Sine Qua Non, Sublime Isolation, California

Aged color, yet smooth. Good mouth feel with orange peel, some citrus. For its age it was drinking very well even at 15.7% alcohol

2003 vintage

An extraordinary wine, the '03 Sublime Isolation is a viscous beauty. A blend of Chardonnay, Roussanne, and viognier, it has a heady nose of pineapple, citrus, honeysuckle, herbs, and honey. Unctuous and silky, with sweet tannins, a nice minerality kicks in on the finish. in the glass, the wine is a brooding yellow and it looks it's age, but the flavors are bright and fresh. A remarkable wine.

2003 vintage

Outstanding white wine blend from SQN, the 2003 Sublime Isolation. Composed of Chardonnay, Rousanne, and Viognier, all from the Alban Vineyard in the Edna Valley. Dark yellow in the glass. Looked a bit foreboding. Toast, honey, pineapple, Asian fruit (rambutan?), white peach, a slight whiff of lily of the valley, lime zest and minerals. Tannins have softened and sweetened, but are still holding on. Unctuous, layered and, quite simply, delicious. Not bad for 21 year CA white wine. 97pt on …

2003 vintage

Grapes for Great Causes: Older SQN and SE Flight ‘06-‘09 (Les Nomades Chciago) : Darker color, sharper finish, good palate feel, lots of alcohol on the finish. Really a good finish to the flight of whites. My #3 Grp#1.

2003 vintage

Served 1 hour after opening. Fragrant and buttery, and that's the chardonnay. A little metallic, ripe and alcoholic with some vanilla. It's too bad we didn't give the wine enough time.

2003 vintage

Kleur: Medium goudgeel Aroma / bouquet: Ingetogen, zeker voor SQN een opvallend beperkte expressiviteit. En in dat opzicht maakt deze wijn een heel andere indruk dan toen ik hem met kerst 2017 proefde. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond duidelijk meer uitgesproken. Meer expressief, meer complexiteit. Details van verfijnd hout, boenwas, caramel. Enorm lange afdronk. Met 16,5% wel HEEL royaal alcoholisch. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkend, maar veel indrukwekkender in de mond dan in de neus. 50 + Kleur: 5 + …

2003 vintage

Served 50 minutes after opening. Really ripe and big, very hot on both the palate and the nose. Some 1 hour and 40 minutes after opening the nose was absolutely beautiful, and almost like candied pineapple.

2003 vintage

Chardonnay, Roussanne and Viognier. 15.7% alcohol had me leary that this could be any good but I was pleasantly surprised by the softness and balance here. It shows gentle and fairly mature flavors of tropical fruits, lime, coconuts and clove spice. The finish is most impressive with a very fine tip of the tongue complexity. The alcohol is in-check and not disturbing. Beats the hell out of me how he did it.

2003 vintage

Kleur: Goudgeel Aroma / bouquet: Super intens bouquet. Gelaagd en complex. Exotisch fruit, kaneel, vanille, witte peper. Venkel en boenwas. Smaak / Afdronk: Lage zuurgraad…. Jammer. Dik-sappig, romig, super-geconcentreerd. Vat-tannines. Super-intens, geweldig lange afdronk. Iets te alcoholisch . Algemeen / potentieel: Prachtige complexe SQN. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 93/100 Google Translate: Color: Golden yellow Aroma / bouquet: Super intense bouquet. Layered and complex. Exotic …

2003 vintage

Like a thinner botrytis but a little monolithic

2003 vintage

Past its prime.

2003 vintage

Serverades blint. Skulle aldrig gissat att detta var en chardonnay. Smakar som en blandning mellan en moget vin från Norra Rhone och en mogen vit Bordeaux. Massor av mogen tropisk frukt och honung. Ett kraftfullt hett vin med lite brist på syra. Väldigt lång eftersmak med lite alkoholhetta på slutet.

2003 vintage

BYO US Extravaganza (Kong Hans) : Very intense with exotic fruits but also vanilla and white pepper. Insanely long aftertaste but the alcohol is dominating a little bit. A stunning wine and a real treat to taste!!

2003 vintage

Sunday Night Sine Qua Non Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL) : Very ripe and tropical fruit that is maturing nicely, just slightly short of acidity. This came across very Rhone-like, but short on the energy to pull that off very successfully. Haven't had this wine in years and I preferred it younger.

2003 vintage

Honey color, bit a straw, subtle on the palate, awesome on the finish.

2003 vintage

Nose did not show much, rather dull, but on the palate this is a powerhouse, a cornucopia of flavors of tropical fruit, integrated oak, honey, minerals and sweet creamy spice. High alcohol (which I did not mind), high matching acidity, enormous weight without being heavy and endless aftertaste. A rare and exceptional wine.

2003 vintage

Farewell to the Summer Lunch by J.K.'s Swimming Pool : Extremely heavy bottle with a beautiful label. Medium to dark straw, still looking quite fresh given the age. Restrained nose with attractive aromas of honeysuckle, ripe peach and tropical scents. Full-bodied with huge fruit concentration, a creamy texture and a beautiful acidic lift offering balance. Endless but excessively warm aftertaste (alcohol on the label is 15.7%!). This noticeable burn from the alcohol is this wine's only drawback. Otherwise a memorable …

2003 vintage

Drank this wine right after downing a bottle of the Hoodoo Man, which I preferred to this. Don't misunderstand, I loved this bottle of SI. It had beautiful deep and rich golden hay color in the glass--absolutely beautiful! (even richer than the Hoodoo Man). The nose was extremely complex with hints of honey, lemon oil, orange blossoms, marmalade and the like. The wine itself was as rich and dense as it appeared to the eye and nose. Dense and multi-layered …

2003 vintage

Enjoyed this bottle with dungeness crab, Richard, Helen, Beth and Arden. Super rich and luscious. Wish we had more.

2003 vintage

Sine Qua Non vertical (Carlton Restaurant, Zurich) : Classic Rhone notes, minerals, Hermitage style, citrus flavors, good

2003 vintage

IWFSC May luncheon (Columbia Yacht Club) : Darker color, honey, chardonnay flavor with semillon scent, high alcohol w/out the burn. 1 hr. later...awesome, great, smooth and complex.

2003 vintage

I think this wine has 44% Chardonnay and thats enough to give a very burgundy like wine. I like it a lot

2003 vintage

Decanted 1 hour. Deep golden color. Initially reticent nose developed into beautifully floral, honeysuckle and citrus nose. Not as ripe and over the to as I might have expected given its pedigree- actually pretty refined. Would have pegged this for a Northern Rhone from a ripe vintage. Tough to see this getting any better, its peaking. In contention for our white WOTY

2003 vintage

Beautiful golden hay color. A nose that is beyond description (I mean wonderful). Banana, peach, spicy vanilla and green pear explode and cling to the palate. Wonderful balance. Long waxy finish is almost oralgasmic. This is a great wine with almost any food (like fish with some type of grandes sauces). My mouth is watering; what's for lunch?

2003 vintage

Sine Qua Non Dinner: the Younger Wines (Custom House Tavern - Chicago IL) : Ripe tropical fruit showing more Roussanne than chardonnay to me tonight. Unctuous and exotic, but still a bit of a wallop of alcohol in the end. Good spice and minerality. Along with 2004 Rejuvenators, these were certainly my favorite SQN whites tonight.

2003 vintage

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Sine Qua Non, Sublime Isolation, California

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