than before and a little younger and has definitely changed to a bigger tasting wine.. Still very nice forward nose and easy to drink in it's youth but I will hold the next one for a couple of years. Had the 2006 Cayuse Cailloux next to it and liked the way the Cayuse was drinking right now. It was softer and had the same intensity of aromas that are so good in the Sine.
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Decanted 2 hours. Deep almost opaque purple. No need to put your nose in the glass with this wine - I could smell it across the table as it was being poured! Blueberry, blackberry, pepper, spice and violets/floral perfume on the nose. Very pretty. Elegant, refined, and silky on the palate with ripe dark fruit and distinctly peppery. Not as dense and masculine as the other SQN Syrahs I've had but I mean that as a compliment -- this is the best SQN Syrah I've had!
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This wine is definitely in the tunnel right now. It looks great, nose is very good, initial mouthfeel is very good and there is nothing really wrong with the wine but it is not as exciting and flamboyant as it was six months ago. It actually tasted better the next day after 24 hours in the decanter. This is consistent with the development that the 01, 02, 03 and 04 SQN Syrahs went through as well. The Papa is better than ever right now and Pokerface is starting to come back. It is still not quite there and still needs 3 hours of decanting but in a few months it is going to be a 100 point wine again. Note to self: Do not open one for 9 months. We said that after a bottle 3 months ago but somehow forgot and opened this bottle anyway.
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Decanted for a hour and drank over the next three. Beautiful. The nose on this wine is amazing - floral notes and cherry. A spicy and peppery syrah. Very complex and multi-dimensional. A big wine on the palate but also very smooth and pleasant to drink. Long, sweet finish. 97+ points.
Very similar to the 2005 Lillian but a little more complex and a better nose. That said, I think the Lillian is a great substitute for the SQN (especially at 1/3 of the price).
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The softest syrah from SQN that I have tasted. Lots of spice on this with perfect balance and a great finish. I was surprised by the elegance of this wine.
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Pop n pour, quick decant and amazingly smooth. Fruity plum note up front but a perfect tannic wave of balanced dark fruit in the middle. Long solid finish. Best syrah I've ever had, earned by the back end finish.
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the final pour from a bottle purchased by an ebob guy visiting the valley, and i caught the end of the evening with him. purchased off the list at t-cooks restaurant in the royal palms resort, $440. i mention this because jane and i had dinner off a gift certificate at a little podunk restaurant/ wine bar out in east jesus before a chris botti concert earlier in the evening, and amazingly, they had this wine on their list for $310. yikes! i got less than a 2 ounce pour, but the wine seemed tight. i'd try to resist opening these at the moment, it seems a little shut down.
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I can't give this 100 points, as it felt thin and not as rich as I would expect a 100pt SQN to be. However, the nose was amazing and is the primary driver for my high score.
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Quite delicious. The wine started out as a Northern Rhone Cornas type impersonator...as the night went on the body gained and expanded, I'd have preferred it in the prior incarnation, but still quite delicious. No need to wait, great now!
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a truly elegant wine, not as inky as some other SQN syrahs i've had, but delivers berry and spice, gorgeous mouthfeel and a 45+ sec finish. a few more years of bottle age and this will be as good as it gets.
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Best of American Syrah Blind Tasting (Hughes House - Chicago IL): Tasted blind. I had this one small notch behind my Wine of the Night. Others had this closer to the middle of the pack, which truly surprised me. Slightly floral start with black cherry, anise and black pepper. Fairly overt oak spice still stands out a bit. Plenty of dense black fruit on palate as well, very well textured and balanced. Good now, probably at its peak in another 5 years.
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Great American Syrah Shootout II (Chicago, IL): Purple, black in color. Open, delicious nose has fresh blackberries, herbs, red licorice and toast. Palate has big, bold black fruits, floral notes, incense, olives and pepper. Clearly young but showing complexity. Good dose of juicy acidity provide freshness and lift into a long finish. My #8, Group #7 .
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Wineflock - Best of American Syrah (Home): Group #7, My #1 - My second time tasting this in the past three weeks and it was just spactacular both times. Not sure how this got lost by the crowd... Full deep opaque black/red color. Mmmmn, absolutely stunning blcak fruit violet pepper and pefume on the beguiling nose. Spactacular black fruit spice and pepper on the palate, like a great Cote Rotie on steroids, but with perfect balance. 97+ pts.
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big bold brash but balanced throughout. beautiful mix of fruit, tannins and spice. decanted and in the glass for four hours and it was singing. tough to find flaws but maybe, just maybe, a tad hot/out of whack on the long finish. maybe that's nit-picking.
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Disappointing -- blind tasting,a nd I would not have pegged this as SQN. It might be young, but I still expected more. Good fruit and some complexity on the nose and palate, a nice finish that lasted a while, and well integrated flavors and alcohol. But this was not an extraordinary bottle, as I have come to expect from SQN.
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Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This was a bit of a shocker. We tasted blind in a Syrah/Shiraz tasting along with 11 others wine. Everyone knew there were two SQN in the bunch (the '98 e-Raised was the consensus top pick). This was a disappointing surprise. Maybe in 5-7 years it will be better? The nose was strong and featured sourdough bread, earth and some alcohol. It also had some incense, which was a bit perplexing and off-putting. The palate was nice -- the alcohol was integrated. There was some nice fruit and complexity -- black pepper, raspberry and some raspberry liqueur. The finish was nice and fruity though, the incense on the nose made it more difficult to appreciate. When this was unveiled, we were all a bit shocked.
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Sine Qua Non Tasting (Lush): Wow! Opaque pitch black color, almost to the rim. Knockout nose of coffee, spice, pepper, and black purple fruit - spactacular. Mmmn, wonderful briar forest floor spice and pepper. Balanced and ethereal - a spectacular wine. This was the most balanced and light on its feet (but retaining incredible power and finesse) SQN I've ever had. It is easily the best SQN, now surpassing the JFTLOI, my prior favorite (and still a great wine). Possibly the best new world wine I've ever had - and probably the most like a great Cote Rotie of any of Manfred's wines I've tried. 97-98 pts.
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91;89. Beautiful; dark center, brilliant color, very dense all the way to the rim. Thick. This wine is starting to shut down. Tried one in Sweden 2 weeks ago and the bottle last night confirmed it. After 2 hours decanting it was still very closed. Nice nose, heady, rich and ripe. Initial mouthfeel was round and fat but then the acid took over and the wine became almost austere. With the wine not quite opened up, the acid is perceived as huge and the wine felt almost sour. We opened up a bottle of something else and drank that for a while. We tried the SQN again after 3 ½ hours and now it started to open up but was still not totally consistent. After 4 ½ hours it was at its best – very impressive, the sour feeling had totally given way to sweet, rich, heady flavors. We should have left some to try the next day but somehow it all disappeared. 5 months ago we had two bottles that were so delicious basically directly out of the bottle and we rated them 99 points. A bottle in Sweden two weeks ago got 98 points after 4 hours of decanting and this bottle last night started out as an 88 point bottle and slowly worked itself up to 97 points. We will leave this for 9 months before we try it again. Still think the Atlantis will be one of the best Syrahs from Krankl. Papa and JFTLOI are drinking perfectly right now and the Pokerface is starting to emerge again but still needs about 2 hours of decanting. Have not had the Midnight Oil for a while but will try one in the next few weeks.
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Very dark in colour, this wine smell's very big with black pepper jumping out of the glass and smacks you in the face I also get bacon fat I can tell this wine is going to be very interesting indeed. In the mouth this wine as allot of layers of complex fruit it is rich and it is very complex but on the nose I was thinking this is going to be OTT wines that I hate, this wine is not at all like that the wine is very elegant and it has excellent balance for such a huge wine. This wine is one of the most interesting wines I have ever tasted I like it so much I brought all the stock the shop had. 15alc
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Deep and clean, dramatic fruit and mineral, hints of mild chalk, well-round and good balance, nicely full-bodied, aftertaste is soft, smooth and long finished. Good work and well-made wine. This no-terroir wine reminds me of Masseto.
If one who can makes wine like this, he surely sells it with big money. Fashion wine, really impressed touch. Glad to know it.
But...To whom that serious about ' Terroir ' I recommend the Syrah from Languedoc : Chateau de la Negly, Clos des Truffiere 2003 ( same rating from me )that's better than La Porte du Ciel 2003 ( 91-92/100 )
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Opened 3 hours before consumed. Impressive first nose of dense Rhone but with fresher , bigger. Seamless wine that keeps go on and on, changing and developing all night long. Exotic fruit scent, blueberry, leather, forest floor. The most exciting part for me is the taste, it's very unique and big delicious wine. Super aftertaste. One of the best wine I've had. Totally agree with others' notes that it just keeps getting better and better after swirling and swirling. It just never fade in glass. Magnificent work by Krankl !! Had it with 1999 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace and 2002 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road. It'd surpassed both.
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Tasted at the CT Weekend Event. Purple opaque. Dense nose of dark berries, plums, smoke. Palate of same with some anise, tar and velvety tannins. This wine was seamless--one of the best syrahs I have ever tasted. I would have loved to have more time with this wine to see how it develops in the glass.
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Absolutely excellent Syrah made in more of an old world style which I was not expecting and in fact I could easily mistake this for a great Northern Rhone wine. Full bodied and very flavorful but no single element, fruit, tannins, acidity, etc is over the top and they all commingle very well on the palate. An exciting wine to experience and with time and swirls in the glass it just kept getting better and better. The finish lasts at least 40 seconds.
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(92;89) Very young looking. Dense and thick. It is not as open and hedonistic as it was a few months ago – I would guess it will be a bit muted for another 12 – 18 months but Lynn and I will open up a bottle in a few weeks to verify that. It is still a great wine with beautiful rich mouthfeel, great balance, very good flavors and great, long aftertaste. It did, however, not wow me the way the other two bottles we’ve had did.
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Definitely a seamless wine; rich, unctuous, spicy on the nose and a bit on the palate. It is a big boy, but easy to drink. Not enough complexity for me to rate it much higher. After having X number of SQNs, I can appreciate them as nicely made, but I still am not ga-ga over them as some are. Which is ok, right?
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Had the 1b tonight and it was a s good as I imagined it would be. Smelled like a Two hands Shiraz (very aromatic and great character) but with more finesse. Much more smooth and elegant than any of the young Californian or Aussie Shirazes I've had.. I think this is better than the 2001 Greenock Creek Apricot block which was my previous favorite. Again drinking amazingly well right now.
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This is very Old World in style. The only SQN outside of the Incognito that I would mistake as French in a blind tasting. Nose of earth, black pepper, red and black fruits. The palate needs some air to show its best (at least an hour) and it is more of the same--black/red fruits, earthy notes, plus leather/coffee (we couldn't decide for sure). Plenty of balance and structure--may be the most long-lived SQN Syrah yet, assuming a consistent decay of the components. Friends with us tonight said this is a very unique nose, but weren't completely wowed. I think it will be interesting to give it a couple year and see what happens.
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took to Blue Duck Tavern in DC. popped and decanted for about 40 minutes. showing very well. meat/bacon and dried herbs along with rich blue fruit. smooth and silky on the palate with a feeling of alcohol but without it actually showing up like "heat". increadibly lovely. went well with dishes around the table (the lamb the braised beef and the duck) did magical stuff with the duck confit. not cloying or overpowering at all. again, almost seems like it would/will be but then it manifests itself in complexity and length and not "size". fabulous.
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Wowzer, what a nose lots of bacon, smoke and herbs and blueberries. Rich but extremely elegant. Great silky mouthfeel to this. Drinking incredibly good right now. I've got 3 bottles but fear I won't get past 2-3yrs age on them. Too bad because this should be amazing in 5+yrs. It's just too good right now. Extremely sexy and heady stuff. One of the best Syrah's I've ever had. But not a 100.
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NYC Sine Qua Non Dinner at Eleven Madison Park (New York): Decanted about 9 hours. Nose of dark fruit and spices. In the mouth there was a plenty of complexity and it was well balanced with a long finish. I really enjoyed this but could not quite figure out how to write a note on it.
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Studio Restaurant (@ The Montage Resort In Laguna Beach): The nose on this wine reminded me a lot of what I sometimes pick up with someof the Garys' fruit--bbq meat, saddle, tar, with a sweet edge. As the wine sits, the blueberry notes emerged, along with tar/creosote. Given the pace of the wine that kept coming, I enjoyed this wine and just kept walking my Reidel path. I just wish I could have camped out with this wine for another day to get a real sense of what it was about, given all the attention being paid to it.
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Wow wow wow. 4th vintage we've had of the Krankl's infamous syrah. While I've been on the waiting list for way too long, we've been fortunate enough to happen into these exceptional wines at very reasonable prices. Tonight, we started by pairing the Fe2O31a with an incredible foie gras and onion stuffed quail in peach gastrique and grits with a bunch of different shrooms, parm, country ham and thyme followed by "pork three ways" and "black grouper." This was another prime example of California Syrah, another bullseye for Manfred. On the nose, explosive perfume of bacon fat, leather, smoke, sweat (?), and dark, dark fruits. On the palate, a seamless, wicked long finish that was incredibly thick, complex, yet precise and balanced. If memory serves, not quite as complex as Into the Dark, but amazingly satisfying and delicious with our meal. Someday, after the damned 4+ years I've been waiting, I'll make THE list. Wow. What a wine. 97+pts, but I am probably being conservative; especially considering the new dress my lovely wife broke out tonight...which was a solid 100 pter.
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Needs more time in the bottle to integrate the large oak and cedar components that currently mask the nice dark fruit. If opening now, a long decant is a must.
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This was really fantastic. Had it on vacation so nothing specific was recorded. It had really nice complexity on the nose, just brilliant. The palate was very good, young and having a little heat on the finish, but it should resolve in 3-4 years. I might be underrating this a bit.
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Definitely too young, but oh what a great nose. Reminds me of the JFTLOI at this stage in that it has a great nose but is a bit closed on the palate. Dark, but elegant vs. brooding, I am hoping this will end up in the vein of the E Raised vs. the Marauder or the Midnight Oil. Plenty of balance and plenty of stuffing, just a bit less than its siblings, but more than enough compared to most. At this stage I'd say that the Grenache is drinking better, as that wine is a bit more fruit forward and approachable, but I think this may win the test of time. Hold off if you can, or pop one for fun. Decanted 6 hours.
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vastly different than the other bottle consumed a week earlier. Not sure the decanting of the other bottle would have that much impact on the balance. Maybe my taster was off that night. But this wine was dead on. Rich opulent fruit, still too young, but delivered a velvety texture that was impressive
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Unlike a bottle last week, I didn't decant this one, which actually firmed it up a bit. Deep, dark fruits and floral notes. Big, but not so much relative to other SQN Syrah. Very enjoyable.
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not what I was expecting. I would thought a massive fruit forward syrah, but it was not. At the same time also did not have the best balance and structure. Seemed a bit all over the place. Really too early to figure this out, it was very young for sure
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New world Syrah styling with heavy floral Viognier overtones. Big, sappy wine, but quickly gives way to a hard tannic structure that dominates the finish. Thick, viscous mothfeel. Needs to settle down a bit, but very enjoyable.
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I was suprised that this was as drinkable as it was-other SQN Syrahs like the Poker Face seemed so massive and young...but the Altantis was full of juicy fruit. While no doubt young with a long future ahead of it, it was great...I believe it is 93% syrah, 5% grenache and then some viognier...it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time.
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decanted one hour. showing better at this stage than poker face, which i felt was very tight. this has a softer early profile, recalling the lusher days of the 01 and 02s. no reduction or heat, and a compact core of fruit. hold a year (duh!). nice!
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3/29/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Frey's Cat Ranch (Somewhere in the Northern Burbs, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 20 minutes. Drank a glass over an hour. Fantastic nose with savauge, bacon fat, cured meat, aromatic, floral, black raspberry, black berry, black pepper, and licorice. I really love the nose, but the palate is nice too, a bit sharp on the back end, but impressive nonetheless: Big, ripe, palate staining purple fruits, plum, blackberry liqueur, Tart cherry skin, gravelly minerality, so savory, lacquer, long but a touch edgy on the finish. Outstanding.
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3/29/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for 30 mins (mostly to get rid of sediment).
Love this wine! Awesome nose, palate and texture....everything I love in a SQN! Nose is complex, with floral, dark fruit roasted meats, some earthy notes and some iron. Palate showed lots of dark fruit coupled with notes of blood, bacon fat, spice, earth and forest floor. Texture is silky and the finish goes on and on. This is an excellent wine and still youthful at 19 years. This style and wine are totally in my wheelhouse! Easy 96+ to 97 for me. Drink or hold.
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11/1/2023 - MonacoMik Likes this wine: 99 Points
Sine Qua Non Atlantis Fe203-1a - (Syrah) 2005
Opened, tasted a snifter and she was closed as expected, a fair bit restrained and metal like.
5h+ later, this SQN despite its now age, was showing very youthful springy and elegant. Colour clear and mid ripe cherry.
As the time passed, it became more boxy muscular and showy, and the elegance stepped back one step.
It is a huge surprise how we she still shows so well after this time.
This bottle on a lark was pitted against its namesake, and for intents of purposes, similar wine the Atlantis Fe203 - 1b - which despite being opened minutes apart showed a whole different characteristic.... more on that on my next review.
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8/26/2023 - canan wrote: 98 Points
KYD #2.4: Lush dark plum and cherry fruit mixed with notes of blood and coffee. The flavors are very clean and has an amazing mouthwatering acidity.
An absolutely stunning example of aged SQN and it is just drinking amazing right now. The aftertaste is long and persistent, continuing to add complexity to the flavors!
It will probably continue to evolve over time but I don't see it improving in quality from where it is right now! Amazing wine!!
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1/20/2023 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quirky, funky and unusually complex.
Hard to describe for this enthusiastic amateur but still, very enjoyable.
Not like any other Sine qua Non we’ve enjoyed!
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1/18/2023 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sanguine and meaty nose, blueberries and earth
Surprisingly very smooth on the palate for a Californian Syrah grading at 15.3°. The juice is textured and very elegant. It's practically silky. The aromas enter gently into tertiary notes, the blueberry giving way to earthy and sanguine notes. The harmony and complexity that emerge from the wine is perfect, on a balance of great class. The wine is racy with a gliding texture from start to finish. Superb final on the blood orange which opens the way to an infinite length.
Great wine.
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12/19/2022 - jmcelroy wrote:
Defective bottle from secondary oxidation
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11/30/2022 - Gemmink Likes this wine: 100 Points
Slow-ox for 2 hours this is in a perfect spot.. whole tasting group said high end Rhone producer..
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11/12/2022 - galewskj wrote: 96 Points
Group dinner with Marvin (The Kenwood): Pretty much exactly how a bottle 11 months ago tasted, maybe even more secondary/tertiary qualities. Big, dark, deep, meaty, olive tapenade, dense, crazy complex. I commented that this wine has chest hair. My 5000th note!
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11/11/2022 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wine weekend in the Twin Cities; 11/10/2022-11/12/2022 (Where the frosty air is refreshing.. kind of): N: Meaty aromas, dark red and blue fruits, a mix of blood and red fruits, wet and fruited earth.
P: Rich and integrated dark red fruits with a sheen of blue berries, menacing black minerals, and rich and deep earth. The texture of this on the palate is like fine velvet (I refuse to use the word 'smooth').
Showing beautifully. So well integrated and I totally did not expect this. This totally kicked me in the crotch and spat on my face, scolded me for opening its younger siblings too damn early (surprise). This seemed like it can still go for another 4-6 years before possibly catching the touch of tertiary notes. Amazing. Wine of the night for me and probably everyone else.
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11/11/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Friendly get-together - Big CA Wines!: These wines are amazing! Definitely a treat to drink! Is it a big wine? Heck yes! Even at 17 years old, it is still big, but oh so good! For me, this is probably the best rhone blend in the world!
The palate is dominated with lots of black fruit with some tar and smoked meat, a little bramble and some Kirsch and Blackberry liqueur. What really stands out, besides being well balanced is the plushness of the texture, providing a luxurious mouthfeel! Love these wines....wish I was smart enough to get on the list early and had lots of these! 97 points (out of 98...my highest rating to date!) Always a decadent treat!
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11/11/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Marvin (The Kenwood, Mpls, MN): Dark purple/red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. Really consistent with my note from a bottle about a year ago. Quite aromatic, cured meats, scorched earth, cassis, blackberry liqueur, ultra savory, full bodied and super concentrated, good acidity keeps this lively; boysenberry, well textured. Decidedly modern and big, but they pull it off really well.
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10/21/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 98 Points
1 hour slow ox. A total fruit bomb, but in a great way. This monster has settled down to hide the prodigious alcohol and approach a velvety smoothness that is completely palate coating. The minor element of Viognier comes through on the nose and makes this a 100 point wine on the nose alone. The depth of black dominant with underlying red and Viognier sweetness from being overripe is a crowd pleaser with ton of class. One of the best SQNs.
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4/9/2022 - jshufelt wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 90 minutes before service. In the glass, deep, dark magenta - if not a bright, youthful color, certainly no visible signs of aging. On the nose, ripe black fruits, currants, and a hint of bacon.
On the palate, fully saturated fruit, suggestions of dark chocolate in the smooth, silky texture, with energetic notes of citrus and ample acidity bringing elegant balance, and it's that balance that really distinguishes the wine. Compared to our previous bottles, it seems this one was finally emerging and moving into prime time. Outstanding. WOTN.
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3/15/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 94 Points
From the get go this was really ready to inspire and dazzle. A syrah with that meaty, soya, fruit mix that want to power everything. Hedonistic. Still seemed not anywhere near its end of plateau. Potentially a higher note down the road.
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12/31/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened for New Years Eve party. Drank a nice pour over the course of an hour and half (was drinking too well to last any longer in my glass). Very hedonistic with plenty of fruit, but had acidity and tertiary flavors to balance it out perfectly! One of the best wines I had all year! Lots of dark fruit, some bramble and smoked meat. While the fruit was the star, the other flavors made their presence known! Mouthfeel was silky and finish was long....a great wine! ill need to get a couple more bottles! 97 easily for my palate!
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12/31/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Saturated very dark purple/red color with a 2mm clear edge. PNP, drank a glass over 2 hours. Well, I love the nose; very aromatic, high toned, gorgeous ripe black fruits; blackberry cobbler, boysenberry, creme de cassis, bacon fat, roasted meats, ultra savory and glossy. The palate is flashy, lush dark fruits with a little green streak, pepper, garrigue, smoked meat, white pepper, very good acidity that keeps the fruit largely in check. Satiny texture with polished tannins. There's a lot going on here, full and lush, but lots of cool fruit and acid make it work. 94+pts.
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12/31/2021 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): First off, this wine is BIG and impressive. Big, dark, deep, meaty, the palate has a shit ton of fruit and way more acid than I was expecting. I feel like the fruit takes me past my comfort zone and then the acid brings me back on the finish.
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7/18/2021 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep purple color, Big nose full of dark fruit and spice, The wine is still huge at 16 years old and likely has a long life ahead of it. Very smooth while also mouthcoating and super savory. Lots of dark fruit flavors with a super long finish.
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7/17/2021 - wineismylife wrote: 95 Points
WIML95
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Beautiful nose of flowers, leather, roasted meat, dark plums, black currants and a hint of brown spices. Rich flavors of plums, boysenberry marmalade, black currants and a hint of Bing cherry. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold. Wow.
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7/10/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice dark sweet aromas of ripe black cherry fruit, née leather, and toast vanilla. Nearly creamy texture and dense sweet blackberry blueberry flavors in a largely seamless fashion. Just a hint of alcohol. Not as complex as others but a great mouthful of wine. I don’t see this improving or deteriorating much anytime soon.
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5/24/2021 - BROpus One Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a good drinking window right now. I'm not sure how much this improves with more age but I don't think it fades anytime soon either. Enjoyable SQN overall. A bit on the "lighter' side compared to the bigger hitting EBA so not quite as pronounced nose etc but still a great bottle if you like the style.
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3/21/2021 - jmcelroy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Double decanted 4 hours before drinking. In a beautiful spot right now and anticipate a long life ahead of it. Big, intense nose that leaps out of the glass followed by intense, full-Bodied Syrah fruit with a long finish. No hurry to drink remaining 3 bottles.
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1/1/2021 - Frank Schneider wrote: 98 Points
This one is for the ages. After 8 h of decanting it was sooo young. Huge freshness lifts this big boy to an unique liquid in the glass. So dark, so structured so good. I will wait for the next bottle for 2025 !!!!
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12/24/2020 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 97 Points
Extraordinary Californian Grenache but that’s what we are used from Manfred Krankel.
Great fruit, lovely texture, nice spice and all woven together with fully integrated tannins.
Gorgeous wine!
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5/16/2020 - hoservin Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Nose of blackberry, plum, vanilla and spice. Ripe black fruit, smoked meat, coffee and spice on the palate. Dense and layered, waves of flavor with a very long finish. Full bodied. A massive wine. Wow! Served with grilled Waygu ribeye steaks.
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11/18/2019 - Minnesota wrote: 94 Points
I see others have experienced flawed bottles. What a shame!
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11/10/2019 - Quiet Lion wrote: flawed
Pop and pour. This had some brett but was quite good underneath if you could put that aside. Plenty of dark fruit left.
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10/26/2019 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
Truffles and a couple of bottles: Blind. 1a. Pepper, citrus, chocolate, blackberry - plenty of lift and appeal. Has style and surprising finesse on the palate, lots of sweet fruit but fantastic length and layers of flavour. Still very young but quite thrilling - has really come along nicely in the 10 years since I last tried it.
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8/17/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
SQN & BBQ (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL): Small glass, brief note from memory. Good fruit but I found too much volatile acidity here to really enjoy.
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8/3/2019 - jshufelt wrote: 93 Points
No movement at all from my 2016 note. Still plenty of tannins, so I just don't know what to tell you. Wait 10 more years and try again? Glacial evolution, but such pure fruit and robust tannins...
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6/7/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unmistakably SQN, no surprise. A smoky, ripe nose gives way to concentrated, extracted notes of jammy red and black berries, licorice, pepper, vanilla, and camphor. Dense and compact mouthfeel, somewhat porty. Would seem to have two decades left.
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12/15/2018 - robertek wrote: 95 Points
SQN - say no more. From good on release to great with 10+ years. Never disappoints.
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11/16/2018 - wineismylife wrote: 95 Points
WIML95
Tasted non bling.
Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of currants, tobacco, plum and a hint of roasted meat. Flavors of currants, plums and black berries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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11/16/2018 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deepish purple red color, high toned polish and red fruits on the nose, dark sweet berries, on the palate a rollercoaster ride of blueberries, chocolate, ripe cherries, liqueur and sugar-coated bramble, like nothing else on earth- take it or leave it, and for my part- as is usually the case with SQN- I really did enjoy this. ****, ready to go but could potentially develop a bit more, time in hand so no rush to drink in any event.
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11/16/2018 - BigTex22 wrote:
Big and brutish, not for the faint at heart. This is a layer cake of blue fruits and chocolate dipped cherries. Finishes long. Decant!
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9/8/2018 - deviousrhesus Likes this wine: 97 Points
Had the Grenache last night, and thought it was world class. The Syrah, even better. Both have just the most awesome, tongue tingling acidity. The Syrah smells of smoke, thyme, chocolate, plum, baking spices, blood (hence the name? How was this profile achieved?). I can’t fathom this drinking any better, but I think it still has some shelf life left. Why risk it though? Superb. Consumed with spit roasted tenderloin sliced on rosemary bread.
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4/6/2018 - canan wrote: 98 Points
Saxum Vertical Tasting (Mathias@Michael): Simply put, this is a stunning wine and the intensity is just amazing.
It is very juicy and has a lovely "clean"/refreshing cherry fruit with an incredibly powerful acidity. It is also starting to yield some blood and smoked meat.
Very long acidic aftertaste. A beautiful wine!
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2/25/2018 - G_H wrote: 95 Points
Minerals, Capers, Black olive paste, very elegant balanced. This has nicely hits a plateau of maturity.
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2/22/2018 - cct wrote:
Very ripe nose. Tar, burnt rubber, blackberry liqueur and cola. Over the top. Rich and ripe on the palate with more of the nose profile in an unctuous frame. Polished and extracted. It was loved by the crowd. Way too much for me. Not scored as this is well made in a style I do not enjoy.
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2/9/2018 - ChrisR Likes this wine: 94 Points
Worth the wait. Racy black-tinged red fruit or red-tinged black fruit (some kind of mix of red and black fruit), black olives, floral and potpourri. Concentrated, yet lighter in mouthfeel than I would have expected from such concentration. Vibrant, yet mellow at the same time. Elegant fruit weight? Featherweight density? Linear depth? Relaxed tension? This is a unique, yet wonderful, mix of harmonious contrasts. My struggle to describe it is as much a reflection of the nature of the wine itself as any deficiency in my tastes or vocabulary; it resists easy categorization and pat phrases. Bottom-line: both interesting and delicious.
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1/12/2018 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasted blind in the "spot the Sine Qua Non" game. Aired for 1+ hour in bottle before drinking.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purplish ruby colour. Thick legs.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with a beautiful bouquet of floral violets, vanilla oak, tobacco, licorice, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, salty minerality. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol (15.3%), velvety high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of meaty gamey meat, sweet tobacco, savoury black olives, salty tangyness, licorice, waves of dark black fruit - blackberries, black cherries, blueberries. Damm long finish.
Outstanding quality. Definitely the Sine Qua Non! Prime time to drink it and enjoy. Great balance with power. Unforgettable emotional experience. I am giving this one more point just because it still gives me fond memories the day after.
This was the 1c bottle label.
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1/1/2018 - Frank Schneider wrote: 99 Points
The dark side !!!!! OMG !!! This is deep deep violet in colour. Licorice and herbs and sweet cherries in the nose. I smelled and smelled. Enormous bouquet . On the tongue its concentrated and sweet. After swallowing comes a giant wave of freshness cleaning your mouth and makes you wish to take the next sip. This is big but not heavy. I could have drunk it all night. Unbelievable looooong finish. This was after 5 h of decanting. Has years to go. Love it. Will wait a fwe years and will rate it 100 !!!!!
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12/27/2017 - pmossino Likes this wine: 97 Points
Outstanding, no rush to drink this. Will hold my last bottle for at least 5 years.
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9/1/2017 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
From Magnum. On the nose, a nice funky, pepper aroma with some saddle leather and stewed plum. Same on the attack, with ripe purple plum, dusty blackberries, leather, railroad tie, camphor, incense, and some salty limestone. A fascinating array of flavors wandering around the palate; at times, somewhat missing their mark in terms of focus, but still showing that the path of flavor globetrotting still offers enjoyment and a medium for cerebral rumination... (and a wandering of flavors is indeed how I experienced it, as opposed to exacting, delineated, or astutely directional). A little funky and wild overall.
The conclusion amongst the table was that this wine needed more time. Though the 750s of the Atlantis have apparently been drinking phenomenally, the fact that this came from Magnum was seemingly indicative of a wine prepared to the long haul. A wine to revisit in 2021 (if stored from Magnum). Still, a compelling and interesting bottle of wine. Brought by a generous friend. 95++ points with more upside in a few of years.
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8/27/2017 - redpine42 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Too much good wine to remember much. This was really good, but not perfect. RATTRAPANTE was the best bottle.
500 pt tasting
2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia
2003 Quilceda Creek Cab
2005 SQN Atlantis Fe202-1a
2012 SQN Rattrapante
2014 SQN Piranha Waterdance
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7/15/2017 - bitdrerik Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drukkin í tilefni af 30 ára hittast fyrst afmæli okkar Hildigunnar (sem er reyndar 17.). Drukkin með confit de canard. Fullkomin samsetning. 30 mínútna umhelling. Mjög dökkt á litinn. Kominn smá aldur í jaðar. Í ilmi, jarðartónar, sveit, gúmmí, dökkir ávextir. Í munni Dökkir ávextir, kaffi, krydd (pipar), sæta. Ofboðslega mjúkt og fágað. Topp 3 vín á ferlinum fram að þessu.
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5/25/2017 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Bad boy wine night - mostly high octane wines with a surprise or two. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): Wine 5 -The first note is pepper and caramel and the fruit is opulent and luxurious, a telltale sign of SQN. Expressive nose displaying rich red and black fruit, blackberry jam, cherry, coffee, a hint of tapenade and smoke. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, silky and polished, no noticeable tannins and a long peppery finish. The bottle looks tall so I cheat and guess it correctly. It has reached the peak drinking windows.
The overall expression is significantly different than the 17th nail served next by a coincidence. This displays the clear Syrah peppery characters as the caramel/oak note is not as strong. It also seems not as concentrated.
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4/22/2017 - jeffmudd wrote: 97 Points
So rolled the dice and bought a bottle at auction. Simply wow, first taste of a SQN wine and simply outstanding. The depth and richness, truly an experience.
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12/2/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Paul blinded us on this one. It was very ripe with raisins and dried fruits and some alcoholic heat. There was also some tobacco and green bean. It kind of reminded me of an Amarone. When he said it was Shiraz we were racking our brains to think who ijn the Barossa or McLaren Vale could have made such a wine. It was smoky, full, sweet and relatively low acid. It was actually a very good drink with char grilled boned leg of lamb. I reckon if you could buy it for around 100 bucks you'd tuck a few away in the cellar. I suspect you probably can't buy it for a hungie.
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11/27/2016 - MC wrote:
I only had a taste but his was very good with some air, showing dark, ripe fruits and seemed to be holding well. Was a good after-dinner wine and enjoyed by all. A-
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10/15/2016 - Elvis1969 wrote: 89 Points
Provad på PM & Vänner. För mycket av allt för min smak.
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10/6/2016 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured as we were rushed, which didn't do this wine justice. Also hard to drink following Chave and Bonneau, just massive and caramel-y.
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9/10/2016 - jshufelt wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 3.5 hours before service. In the glass, deep saturated red, shading to pink at the rim; this looks like a one-year old wine, not an eleven-year old wine. On the nose, crushed blackberries, blueberries, olives, and a hint of dried herbs. On the palate, more of the same, mated with a very smooth texture, and mild tannins on the long finish. For this fruit-forward style, this is an exceptional example, with balance and smooth texture that's often absent from similarly-styled Syrah-based bruisers, and I'd be more than happy to drink it again - but this is not at the same level as a Guigal LaLa at peak maturity, and if you're expecting that, you will be disappointed. Will it reach that level in another 5-10 years? I'm not sure the tannins are there to support it, but time will tell.
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7/22/2016 - RichEB1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Yep. This wine is freaking singing right now.
I know SQN is not everyone's cup of tea....but OMFG is this wine TASTY!!! bought 3 on release, and this was the last one, and was easily, easily the best one (drank the last one 2 years ago).
Popped the cork and was somewhat overwhelmed (per what I expected) by a very meaty/reductive note. This settled down and I was left with a wondrous melody of dark fruits, spice, and bacon (hard to explain....but less "meaty" than when first opened). Just haunting aromas. Pretty sure my dog even smelled this from across the room and came over to see what was going on.
On the palate, this is all rainbows and butterflies. Just glides across your mouth with incredibly smooth, sweet, dark fruits, and rose petals. Damn this is tasty. So well integrated and IMHO, probably even better in a year or two. Wish I had another one, but I am certainly not sad I popped this now. Perfect ending to an amazing night.
Cheers!
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7/16/2016 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully now. Very soft and supple. Flavors of figs and plums. Medium body and length.
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5/5/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Still young, fresh, intense, vibrant and packed to the rim with black and blue fruit, flowers, incense and espresso, rich, fleshy, flashy textures and a long, intense, powerful, sweet fruit filled finish.
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3/4/2016 - BaroloRob wrote: 98 Points
Amazing showing. What a nose! Beautiful long finish.
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2/13/2016 - Knicksfan wrote: 97 Points
Really very little top say except "sensational". This wine is in such a perfect place right now. What balance, flavor/fruit and structure.
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2/6/2016 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
Cedar, lots of fruit, red bell peppers, very open and just drinking perfectly well right now. Really amazing wine. We compared it to the extended barrel aged 17th Nail and this was more open and the 17th Nail had a crazier texture, hard to pick a favorite
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1/3/2016 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fe2O3 1b - My first wine for 2016.
Big and sweet yet very well balanced and delectable.
Nose is expressive and quite mature with ripe, even jammy, damson fruit, violets, licorice and sweet and spicy toasted oak.
On the palate it is plush with loads of sweet fruit and spices.
Perfect with burgers and grilled meat.
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1/1/2016 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Decanted and served.
The nose is singing for the pop of the cork,light spice, violets, dark fruits. The wine felt well aged, had a beautiful depth and persist and elf flavour and nice core of acidity. Big but well balanced and once again we find that amplified balance that SQNs have, classy and with finesse. For sure it has quite a few summers in it. A good 95
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9/17/2015 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 99 Points
Deep purple color with a bouquet and flavor of candied plums, accounting for a wonderful fluidity in the mouth, but without the sugar. Peppery notes appeared in the long finish. Great balance and definition. We tasted some extraordinary wines while at the beach, and this was one of them, and another wow. You would be hard pressed to find a similar wine even on the holy slopes of the Rhone Valley.
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8/15/2015 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 100 Points
I recently had Stein, the illustrious '12 Grenache that was literally the finest Grenache Cuvée that has ever come out of the Red, White and Blue country. The Atlantis '05 Syrah Cuvée is without any doubt on the same echelon. Blueberry, raw meat, cashew, warm strawberry pie, marijuana, granite and molten lava. Exceptionally long, layered and forceful. Not to be ignored, this Bathsheeba of a Syrah is the most magnetic wine one could imagine. At the height of development and intergration, this current phase should last another ten-plus years. There is so much to contemplate. Drink now - 2026.
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7/26/2015 - BaroloRob wrote: 96 Points
Always great. Balanced fruit with long finish.
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5/31/2015 - george61 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 5 hours... After 2 hours it developed a jammy bouquet, strawberries covering the high alcohol perfectly. On the palate it is incredibly well made, far from overwhelming with a structure that is often missing even from top Syrah... Served blind, most people thought it was a great vintage of Guigal's La Landonne
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2/3/2015 - frank411 Likes this wine: 98 Points
What a phenomenal bottle of wine - big yet elegant. Loads of dark berries with hints of tobacco and graphite just fill the glass. It attacks the palate with bursts of black and blue berries but somehow there’s a lovely elegance as it lingers. Long, lustful finish with hints of spice. Really nice!
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1/31/2015 - lucaslabelle wrote: 99 Points
Opened and decanted for ~ 3 hours and enjoyed at Harbor 60 steakhouse. Tonite this wine was absolutely exceptional. The nose was intoxicating and seemed to change each moment. There were scents of raspberries, gasoline, vanilla, and olives among others. The coolest part was that the nose was evolving the entire night. On the palette the wine was incredibly smooth with beautifully integrated tannins and a 60+ second finish. This wine was absolutely delicious and seems like it will continue to provide drinking pleasure for at least 5-7 more years.
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12/7/2014 - Munch Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is awesome stuff. A beautiful nose of black and red fruits and spice continues to the palate where there is a touch of white pepper and dark cherry, raspberry, blueberry notes all on a silky fairly weightless frame. Quite a long finish, but not as plush in mid-palate and long in finish as a small handful of SQNs I've had that bordered on perfection (or were perfect..JFTLOI for one!). Still a beautiful fantastic wine that seems early on in a super long plateau of maturity.
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12/7/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 98 Points
A day of lots of SQN and a few more!; 12/7/2014-12/9/2014 (Loretta Paganini School of Cooking and the Woods of Newbury): Again, a left over from the night before. I love this wine and have had a fair amount of bottle. The 20 hours of air did not seem to hurt it at all. great nose of black raspberries, smoke, kirsch and black pepper. Juicy, lush texture. Complex, layered fruit, slight earth, and spice and charred wood. Long finish. Delicious.
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10/12/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Sunday Night Sine Qua Non Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Meaty black fruit aromas with lots of black pepper. Firm and powerful black fruit again on palate, with both black pepper and some Asian five spice that comes through best on finish. Good length.
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8/2/2014 - Knicksfan wrote: 97 Points
Just magnificent
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7/9/2014 - Jonathan T Likes this wine: 97 Points
I have previously said that the Poker Face is the most opulent SQN syrah I've ever had and the Raven the most exotic. I found the Atlantis to have the purest expression of Rhone varieties and a deep sense of place. To me, the character lies somewhere in between a Chateauneuf and a Cote-Rotie. It is so fragrant with wildflowers, grilled summer fruits, a bounty of farmers market produce, dried herbs, and bay leaves. I loved drinking this without decanting and watching it evolve over the course of the meal. The mouthfeel is luxuriously silky, blueberries, and peppery bacon, with an elegant weightlessness that I also found in the JFTLOI. Drank Fe203-1b bottle.
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6/6/2014 - veniceslug1 wrote: 98 Points
lots of vanilla, good dark fruit flavor. still young. liked the grenache beter
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3/23/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 99 Points
Some GREAT wine swith friends (new and old) (Chris and Renee's Home): I have had this wine half a dozen times at least and this was the best showing yet. Still not at peak but getting there. Probably has two decades of life at least in it. Loved this last night. It had been slow-oxed for 8 hours when we sat down and the last sip was the best for me. Purple in color. The nose is beautiful with black raspberries, dark cherries, blueberries, sandalwood, and some vanilla. Lush and wonderful texture. Juicy acidity. On the palate, this is ripe and jammy fruit, but so well balanced. It has a deft touch to it that is not cumbersome or heavy. Lots of layered complexities unwind in the glass. Just a gorgeous wine.
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3/17/2014 - phenricsson Likes this wine: 97 Points
One of my favorite wines. Had it over 15 times. Still very rich and ripe but has lost a touch of its freshness and focus. It picked up some spiciness with food and benefitted from 2 hours of decanting.
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2/16/2014 - BaroloRob Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bright strawberry nose. Palate of raspberry and strawberry with a long spicy finish. Slightly candied but not over extracted. Moderate tannins. Plenty of life left. Paired well with a steak at Jean Georges.
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2/1/2014 - B Paul wrote: 97 Points
Last bottle of this. Showing a more mellow side compared to a couple of years ago, but equally enjoyable as it is showing more nuance now. An epic wine and glad to have been able to have several bottles and follow over the years. Drink and enjoy.
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1/23/2014 - Nanda Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine Flock - Central Coast Syrah Intro/Retro (My Place - Chicago, IL): Wow aromas. Full nose with big blackberry, herbs and exotic spice. Love the layers and complexity. Palate has crazy depth of flavor with layers of blue and black fruit. Big spice kick. Long with good acidic backbone that provides lift and balance. My 1/12. Group 2/12.
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1/23/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Wine Flock..."Top Central Coast Syrah from Rich" (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Open 5+ hours before serving, with a quick double decant when opened. Started with huge spice and ultra ripe fruit and a powerful, slightly off-putting garrigue character, which softened over time into something charming. Lots of black fruit with a real dark plum essence, but still well balanced. I thought this wine in the middle of tonight's flight after one hour with the 12 wines, but found it much longer and more interesting at the end of the night. I liked this wine, but the group liked it even more than I did tonight.
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12/30/2013 - jeremy@ wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at the Fung's! (Fung's): 1b label
Super big wine. nose of berries lots of it with lots of spice.
when you drink it, it's almost like berry syrup with a really spicy kick to it. paired with the chocolate cake it was perfect!
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12/28/2013 - scollier Likes this wine: 100 Points
Very hard to put into words the expertise that must have gone into creating this wine. The nose, the fruit, tannins and acidity are all so well integrated. It is a true symphony for the senses. Paired well with a juicy steak.
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12/21/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine: 96 Points
No formal note taken last night, but this had an amazing, very distinct, meaty nose. Huge wine, but silky smooth and effortless in carrying its own weight.
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10/27/2013 - Chriskrueger wrote: 100 Points
Christmas morning. Perfect.
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8/12/2013 - Dagalaifus Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted for two hours before imbibing. The wine is opaque purple with an exceedingly complex nose of black currants, bacon and caramel. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and concentrated with blueberry, blackberry, espresso and chocolate and more subtle, notes of oak and pepper. It has a memorable, lengthy finish with silky tannins. Because it is perfectly integrated, I would drink it now and not wait for it to improve with time in the cellar. Close to perfection.
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7/3/2013 - tburris Likes this wine: 98 Points
Focused. A singular wine with lot's of plurality. This was the best food wine my wife and I have had this year. Campfire with pine forest. Palate was evolvling overtime with each drink. Finish was almost to the point that you could not get rid of it but in a good way. I never thought this would be a great food wine. Wow.
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6/11/2013 - heidoanddave wrote: 100 Points
Unbelievable! This is a wine to remember. Sweet black and blue fruit, fully integrated, smooth and delicious with a long finish. Beautiful nose. At a dinner with other exceptional wines, this one stood above all others.
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6/4/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
A heck of a Monday Night in Cleveland (E. 4th street): This is in a very nice place right now. Still seems to be on the upside, but getting close. The nose has black raspberries, blue berries, campfire notes, and floral notes. Lovely juicy, velvety texture. On the palate, great black raspberry fruit. Also red raspberries and some earthiness underlying the wine. Great balance. Food friendly at this point. Delicious.
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4/16/2013 - rdsboca Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sweet raspberry fruit and a refreshing change in our line up of cabs. The fruit was bright and refined. Very smooth and no noticeable heat.
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4/10/2013 - clarktoews Likes this wine: 95 Points
wow! wow! wow! just amazing how smooth and integrated this wine was. everythign works, the finish keeps going. and did mention the silky texture. just great
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3/16/2013 - Geoff Likes this wine: 97 Points
Some green notes which blew off after 5-10 min. Smooth, in balance. Great wine! Went well with grilled duck breast.
The wine looks Inky colored. The legs are Fast.
It smells like Strawberry, Raspberry, and Black Pepper. The body is Full. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Long.
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2/26/2013 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Huge and lovely wine. Tons of depth. Great mouth feel. Black, cooked olives. Long finish. Tons of complexity.
PDQ95
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12/25/2012 - B Paul wrote: 97 Points
Notes similar to previous bottles. So much power, but not heavy at all. In a great spot and I'd recommend trying one now if you have a few. Will save my last bottle for another year or two, but I think this is pretty prime right now.
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12/21/2012 - Griffeyfan04 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted a few hours and needs more time. Deep color still, don't be in a rush to drink this. Has many years left. At least 5 years. Great bottle. If you want to drink. Decant for at least 4 hours
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12/16/2012 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Amazing nose as always. Smokey BBQ sauce and deep dark fruits. The palate is thick and mouth coating with smokey beef, bacon and a petroleum note. Long and impressive. I love this wine. I usually find black pepper in this and it wasn't there this time.
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12/15/2012 - yacobove wrote: 94 Points
This was far less tannic than the Dangerous Birds (which was tasted side-by-side with Atlantis). Had an earthy and spice rack nose and flavor profile. There was an incredible smoothness and long finish. This wine did not show its alcohol. Drinking well now, but will continue to age nicely.
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11/23/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: 93 Points
Sampled 11/22/12. A powerpacked and dense wine in every respect. Perhaps too much so. The tannins are yet to be fully resolved, and I'm just not sure how well this wine will evolve. It could be the big bang which explodes into a beautiful complex universe or it could flame out like a super nova and suddently turn into a empty shell. I actually preferred the Grenache 2a more. Nonetheless, in the current moment it is still a very solid wine with so much black fruit and some spice that you just can't ignore it. I will need to revisit this wine in about 3+ years to see what happens to it.
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10/20/2012 - Kemo Sabe wrote: 95 Points
Incredible. Only word to describe this wine. Decanted 4 hour and drank from a mag. Booming nose and flavors. Signature SQN balance and integration. Just a sensational bottle of wine all the way around. 95+
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10/10/2012 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Sine Qua Non the Cult of Cults; 10/10/2012-10/11/2012 (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London & The Square, London): Decanted for 45 minutes and much needed. The wine is for sure on the young side but still in its drinking window and not a bad time to enjoy this even though it could probably last a lot of years. Not sure it will improve though. The colour is vibrant dark red and the sign of 15.5% alc does point you that this will be a big wine. Big indeed but not a monster, good exctraction but even for purists like us it didn’t feel overdone or overplaying one artificial element to compensate for something else. The nose once it relaxes leads with light spice, coffee bean aromas, light barrique and a blend of dark fruits. Open and exuberant nose long and stayed vibrant throughout the 1.5hrs that we monitored it. On the palate u do feel the strength and density , of.. well pretty much everything. But as we said above this is no monster and in its strength it feels balanced, just everything to the 11. We really did enjoy this and granted there is always some stargazing when you have an SQN in front of you still this was well worth it. 94-95 and not sure how it will evolve to be honest.
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9/27/2012 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION Likes this wine: 97 Points
Meat stick, charcoal, smoke, mild black berry, and robust long finish. Unreal mouthfeel/finish of peppered bacon fat. I am a believer of the hype and hooked for life. These wines are monstrously huge yet balanced.
See more details at
http://maximumsatisfaction.tumblr.com/post/26998723566
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9/4/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with Friends (Inovasi - Lake Bluff IL): Blackberry and black cherry aromas with great spice aromas supported by charming floral notes in the background. Very similar fruit profile on the palate with black pepper, anise and dried thyme. One thing I find particularly remarkable for SQN Syrah and Grenache is they they retain incredible balance and finesse despite the fairly robust alcohol levels, which almost never protrude.
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9/1/2012 - Javachip wrote: 95 Points
Glorious bouquet of bacon fat, blackberries, grilled herbs, and pepper. Similar on the palate, full-bodied, rich and ripe, voluptuous, Rubenesque wine. Even in the Caribbean where it was 84F outdoors, this did not overwhelm the fresh wahoo entree. I know, I know, wrong climate and wrong food for this wine, but the price on the restaurant wine list was irresistible.
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8/14/2012 - clarktoews wrote: 95 Points
wow wow wow, so smooth and silky was just awesome. was thick but not heavy, loads of fruit but not over extracted.
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8/13/2012 - Amerique wrote: 95 Points
Rich, delicious, highly extracted, full-bodied blackberry fruit with loads of peppery, spice, and black olive flavors, excellent structure, high viscosity, great depth and layers of flavors, long finish
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6/30/2012 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 99 Points
1b label - Amazing wine. For me, it flirted with perfection, but just needed a few more years. More elegant and reticent that some of the other SQN I've had. All the stuffing was there. Great blue/purple fruit, amazing aromatics. Worth the hunt as always. - Drank @ Ocean Room, Kiawah Island
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6/25/2012 - shaferguy91 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour.
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6/20/2012 - MarkC Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine just got better and better over the course of the night. The best taste was the little bit left in the bottle that I consumed directly from said bottle. Still plenty of tannin and quite a strong frame, but oozing with gobs of fruit--mostly blue and black--and complimented with black pepper and meat. Still the most Old World-like SQN Syrah for my palate, this has somehow managed to get even more voluptuous in the last couple years. In a great place right now, but I expect it to get even better. (PE: 98)
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6/8/2012 - G_H Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sine Qua Non vertical (Carlton Restaurant, Zurich): You drink this wine and you instantly know this is a heavyweight, a bit alcoholic, in fact one of the few where alcohol still is a bit dominant, but very very good nevertheless, sweet with an entire oriental spice market hidden in that bottle. What a wine!!
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6/7/2012 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): A real change of pace from the rest of the wines. Talk about drinking a meat stick...wow, this was pure pepperoni. Sure, the weight and body was a bit big for me, but the flavors were quite nice. Certainly exotic, and certainly young...I'd like to revisit this in 10 years. I could see this being really something special.
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6/4/2012 - Eric wrote:
Bright violet mixed with meaty Syrah. Impressive.
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5/8/2012 - bsherwin wrote:
Very well balanced for a wine of its size. It wasn't as showy as some SQN's (and I mean that as a compliment), but it still tilted toward the lush end of the spectrum. Drinking very well at the moment.
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3/17/2012 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
square- deep dark dense color, in the mouth it folds over your tongue and fills the mouth, well balanced, all forward fruit, very enjoyable
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2/27/2012 - DianeR wrote: 96 Points
Sublime.
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2/25/2012 - B Dub wrote: 98 Points
Consumed at Araxi in Whister Village. Great bottle!
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2/19/2012 - fdub wrote: 95 Points
Dark dark purple in the glass. Lovely nose of white and black pepper. Still lots of fruit on the nose as well. The palate has really started to mellow out since I last had this in March 2009. Lovely wine with several more years to reach its peak.
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2/7/2012 - phenricsson wrote: 98 Points
Fill was not quite as high as normal. (This was bought on release and kept in my cellar as all the other) Wine looked more mature (80) than normal and a bit more ripe fruit. Still great focus and intensity. Love this wine. Saved half for next day - just as great.
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12/31/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: 97 Points
OMG wow wine. Incredibly complex nose with meat, game, currats and spice--you couldn't help but sniff this for minutes between sips. Incredible intensity, very concentrated spice, currant and dried fruit characteristics that carry through on a lengthy finish that added espresso. Incredible wine that is drinking well after an hour of air. Smooth, seamless, with unrivaled complexity, though never seemed heavy or overdone. Even the morning after, I can still smell and taste this.
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12/31/2011 - Robert Pavlovich wrote: 97 Points
Hits some high, floral notes off the nose. Dominating palate, with a lush, silky mouthfeel, explosive red and dark fruits, but then finishing seemlessly, with precision and maybe even a bit of magic this wine has big and flavorful fruit combined with elegance and balance.
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12/9/2011 - Brady D Likes this wine:
Opened to celebrate Emma's promotion. Decanted for several hours, but even the initial tiny pour was fantastic.
I loved our first bottle on release, and bought some more on the secondary market. Sadly, the next two were less interesting. The last was better, but I worried about a seeming over-ripeness. This bottle didn't have that fault.
Dark, opaque purple. Strong, complex nose of ripe dark fruit, oak, and savory elements. Full bodied, and the taste matched the nose. Long and quite delicious. I didn't pick up on the pruney over-ripeness I worried about with the previous bottle. The wood was still present, but a little less obvious. I think this has come out of its shell and should continue to improve. Great wine for the hedonistically oriented.
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12/7/2011 - Vinomarcus wrote: 95 Points
Wednesday Night Club - December 2011 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind - splash decanted 7hrs prior to dinner - Woof, what a gorgeous nose, huge notes of ripe black fruit, tar, rubber and anisette, the palate grabs your attention and never lets go, you either love this wines or you don't and I do. Decadently deep and rich. Very distinctly SQN.
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11/24/2011 - shadow wrote: 100 Points
rich syrah on the nose, smooth entry, wide spread of enveloping flavors that last long after its gone, great wine, my forth time, love this vintage of SQN
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11/21/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
Poured to me blind. I called it Syrah and subsequently Sqn. Awesome nose of coffee, rocks, beef and very dark fruits. Thought it might be northern Rhone for a minute but went back to Sqn. The palate is nothing short of awesome. Game, black berries, herbs, and chocolate. The palate is still a little tight after three hours in the decanter but what a wine! (252 views)
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11/12/2011 - phenricsson wrote: 97 Points
Great! Big wine. Focused on entry and then explodes in the mouth, covering every crevice with flavors. Huge aftertaste.
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11/11/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 98 Points
Rhone Dinner (Sun Wah Chinese BBQ): Opened about 5 hours prior to consuming. This was a perfect pair with our meal at Sun Wah - the best Peking duck in Chicago.
The color was dense and dull - thick rich juice poured form the bottle with noticeable thickness.
Gorgeous aromatics just erupting from the glass. Spicy creamy raspberries, blueberries and a pronounced white AND black truffle quality that I couldn't stop wooing over. The layers of aromatics both savory and sweet were endless - chocolate, meat, smoke, baking clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, touches of brie cheese. Fantastic experience. New World without a doubt and if I tasted this blind I probably would have said SQN to be absolutely honest. So different from anything else I've tasted. Rich and dense but still completely enjoyable and balanced to a T. My favorite SQN tasted to date. Out of this world spectacular. Currently in my Top ten wines all time. Period.
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11/10/2011 - jdabrowski1027 wrote: 98 Points
SQN vs Rhone Dinner (BLT Steak, DC): Wowzers. The nose is slightly reductive, in a very inviting way. Smoked meats shine through, and some floral hints (maybe co-fermented with some viognier?). Upon my first sip I remember tasting blueberry pie, both in the fruit profile, but also in the flaky crust. There is some chalky notes that balance out the massive pure fruit. The finish lingers leaving you with powdered cocoa. Impressive.
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10/20/2011 - hanasowner wrote: 100 Points
Fantastic. Opened for three hours and drank over two hours. The last glass had pepper just jumping out of the glass. Saved some for the next day and still rocking.
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10/16/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
Charlie's 65th - Lots of wines! (Charlie's Home): This had been open for a while before I got to it. This showed much earthier than I remember it although plenty of black raspberries, blueberries, white pepper and some grilled meats. A delicious wine. Amazingly lush texture.
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9/11/2011 - ronlite wrote: 98 Points
Spectacular, lasting finish
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9/2/2011 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine was fabulous tonight. Although we popped and poured it, it was almost flawless from the beginning. A very dark purple in colour with long legs as well. Tons of berries, vanilla, caramel, and even some chocolate on the nose. The wine itself had all these flavours in the mix with a perfect balance of spices as well. I could drink this wine all the time if I had a bunch of them.
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7/29/2011 - SevenDayMile wrote: 98 Points
No detailed notes. Too busy enjoying.
Really delicious and extremely well made wine. Left open for four hours and decanted for another four. Intense nose. Smooth, silky black and blue fruit with a backbone of vanilla and black pepper. Seamless texture and a long finish.
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7/13/2011 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tonight this wine was simply amazing. Despite popping and pouring, the balance of flavours and spices in this wine was nearly perfect. It had a nice bouquet of berries and pepper. The wine not overly dark in colour. Lots of vanilla in the mouth with some notes of smoke and perhaps even a little maple. This might have been 100 points if we had decanted it for a few hours.
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6/18/2011 - ews3 wrote: 97 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 4th Annual; 6/17/2011-6/18/2011 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): this continues to get better and better each time i have it. knockout nose shows mint, blood, and black cherry. palate adds a sweet spice note. medium (+) finish crescendos.
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6/18/2011 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/11). This was great tonight and is really coming into it's own. Very deep purple colour with lots of vanilla on the nose. A near perfect balance of tannins with cherries and vanilla flavours. Superbly balanced and ready to enjoy now.
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6/13/2011 - mmurmac wrote: 98 Points
Sooo good. Enjoyed with ribs. Distinct pepper note. Concentrated blueberries and cherries but with such balance and grace like I have never tasted. It was like a peppered steak with blueberry reduction sauce in a glass. Opened for 3 hours before serving. My first one of these. Might be looking for more.
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6/5/2011 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
elzer cancer society charity dinner. from magnum. nice, reasonable showing for this, but in keeping with previous tastes, not a blockbuster for the house. it lacks the pizzaz and showy fruit of so many previous vintages.
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6/2/2011 - Knicksfan wrote: 98 Points
Sublime
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5/21/2011 - burgcamel wrote: 97 Points
Drinking beautifully! Nice dark berry flavors with the right amount of spice that fills the mouth with a strong attack and finish.
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5/19/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: 97 Points
Best showing of this wine for me--it was simply spectacular. The bit of edge I found in previous bottles is gone, and it is really well-integrated, with boatloads of fruit, yet still plenty of structure. Dark red and black fruits (raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate, blackberry) dominate the palate, and it's oh-so-good. The wine is ripe and round, and I didn't want the bottle to end. (PE: 98)
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4/23/2011 - fhirsch wrote: 95 Points
At the Square, London. After 30min in the decanter this was still remarkably tight and closed for a SQN syrah. Incredibly complex nose, that makes you go back and back to it. Over the next two hours, it changed constantly and was at its best after a good hour and a half. The palate is similar, you have plenty of fruit, but it is quite restrained at this stage. There is that magnificent balance between richness of the fruit and some kind of balancing tobacco, cigar box elements that give you a finish that has hints of stones or salt. Incredible wine, although very different from other SQN's.
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4/14/2011 - St Paul wrote: 96 Points
The nose did not give away much. A bit of plum. Quite elegant in the mouth. Good structure. Need a few more years I think but a nice wine for sure
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3/9/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Popped into the decanter and poured, this Syrah offered pungent blueberry, blackberry jam, fennel, coffee, spice box and liqueur aromas. Thick, rich, dense and mouth filling, this full bodied wine is a tactile experience. Gobs of soft, ripe, polished berries coat your palate. The wine with a blast of espresso, dark berries and jammy flavors. This is a wine for pleasure seekers. I was happy to share this with friends from Bordeaux and my special co-hostess.
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3/6/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 97 Points
Napa Offline and a whole bunch of wine, mostly Syrah (Napa Valley Wine & Cigar): Another great example of this wine. If you don't like this wine, it has to be about style, which I understand. It is so well made and seamless. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has great fruit, black raspberries but also blueberries and a graphite quality. Also some anise. I suspect that the anise comes from the Whitehawk vineyard as that seems to be consistent (IIRC, there is about 25% Whitehawk in this wine). On the palate, this is so smooth. Where it does not have the lightness of Saxum, it does have a juicy/velvety texture that coats the mouth and the acidity that makes you want to swallow and takes another taste. Long finish. Probably my WOTN, but it did have the advantage of being almost all gone when I tasted it, so it got a nice "decanting" in the bottle. First bottle to be drained, but that was probably based on the label as much as anything.
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2/26/2011 - scooter260 wrote: 90 Points
Really good but this is my 2nd bottle that lacked a long finish and as much complexity as I have come to expect from SQN. Enjoyed at Cave Vin with the Irby's.
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1/30/2011 - Knicksfan wrote: 98 Points
Pure Syrah perfection
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1/22/2011 - zinfidel wrote: 97 Points
First SQN wine for me. Deep purple in the glass. Extraordinary complex nose with oak, spice, graphite. Blackberry liqueur with a distinct pepperiness on the finish, which is not apparent in the nose. Superb.
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1/15/2011 - dionysis wrote: 98 Points
Utterly sublime. The wine of the night for me and in everyone's top 3 in a recent tasting of Parker 100 pointers. Decanted for 3 hours and then recorked and drank over the next 3. Probably could have even used more time, but it had shed the hot notes it had out of the bottle and had an unusual complexity and constantly changed over the course of the evening. Lots of tobacco, spice and red fruit that did not overpower like some of its rhone ranger counterparts (see: Saxum JB).
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12/31/2010 - Uglypinga wrote:
Smokey BBQ, beef and dark fruits blast from the glass. The palate is rich and smooth, full of ripe red berries, baking spices, black pepper, and some vanilla. Long smooth finish. A great bottle of wine, but it didnt have the verve of the last one I had.
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11/26/2010 - scooter260 wrote: 95 Points
Enjoyed at Thanksgiving. #3 of 3 against Raven Grenache and Pictures Grenache. Delicious wine! Not as heavy and viscous as we thought it would be. smooooooth.
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11/22/2010 - patwjr wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hours, put back into bottle and reopened & decanted at restaurant and drank over 2 hours. Nose and taste changed every time we went back to our glasses. Blackberries, blueberries, a slight burn of high alcohol, still too tight after all this air. Needs more time in cellar. Higher rating potential at later date - give it another 3-5 years.
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11/21/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Dujac, Conterno, Casa Piena, Realm, SQN, Saxum (WSWOTY), Clos Mimi (Dante's): Some might think that is a disappointing rating (for an RP100 point wine) and I might agree. This wine was outstanding, but when your expectations are high... I have had this a few time now and I think it is in a tweener phase. Past it's lush baby fat, not quite showing all of its complexity, perhaps asleep a bit, the oak seemed too pronounced. Yet, the texture is sexy and juicy. There is still a lot of fruit; black raspberries and blueberries. Pin point balance and a long finish. Not the best at working with foods. This wine had been decanted for 8 hours and maybe that was an issue though i don't think so. FWIW< I would hold these at this point.
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11/20/2010 - KristianT Likes this wine: 97 Points
18 bottles of Sine Qua Non (Copenhagen, Denmark): Probably the darkest wine in the line up of SQN syrahs. Very strong notes of tobacco, cigarbox and thyme. Persistent flavours. Impressive wine - very close to perfection.
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11/19/2010 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
Great wine but too young, don't touch for 5 years!
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11/8/2010 - airborne82 wrote: 92 Points
All the components for an outstanding wine are there but it hasnt come together yet. Give it anther 3-5 years.
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10/23/2010 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Sine Qua Non Dinner: the Younger Wines (Custom House Tavern - Chicago IL): Sensational aromatics of black fruit, spice and a good floral contribution (amazing how far 2% Viognier can go!). Black cherry, blackberry flavors with licorice, pepper and sweet oak spices. More pepper comes through on long, balanced finish.
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9/17/2010 - O>-< wrote: 97 Points
Gave this a five-hour decant, and it seemed just about right. I wish I could capture the aromatic explosiveness of this wine when it's first opened to share with tasters, but the combination of acid and alcohol on the palate is searing at that point. When we finally tasted together, the aroma was much more elegant, with notable blackberry and raspberry and a gorgeous floral element, as well as a subtle caramel note with further aeration. The berry profile is mirrored on the palate, with a just a hint of grilled meat and white pepper, and a long aftertaste of red fruits and minerals that keep this tidy. Many folks commented that it was equally enjoyable alone or with the grilled steaks, wrapped in bacon, and I got a clear impression that it was the favorite wine that night. My third bottle of this, and clearly the best one yet. 2005 remains my favorite year from SQN so far; everything from that vintage (the white "The Petition," the reds - especially the 17th Nail, the Mr. Ks, and the Atlantis sweeties - especially the wonderfully unique Grenache VdP) has been wonderful and memorable. (I admittedly have not had the Rose from this vintage.)
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9/12/2010 - dgerst wrote: 96 Points
Impenetrably dark purple. Nose of dark black fruits like blackberries, scorched earth, minerals. Huge mouthfeel, spice, pepper, black juicy fruits, lots of exotic minerality. The finish was long and a bit alcoholic. This wine needs some time to knit together but in 3-5 years it will be spectacular. Hold.
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8/28/2010 - dannykoz wrote: 96 Points
Incredibly extracted fruit, with a lot of spice, eucalyptus and even incense on top of lovely soft and sweet tanins. One of the best and most interesting wines ever tasted.
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7/25/2010 - phenricsson wrote: 99 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hrs. 90;91. Dark, very young looking, almost luminescent color on rim. Very thick looking. Nose of blood, earth, minerals, dark roasted fruits. Mouthfeel is round, soft, end-to-end, almost elegant. Big structure but balanced. Later very sweet but there is a bitter tinge at the end to balance that. The palate is explosive but sophisticated, nothing stands out, everything is harmonious. Aftertaste is very long, very dark cherries, plums, spicy oak and it has some jalopenos. This wine is best if drunk at below 65 degrees. After 4 hours it is even better, it is getting sweeter, especially on the aftertaste. LOVE IT!
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7/21/2010 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 98 Points
A fantastic bottle that was decanted for all of 5 minutes. Very well balanced with some vanilla notes to it. A very long finish with just enough spices to it and no alcohol aftertaste. Wonderful.
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7/4/2010 - doctoroflaws wrote: 95 Points
Incredible nose. A slightly short finish for a wine of this quality.
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5/8/2010 - Rosengoo wrote: 94 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/10). This lighter coloured wine had a strong grape jelly bouquet to it. In the taste department, I could also get some chocolate flavours in an overall mild wine. There was a slight alcohol aftertaste to it.
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5/8/2010 - ews3 wrote: 94 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 3rd Annual; 5/7/2010-5/8/2010 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): Lots of dark fruit with some floral notes on top. black pepper. The palate on this was awesome, but the finish faded a little too quickly (medium length). This is the third bottle of this I've enjoyed, although they have all been quite different in my perceptions. Paired with grilled sirloin of Kagoshima Wagyu beef.
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4/24/2010 - O>-< wrote: 96 Points
At the event: Ruby/purple color, with a typically effusive nose of black fruits and a floral note. Lots of showy cassis and blackberry on the palate, but still wound-up pretty tight, with a presence of heat that I didn’t notice in a previous bottle. A nice finish with plenty of pepperiness, but again shy of previous bottles. 94+ AFTER THE EVENT: Poured the left-over amount (?!) and found the smoother texture, more complex, longer finish wine (without the heat) that I’ve come to associate with SQN. This wine needs a bare minimum of 2 hours of air (at least at Denver's elevation). I still enjoyed what we tasted at the restaurant, but it’s clear that we tasted it during its ascent, not at its apex… which can also be said for the wine in its long-term evolution – it’s still a really young wine! 96
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4/12/2010 - thenapalist wrote: 98 Points
This is just now starting to come into it's own. I've experienced some VERY nice bottles of this but I have to say this might be the best. Not ultra jammy by any means nor is it overly ripe or juicy. This against the Raven is like night and day. Right out of the bottle you can tell this wine has class. The fruit is pure precision with mouth fulls of dark fruit (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry) and secondary notes of milk chocolate, vanilla and some cotton candy. The gaminess is there but not in over abundance. Beautiful floral notes in the aromatics. Don't know that this will get any better. It might lush out a bit and shed some grip but don't know if this is a 20-30yr wine. IMO, the drinking window on this is now-2020.
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4/4/2010 - Screameagle wrote: 90 Points
I very nice bottle of wine but this one showed quite a bit of heat which spoiled it somewhat for me. Hope my next bottle is as good as the previous bottles I've consumed.
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3/23/2010 - pepeelvis wrote:
was somewhat skeptic of this wine given lumpy price tag, however it was definitely an eye opener. Definitely a fruit bomb but very well made and was dynamic over the course of the evening. Drinking very well right now.
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3/20/2010 - Bracamonte wrote: 98 Points
Brought to a birthday dinner: Decanted 1 hour and the nose exploded over that time of strawberry, blackberries, spice, and fruit. The finish seemed to last forever with each taste better than the last. Wines like this from SQN, is the reason I continue to buy them. Incredible now, but will be even better in a few years.
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3/13/2010 - bubbachumps wrote: 96 Points
2005 Syrah Horizontal representing 4 continents (Casa Tomek): Even better than the last time I had it. Notes consistent with the last ime. Incredible balance, texture and nose. The nose for me was all about earth and spice. Unbelievable mouthfeel and a finish that goes on and on. A great example of syrah. Should improve, but I think this is very close to its peak. My #1 WOTN, the group's #2.
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2/26/2010 - rsbeck wrote: 97 Points
Breathed in bottle for three hours, consumed over the next 2. Evolving, intoxicating nose. Luxuriating in the aroma all night might have been enough. A seamless tapestry consisting of layers of red, blue and black fruit, dark chocolate, spices (especially clove), a touch of pleasing gaminess/funk, well integrated French Oak, mint, and a faint notion of grapefruit. Dark color and intense flavors might lead you to expect a full bodied wine yet the feel is silky and elegant. Extremely clean, focused, succulent, well balanced, with a finish that lingers and makes a home in your memory. The scary thing is that I think this wine is just beginning to show what it has.
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2/4/2010 - phenricsson wrote: 100 Points
Gorgeous looking wine, blackish core with color going all the way out to the edge that is showing a bit of amber. 91;79. Flowery nose with roasted fruit, blackberries and minerals. Very heady and you can smell it from 3 feet. Mouthfeel is full and completely end-to-end. There is not a single part that sticks out in any way. The palate is very intense, exotic and with a long aftertaste that is kept from getting overly delicious by minerals and a touch of grapefruit zest. Superb balance; sweet fruit, great mouthfeel, ample but sweet tannins and a refreshing acidity coupled with minerals and graphite to add complexity makes this the best Fe2O3 we've had so far.
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1/23/2010 - GoCubsGo wrote: 95 Points
Had at CT kitchen table, decanted for 2 hours (first tried it after 1 hour but benefited from more time). Deep purple. Silky smooth with an extremely long finish, this was our favorite wine of the night.
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1/20/2010 - Brady D wrote: 94 Points
Third bottle consumed. Slow oxidized for four hours, decanted for two. Opaque purple, all the way to the rim. Nose: Less sawdust than earlier bottles, still smells like SQN, though. Very strong plum/prune element, which was interesting, if not hugely attractive. Still, a very strong, complex nose, very good. On the palate, it was tannic, but not overwhelming. Very full bodied. Dominated by dark fruit, and some secondary elements of chocolate and mineral. No heat. Very long finish. Balanced, if not as thrilling as the last bottle. Excellent.
I'm a little worried about the pruney element, and will watch out for that going forward.
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12/28/2009 - Jody Smith wrote:
Pop and pour, enjoyed over a couple of hours. This wine was most remarkable for its texture and construction. The rather reticent nose alluded to charcoal, game and brambles; but the finish and mouthfeel were the stars here. It was like drinking some hyper-concentrated concoction of velvet and blackberry liquor, yet it was completely devoid of heat and almost ethereal on the finish. Absolutely perfect balance of alcohol, acidity, tannin and fruit. There wasn’t a single component that could be isolated. Dark plums, and a woodsy spice repeats on an insanely long and creamy finish. With better planning, I would’ve decanted at least a couple of hours to coax a bit more from the nose.
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12/26/2009 - ScottG wrote: 96 Points
Damn. I wanted to hate this so I could dump the rest at profit. But this was too good to hate. Big and powerful from the cork pop, but never spoofilated, over-ripe, or alcoholic. Recognizable as syrah, complex, long, and delicious.
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11/29/2009 - MWes wrote: 94 Points
How do you even describe this wine? To me, it is all about the texture, aromatics and mouthfeel. As my brother put it, it is like having your tongue wrapped in silk. This wine continued to evolve throughout the night with very little taste being constant. I will try to hold off drinking my next bottle for 3-5 years. Yeowza.
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11/17/2009 - slopeguy wrote:
Amazing color and aromas. This wine goes on and on for what seems like 35 seconds or more. Purely sublime and practically flawless.
Superb
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11/3/2009 - MarkC wrote:
This has been the most Old World of the last several vintages (at least to my palate) and it continues in the vein, but it seems like it's going through a bit of a transformation as well. The nose showed great--very SQN-like. The palate is heavy with black pepper, but also shows dark red and black fruits, hints of fruit compote, beef blood, graphite, and leather. I think another year or two and it will start to really open up. (PE: 95)
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10/30/2009 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Black pepper, blackcurrant and plum. Incredibly dense with massive fruit power. Long and just so rich. Lovely but almost overwhelming.
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10/21/2009 - agebob wrote: 94 Points
The nose is full of fruit - kind of like a young fruitty cab. Hints of sage, lots of fruit - welches grape jelly (without all the sugar), and chocolate, evolves in the glass, more fruit, aroma galore with tannins showing up after the initial flavor blitz. This is quite complex and full flavored Excellent.
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10/17/2009 - last chance wrote: 95 Points
9 Blind Mourvedre: The nose of this wine had big blueberry and spice aromas. This seemed just dripping with fruit in comparison to many of the Mourvedres that we had tasted earlier in the evening. The palate had a nice mix of red and blue fruits with some complex herbal and mineral notes. The mouthfeel was big and so very smooth. This was a wine that just begged you to take another drink. We were tasting this blind at the end of the Mourvedre tasting with no clues about what it was. I had almost completely finished my glass before it was revealed because it was so tasty and easy to drink. I tasted this wine for the first time about 6 months ago, and this wine was drinking much better than it was back in March.
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10/15/2009 - shadow wrote: 100 Points
sometimes its just right, had with the best lamb chops you can get at Randle's in Garretsville, this is Sarah, perfectly balanced, melt in your mouth, dark, floral, hint of spice, subdued and exuberant, alcohol was no where to be seen, zero tannins.
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9/26/2009 - craiglpalmer wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. A rich nose of blueberry and pepper. This is drinking really well now -- better than the last bottle I had some time ago -- full-bodied and nice balance of fruit, tannin and acid. Has very complex flavors. Even though it's drinking great now, this will continue to improve with age.
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9/19/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
15.3% alcohol. decanted. my last taste in may was underwhelming. this is markedly more interesting tonight. much redder than previous syrah vintages. the alcohol still interferes with the finish. it's strong in the midpalate intesity and mouthfeel. based on this bottle i have some optimism about favorable development. hold. 92+
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9/14/2009 - B Paul wrote: 97 Points
Took this to Mustard's. Outstanding as before.
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8/21/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
Another weekend of Excess; 8/21/2009-8/24/2009 (Chicagoland): A very big wine. Inky color with an intense nose of very dark fruits. Some black cherry, blue and blackberry, kirsch, and some herbal notes. Rich sweet fruit on the palate with some decent minerality. Long finish. A very nice wine.
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8/19/2009 - phenricsson wrote: 100 Points
100 point dinner in Sweden. (magnum). Decanted 2 hours. Magnificent wine. Surprisingly not closed at all, tasted great. Purity, intensity, class, power, hedonistic. Wow, this tasted great! Best bottle of this I’ve had. 100p.
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8/5/2009 - rthun wrote: 98 Points
Pleasantly surprised with how well the SQN Atlantis Syrah was drinking. I have had this wine once before about a year ago and it was not drinking up to its praise at all. Other Cellar Tracker notes suggest this wine is over-rated. I agree somewhat (it doesn't merit triple digits), but it is still a fantastic wine and is starting to come around. Flavors of blackberry, plum, mineral, anise and gun metal. Similar flavor profile as the 2003 Reva drank prior to the Atlantis, however, the Atlantis was slightly less concentrated yet slightly better balanced than the Reva. I would put the Reva just ever so slightly ahead of the Atlantis. I was thinking of selling this wine, but no longer. Hold for two more years before drinking.
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5/25/2009 - clayfu wrote: 90 Points
IS SINE QUA NON THE GREATEST WINE IN THE WORLD? We go to school to find out!; 5/22/2009-5/25/2009: Pop and pour
a nose of really strong mint and olive juice with just loads and loads of black pepper and baked vegetables. Really hot on the nose. Sweet gobs of strawberry on the palate with dirty minerality and peppered meats. A long strawberry finish that's marred by another huge chunk of alcohol and grippy tannins. Second time i've had this and the alcohol and oak is pretty high. It's saving grace is that really nice sweet fruit and peppered meats that I found particularly expressive among it's brethren of other Syrahs
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5/24/2009 - m-phenom wrote: 95 Points
Dark rich blackberry - Ken thru Rene for '09 bday - tough get
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5/19/2009 - mdstenner wrote: 96 Points
A dense nose of mocha, black pepper, blueberry, kirsch, and licorice. The palate is full-bodied and perfectly balanced between fruit, acid and tannin. Begins peppery but this blows off with air and time. For such a massive wine it is incredibly smooth with open knit and complex flavors. It seems to close down a little with air, becoming less overtly fruit forward and more tannic. Gets very frippy. It's evolving all of the time though, which bodes well for the future. It is drinking superbly now. My first SQN red and I hope not the last.
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5/18/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
this wine has been a bit unnerving. i'm used to SQN syrahs showing like a peacock's tail when young. is the move to more estate grapes robbing that expressiveness? i thought the performance tonight mundane, merely politically correct, and dare i say manipulated. combine this with the rumblings i'm hearing about the raven...
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5/18/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 91 Points
G6 (Kevin): Opaque purple color. Blackberry nose. Tastes of blackberry, blueberry, tobacco, mocha, cherry and pepper. Lots of oak. Well balanced. Seems tight and closed down. A bit one-dimensional. Two in the group mentioned it was off or not showing well. A nice wine nonetheless.
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5/10/2009 - beachnic wrote: 92 Points
Overly sweet and rich with a more monotone nose than previous bottles. Spicy. Seems like it's entering a little more closed down stage. Got better after about 2 hrs decant but still in the realm of too rich for me. tasted ripe and Californian.
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5/9/2009 - mavaron Likes this wine: 95 Points
My first SQN wine. Didn't decant it but it showed its wonder upon opening. The wine has it all, and presented every layer of its complex flavor in a delicate way. Sweet and silky tannin. A little spiciness as always in a Syrah wine. Also, the fruitiness demonstrates the young and easy-going side of this wine. A true master piece.
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5/4/2009 - Mrbuzz wrote: 99 Points
The first thing, and always the first thing with a SQN, is how balanced and smooth they are, especially considering the massiveness in them. This Syrah is the black hole in the jam berry universe! Rich and oozing dark wild berry, blackberry, boysenberry fruit.....kicked up with white and black pepper spice, dried Bing cherries, charcoal dust, dark chocolate mocha niblets. Big and plush.....kirsch liqueur, no burn, yet big with spice and acidity kick. Again, well balanced. Also shows some smoked bacon on cinnamon waffles drizzled with raspberry syrup.....shit-you-not!! Just doesn't get much better than this!
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3/28/2009 - Rosengoo wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at a charity event (GGFAGC/09). This wine had a very strong bouquet with a mid range colour to it. It was very strong on the alcohol side to it yet had a good balance to it. Quite spicy. It will be interesting to try this in a couple of years as my guess is that it needs a little time to settle down and take the edges off.
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3/28/2009 - ews3 wrote: 95 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 2nd Annual (Le Paradou, Washington DC): this was much better than the last bottle i had of the atlantis syrah. a lot of black pepper and spiciness, plum and other dark fruit. the best part was the beef brisket notes i was getting. mmm... medium-long finish.
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3/21/2009 - last chance wrote: 93 Points
I had trouble trying to identify all of the aromas going on with the nose of this wine. Just too complex to try to deconstruct. This was tasted next to the Papa Syrah, and while the Atlantis did have slightly more fruit, neither of these Syrahs were fruit laden by any means. Now I understand why so many SQN Syrah tasting notes don't have a lot of specific aromas or flavors identified. This was a highly singular expression of Syrah to me - haven't tasted anything like the Atlantis or Papa to date. Both bottles were well crafted wine, but not really a style that I would enjoy often. I didn't get to taste the Atlantis on day 2, but I did notice that the Papa did show more fruit on day 2, and I enjoyed it slightly more. Wonder if the same development would have happened with this wine.
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3/21/2009 - gfleener wrote: 97 Points
as others have also noted, i was a bit underwhelmed by the bottle i opened several months ago. however, with 3+ hours in the decanter, this was absolutely stunning. i drank this on wed 18 march 2009 & remember it was quite meaty initially. i had company ove, dinner & an '03 shafer hillside prior to this one, so no detailed notes, but it made everyone smile.
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3/21/2009 - zimmy07 wrote: 97 Points
I finally get it! This is the third time I had this bottle and finally it was just singing from the heavens. The nose was insane. Bacon fat, smoke, mint, and who knows what else was going on, I smelled this for 10 minutes. Still very young, but I think it is in a great spot. Massive blueberry, vanilla, mocha, with harmonious balance. The complexity in this wine was crazy, very fun to drink
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3/11/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Old School Wineauxs do Rhones (The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch): Served blind. Funky nose giving green stem notes, pepper, bacon and some vanilla. Lean feeling yet showing plenty of oak keeping it soft. Juicy with greenish stems and some heat. Good but not exceptional and in need of some time.
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3/7/2009 - CMCLR wrote: 94 Points
Millie thought too peppery.
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2/20/2009 - gorm wrote: 96 Points
Uncorked DK Sine Qua Non Event (and some pretty interesting jokers...) (Restaurant Premisse, Copenhagen): Very dark red. Very intense nose dominated by mint, intense herbal notes, loads of roasted coffee, juniper and pepper! Intense with a great presence in mouth. At present it doesn't really unfold over the mid palate, but still impresses with a seriously long aftertaste of liquid pepper. To me it seemed like a next of kin to Imposter McCoy and Incognito and even if it will never be 100 points it is still a classic in the making.
(Uncorked DK average: 95,7 - lowest: 95 - highest: 96)
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2/14/2009 - Screameagle wrote: 98 Points
I was somewhat disapointed in the previous bottle of this wine I consumed but this bottle was awesome. Starts with an explosive nose right out of the bottle. So dark it's almost black. One of the longest finishes I can remember in a wine. This wine has it all including a beautiful mouth feel. It's an extremely complex wine which is surprising since it's so young. This wine is so good now it's hard to believe that it will improve with a year or two of ageing but I bet it will. One of the best wines I've consumed over the last year.
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2/2/2009 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
Great nose of earth and spice with very fresh red fruits. Already tremendously complex with a juicy core and a strong backbone. Great finish.
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1/30/2009 - bubbachumps wrote: 95 Points
Tasting note from memory. Tons of earth and spice on the nose, in the mouth amazing texture, lift and length. A truly memorable experience. This wine is only going to get better. Was decanted for eight hours, then consumed over four.
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1/23/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
100 Pt Syrah - SQN and Northern Rhone (Dan and Amanda's Home): This was my favorite of the SQNs. I had it at FF1 and liked it, but enjoyed it even more last night. It was fantastic. I still think I'd rather have the Atlantis Grenache, though.
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1/23/2009 - B Paul wrote: 98 Points
Notes same as previous bottle except I'm going a point higher here. This is a stunning wine. The nose on this one is amazing!
This will drink well for many years to come (and possibly even improve) but I see no reason to hold off if you have a reason to pop one.
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1/19/2009 - SalN wrote: 95 Points
Do yourselves a favor and decant for at least 1 hour....othrwise, I was surprised to smell the pepper...I have never experienced that before...there was also a light cream aroma...after 1 to 1 1/2 hours decant the wine really opened up....I really enjoyed this wine....I had it next to the 2006 El Nido (which is going to be great in a few years). Still not quite what I am looking for but a great experience.
The taste followed the nose....smooth, slightly creamy and definately peppery...black pepper
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1/18/2009 - idrinkvino wrote: 96 Points
It is as they say. One of those wonderful wines that is almost esoteric in that on any given night it is going to show a different element of what wine is about. Exceptional.
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1/10/2009 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 94 Points
Very ripe and upfront. Really ready to drink now. Rates high on the delicious factor.
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1/7/2009 - T Lauren O'Neal wrote: 100 Points
Yup, Dad said this was the best bottle he has ever consumed. Actually thought it must have been a Cabernet. My view is about the same... Enough words have been spoken here, so we shall let the points do the talking here. I do ponder how this will evolve in the long term...
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1/5/2009 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 93 Points
Dark and fantastic. My 1st SQN. This was absolutely stunning - had power, finesse, big aromatics, subtle details. Would have loved to see this open up more, but the table was big and we drank it fast. Gobs of blackberry, spice and everything nice. I think I'll get on the mailing list by about 2027 - if i'm lucky.
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12/31/2008 - AlexRed wrote: 95 Points
Damned tasty on NYE
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12/31/2008 - Alex G. wrote:
Monster crowd pleaser. More structured and serious than the Grenache, but also still more of a fun than intellectual wine. B
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12/26/2008 - beachnic wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for about 5 hours before dinner. Seemed richer than before and a little younger and has definitely changed to a bigger tasting wine.. Still very nice forward nose and easy to drink in it's youth but I will hold the next one for a couple of years. Had the 2006 Cayuse Cailloux next to it and liked the way the Cayuse was drinking right now. It was softer and had the same intensity of aromas that are so good in the Sine.
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12/20/2008 - rsepulve wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Deep almost opaque purple. No need to put your nose in the glass with this wine - I could smell it across the table as it was being poured! Blueberry, blackberry, pepper, spice and violets/floral perfume on the nose. Very pretty. Elegant, refined, and silky on the palate with ripe dark fruit and distinctly peppery. Not as dense and masculine as the other SQN Syrahs I've had but I mean that as a compliment -- this is the best SQN Syrah I've had!
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12/13/2008 - phenricsson wrote: 95 Points
This wine is definitely in the tunnel right now. It looks great, nose is very good, initial mouthfeel is very good and there is nothing really wrong with the wine but it is not as exciting and flamboyant as it was six months ago. It actually tasted better the next day after 24 hours in the decanter. This is consistent with the development that the 01, 02, 03 and 04 SQN Syrahs went through as well. The Papa is better than ever right now and Pokerface is starting to come back. It is still not quite there and still needs 3 hours of decanting but in a few months it is going to be a 100 point wine again.
Note to self: Do not open one for 9 months. We said that after a bottle 3 months ago but somehow forgot and opened this bottle anyway.
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12/7/2008 - B Paul wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for a hour and drank over the next three. Beautiful. The nose on this wine is amazing - floral notes and cherry. A spicy and peppery syrah. Very complex and multi-dimensional. A big wine on the palate but also very smooth and pleasant to drink. Long, sweet finish. 97+ points.
Very similar to the 2005 Lillian but a little more complex and a better nose. That said, I think the Lillian is a great substitute for the SQN (especially at 1/3 of the price).
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11/29/2008 - the godfather wrote: 93 Points
the most peppery SQN I've had, very sharp, not huge but not super complex either
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11/28/2008 - JOsgood wrote: 94 Points
The softest syrah from SQN that I have tasted. Lots of spice on this with perfect balance and a great finish. I was surprised by the elegance of this wine.
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11/25/2008 - Phin wrote: 95 Points
Pop n pour, quick decant and amazingly smooth. Fruity plum note up front but a perfect tannic wave of balanced dark fruit in the middle. Long solid finish. Best syrah I've ever had, earned by the back end finish.
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11/21/2008 - jeff nowak wrote:
the final pour from a bottle purchased by an ebob guy visiting the valley, and i caught the end of the evening with him. purchased off the list at t-cooks restaurant in the royal palms resort, $440. i mention this because jane and i had dinner off a gift certificate at a little podunk restaurant/ wine bar out in east jesus before a chris botti concert earlier in the evening, and amazingly, they had this wine on their list for $310. yikes! i got less than a 2 ounce pour, but the wine seemed tight. i'd try to resist opening these at the moment, it seems a little shut down.
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11/10/2008 - shudave wrote: 95 Points
I can't give this 100 points, as it felt thin and not as rich as I would expect a 100pt SQN to be. However, the nose was amazing and is the primary driver for my high score.
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11/2/2008 - CO CHRIS wrote:
Quite delicious. The wine started out as a Northern Rhone Cornas type impersonator...as the night went on the body gained and expanded, I'd have preferred it in the prior incarnation, but still quite delicious. No need to wait, great now!
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10/30/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 97 Points
a truly elegant wine, not as inky as some other SQN syrahs i've had, but delivers berry and spice, gorgeous mouthfeel and a 45+ sec finish. a few more years of bottle age and this will be as good as it gets.
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10/24/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Best of American Syrah Blind Tasting (Hughes House - Chicago IL): Tasted blind. I had this one small notch behind my Wine of the Night. Others had this closer to the middle of the pack, which truly surprised me. Slightly floral start with black cherry, anise and black pepper. Fairly overt oak spice still stands out a bit. Plenty of dense black fruit on palate as well, very well textured and balanced. Good now, probably at its peak in another 5 years.
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10/24/2008 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Great American Syrah Shootout II (Chicago, IL): Purple, black in color. Open, delicious nose has fresh blackberries, herbs, red licorice and toast. Palate has big, bold black fruits, floral notes, incense, olives and pepper. Clearly young but showing complexity. Good dose of juicy acidity provide freshness and lift into a long finish. My #8, Group #7 .
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10/24/2008 - winefool wrote: 97 Points
Wineflock - Best of American Syrah (Home): Group #7, My #1 - My second time tasting this in the past three weeks and it was just spactacular both times. Not sure how this got lost by the crowd... Full deep opaque black/red color. Mmmmn, absolutely stunning blcak fruit violet pepper and pefume on the beguiling nose. Spactacular black fruit spice and pepper on the palate, like a great Cote Rotie on steroids, but with perfect balance. 97+ pts.
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10/12/2008 - jc-mmb wrote: 98 Points
big bold brash but balanced throughout. beautiful mix of fruit, tannins and spice. decanted and in the glass for four hours and it was singing. tough to find flaws but maybe, just maybe, a tad hot/out of whack on the long finish. maybe that's nit-picking.
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10/10/2008 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
Disappointing -- blind tasting,a nd I would not have pegged this as SQN. It might be young, but I still expected more. Good fruit and some complexity on the nose and palate, a nice finish that lasted a while, and well integrated flavors and alcohol. But this was not an extraordinary bottle, as I have come to expect from SQN.
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10/10/2008 - jrobs7777 wrote: 90 Points
Syah/Shiraz Blind Tasting: This was a bit of a shocker. We tasted blind in a Syrah/Shiraz tasting along with 11 others wine. Everyone knew there were two SQN in the bunch (the '98 e-Raised was the consensus top pick). This was a disappointing surprise. Maybe in 5-7 years it will be better? The nose was strong and featured sourdough bread, earth and some alcohol. It also had some incense, which was a bit perplexing and off-putting. The palate was nice -- the alcohol was integrated. There was some nice fruit and complexity -- black pepper, raspberry and some raspberry liqueur. The finish was nice and fruity though, the incense on the nose made it more difficult to appreciate. When this was unveiled, we were all a bit shocked.
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10/4/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
Really nice
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10/3/2008 - winefool wrote: 97 Points
Sine Qua Non Tasting (Lush): Wow! Opaque pitch black color, almost to the rim. Knockout nose of coffee, spice, pepper, and black purple fruit - spactacular. Mmmn, wonderful briar forest floor spice and pepper. Balanced and ethereal - a spectacular wine. This was the most balanced and light on its feet (but retaining incredible power and finesse) SQN I've ever had. It is easily the best SQN, now surpassing the JFTLOI, my prior favorite (and still a great wine). Possibly the best new world wine I've ever had - and probably the most like a great Cote Rotie of any of Manfred's wines I've tried. 97-98 pts.
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10/3/2008 - PIR wrote: 96 Points
atlantis continues to impress-my favorite sqns to date. Can't keep my hands off of them-cheers'
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9/23/2008 - phenricsson wrote: 97 Points
91;89. Beautiful; dark center, brilliant color, very dense all the way to the rim. Thick. This wine is starting to shut down. Tried one in Sweden 2 weeks ago and the bottle last night confirmed it. After 2 hours decanting it was still very closed. Nice nose, heady, rich and ripe. Initial mouthfeel was round and fat but then the acid took over and the wine became almost austere. With the wine not quite opened up, the acid is perceived as huge and the wine felt almost sour. We opened up a bottle of something else and drank that for a while. We tried the SQN again after 3 ½ hours and now it started to open up but was still not totally consistent. After 4 ½ hours it was at its best – very impressive, the sour feeling had totally given way to sweet, rich, heady flavors. We should have left some to try the next day but somehow it all disappeared. 5 months ago we had two bottles that were so delicious basically directly out of the bottle and we rated them 99 points. A bottle in Sweden two weeks ago got 98 points after 4 hours of decanting and this bottle last night started out as an 88 point bottle and slowly worked itself up to 97 points. We will leave this for 9 months before we try it again. Still think the Atlantis will be one of the best Syrahs from Krankl. Papa and JFTLOI are drinking perfectly right now and the Pokerface is starting to emerge again but still needs about 2 hours of decanting. Have not had the Midnight Oil for a while but will try one in the next few weeks.
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9/22/2008 - LEOCORP wrote: 97 Points
Very dark in colour, this wine smell's very big with black pepper jumping out of the glass and smacks you in the face I also get bacon fat I can tell this wine is going to be very interesting indeed. In the mouth this wine as allot of layers of complex fruit it is rich and it is very complex but on the nose I was thinking this is going to be OTT wines that I hate, this wine is not at all like that the wine is very elegant and it has excellent balance for such a huge wine. This wine is one of the most interesting wines I have ever tasted I like it so much I brought all the stock the shop had. 15alc
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9/16/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
Deep and clean, dramatic fruit and mineral, hints of mild chalk, well-round and good balance, nicely full-bodied, aftertaste is soft, smooth and long finished. Good work and well-made wine. This no-terroir wine reminds me of Masseto.
If one who can makes wine like this, he surely sells it with big money. Fashion wine, really impressed touch. Glad to know it.
But...To whom that serious about ' Terroir ' I recommend the Syrah from Languedoc : Chateau de la Negly, Clos des Truffiere 2003 ( same rating from me )that's better than La Porte du Ciel 2003 ( 91-92/100 )
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9/14/2008 - loverboy wrote: 98 Points
Opened 3 hours before consumed. Impressive first nose of dense Rhone but with fresher , bigger. Seamless wine that keeps go on and on, changing and developing all night long. Exotic fruit scent, blueberry, leather, forest floor. The most exciting part for me is the taste, it's very unique and big delicious wine. Super aftertaste. One of the best wine I've had. Totally agree with others' notes that it just keeps getting better and better after swirling and swirling. It just never fade in glass. Magnificent work by Krankl !!
Had it with 1999 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace and 2002 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road. It'd surpassed both.
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9/6/2008 - cgrimes wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the CT Weekend Event. Purple opaque. Dense nose of dark berries, plums, smoke. Palate of same with some anise, tar and velvety tannins. This wine was seamless--one of the best syrahs I have ever tasted. I would have loved to have more time with this wine to see how it develops in the glass.
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9/6/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely excellent Syrah made in more of an old world style which I was not expecting and in fact I could easily mistake this for a great Northern Rhone wine. Full bodied and very flavorful but no single element, fruit, tannins, acidity, etc is over the top and they all commingle very well on the palate. An exciting wine to experience and with time and swirls in the glass it just kept getting better and better. The finish lasts at least 40 seconds.
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9/4/2008 - phenricsson wrote: 98 Points
(92;89) Very young looking. Dense and thick. It is not as open and hedonistic as it was a few months ago – I would guess it will be a bit muted for another 12 – 18 months but Lynn and I will open up a bottle in a few weeks to verify that. It is still a great wine with beautiful rich mouthfeel, great balance, very good flavors and great, long aftertaste. It did, however, not wow me the way the other two bottles we’ve had did.
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8/31/2008 - johbev wrote: 99 Points
One of the best red wines I've ever had. Very Rhone like in character. Incredibly well balanced despite its youth.
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8/28/2008 - Colima74 wrote: 91 Points
Took to tasting at Taleos.. great food.
Definitely a seamless wine; rich, unctuous, spicy on the nose and a bit on the palate. It is a big boy, but easy to drink. Not enough complexity for me to rate it much higher. After having X number of SQNs, I can appreciate them as nicely made, but I still am not ga-ga over them as some are. Which is ok, right?
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8/22/2008 - Auctionbuzz01 wrote:
Big wine. Still a little young but it's expressing a lot of powerful fruit in the mid body. Super long finish. Blueberry's & black berry current.
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8/17/2008 - beachnic wrote: 97 Points
Had the 1b tonight and it was a s good as I imagined it would be. Smelled like a Two hands Shiraz (very aromatic and great character) but with more finesse. Much more smooth and elegant than any of the young Californian or Aussie Shirazes I've had.. I think this is better than the 2001 Greenock Creek Apricot block which was my previous favorite. Again drinking amazingly well right now.
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8/13/2008 - redpine42 wrote: 98 Points
Real nice nose, great complexity, body and finish.
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8/6/2008 - gotapex wrote: 97 Points
Popped and poured. Amazing bouquet of dark fruit, flowers, and a bit of caramel. Rich and smooth on the tongue.
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8/3/2008 - MarkC wrote: 95 Points
This is very Old World in style. The only SQN outside of the Incognito that I would mistake as French in a blind tasting. Nose of earth, black pepper, red and black fruits. The palate needs some air to show its best (at least an hour) and it is more of the same--black/red fruits, earthy notes, plus leather/coffee (we couldn't decide for sure). Plenty of balance and structure--may be the most long-lived SQN Syrah yet, assuming a consistent decay of the components. Friends with us tonight said this is a very unique nose, but weren't completely wowed. I think it will be interesting to give it a couple year and see what happens.
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7/26/2008 - AlexRed wrote: 95 Points
took to Blue Duck Tavern in DC.
popped and decanted for about 40 minutes. showing very well. meat/bacon and dried herbs along with rich blue fruit. smooth and silky on the palate with a feeling of alcohol but without it actually showing up like "heat". increadibly lovely. went well with dishes around the table (the lamb the braised beef and the duck) did magical stuff with the duck confit. not cloying or overpowering at all. again, almost seems like it would/will be but then it manifests itself in complexity and length and not "size". fabulous.
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7/23/2008 - beachnic wrote: 97 Points
Wowzer, what a nose lots of bacon, smoke and herbs and blueberries. Rich but extremely elegant. Great silky mouthfeel to this. Drinking incredibly good right now. I've got 3 bottles but fear I won't get past 2-3yrs age on them. Too bad because this should be amazing in 5+yrs. It's just too good right now. Extremely sexy and heady stuff. One of the best Syrah's I've ever had. But not a 100.
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7/19/2008 - nicu2001 wrote: 95 Points
NYC Sine Qua Non Dinner at Eleven Madison Park (New York): Decanted about 9 hours. Nose of dark fruit and spices. In the mouth there was a plenty of complexity and it was well balanced with a long finish. I really enjoyed this but could not quite figure out how to write a note on it.
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7/10/2008 - Acohen wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, rich and complex. Enjoyed at Grille 23 in Boston and it was a great match with some pork for the dark fruit and smoke
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7/5/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Studio Restaurant (@ The Montage Resort In Laguna Beach): The nose on this wine reminded me a lot of what I sometimes pick up with someof the Garys' fruit--bbq meat, saddle, tar, with a sweet edge. As the wine sits, the blueberry notes emerged, along with tar/creosote. Given the pace of the wine that kept coming, I enjoyed this wine and just kept walking my Reidel path. I just wish I could have camped out with this wine for another day to get a real sense of what it was about, given all the attention being paid to it.
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7/1/2008 - numcwrt2 wrote: 97 Points
Wow wow wow. 4th vintage we've had of the Krankl's infamous syrah. While I've been on the waiting list for way too long, we've been fortunate enough to happen into these exceptional wines at very reasonable prices. Tonight, we started by pairing the Fe2O31a with an incredible foie gras and onion stuffed quail in peach gastrique and grits with a bunch of different shrooms, parm, country ham and thyme followed by "pork three ways" and "black grouper." This was another prime example of California Syrah, another bullseye for Manfred. On the nose, explosive perfume of bacon fat, leather, smoke, sweat (?), and dark, dark fruits. On the palate, a seamless, wicked long finish that was incredibly thick, complex, yet precise and balanced. If memory serves, not quite as complex as Into the Dark, but amazingly satisfying and delicious with our meal.
Someday, after the damned 4+ years I've been waiting, I'll make THE list. Wow. What a wine. 97+pts, but I am probably being conservative; especially considering the new dress my lovely wife broke out tonight...which was a solid 100 pter.
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6/22/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
So gloppy and oaky I spat it out in disgust, then somehow felt the alcohol attacking my nostrils from the back anyway. Just hideous!
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6/9/2008 - shadow wrote: 100 Points
perfect example of what every wine should taste like
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6/6/2008 - quigley13 wrote: 93 Points
Needs more time in the bottle to integrate the large oak and cedar components that currently mask the nice dark fruit. If opening now, a long decant is a must.
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5/24/2008 - pakabear wrote: 96 Points
This was really fantastic. Had it on vacation so nothing specific was recorded. It had really nice complexity on the nose, just brilliant. The palate was very good, young and having a little heat on the finish, but it should resolve in 3-4 years. I might be underrating this a bit.
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5/23/2008 - MarkC wrote:
Definitely too young, but oh what a great nose. Reminds me of the JFTLOI at this stage in that it has a great nose but is a bit closed on the palate. Dark, but elegant vs. brooding, I am hoping this will end up in the vein of the E Raised vs. the Marauder or the Midnight Oil. Plenty of balance and plenty of stuffing, just a bit less than its siblings, but more than enough compared to most. At this stage I'd say that the Grenache is drinking better, as that wine is a bit more fruit forward and approachable, but I think this may win the test of time. Hold off if you can, or pop one for fun. Decanted 6 hours.
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5/15/2008 - HappyWineGuy wrote:
Oh my! Pretty impressive even if kind of young to be enjoying now. TONS of spice and loads of flavor. Will buy some more. Decanted for one hour.
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5/11/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 93 Points
vastly different than the other bottle consumed a week earlier. Not sure the decanting of the other bottle would have that much impact on the balance. Maybe my taster was off that night. But this wine was dead on. Rich opulent fruit, still too young, but delivered a velvety texture that was impressive
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5/5/2008 - psmith wrote:
Unlike a bottle last week, I didn't decant this one, which actually firmed it up a bit. Deep, dark fruits and floral notes. Big, but not so much relative to other SQN Syrah. Very enjoyable.
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4/30/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 90 Points
not what I was expecting. I would thought a massive fruit forward syrah, but it was not. At the same time also did not have the best balance and structure. Seemed a bit all over the place. Really too early to figure this out, it was very young for sure
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4/25/2008 - psmith wrote:
New world Syrah styling with heavy floral Viognier overtones. Big, sappy wine, but quickly gives way to a hard tannic structure that dominates the finish. Thick, viscous mothfeel. Needs to settle down a bit, but very enjoyable.
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4/25/2008 - Ki Punwar wrote: 94 Points
I was suprised that this was as drinkable as it was-other SQN Syrahs like the Poker Face seemed so massive and young...but the Altantis was full of juicy fruit. While no doubt young with a long future ahead of it, it was great...I believe it is 93% syrah, 5% grenache and then some viognier...it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time.
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4/24/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 93 Points
decanted one hour. showing better at this stage than poker face, which i felt was very tight. this has a softer early profile, recalling the lusher days of the 01 and 02s. no reduction or heat, and a compact core of fruit. hold a year (duh!). nice!
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4/5/2008 - markcvino wrote: 94 Points
Fully extracted syrah with cedar and leather on the nose. Not overdone but somewhat elegant in the palate and finish with thick texture.
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1/23/2008 - jdoakpark wrote: 95 Points
awesome ,,,had at Grand Reserve club
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