Sine Qua Non Grenache Shakti

Enjoyed with dinner at Copra. Gave this a two hour decant, then brought to dinner, where it received another two hours in the decanter. And, man, did it need all that air! True to its name, this is a very powerful wine. Blueberry, raspberry, plum, but almost like sour candy versions of these. Also dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and some clove. Tannins mellowed out nicely with all the air. Paired well with the main courses. This has gotten better …

2014 vintage

If you read any of my notes, you know I am not a huge SQN fan although I was on the list for 15 years, but this was damn good. Probably the top 3 best SQN's I have had. Up there with 17th Nail. This had the right age and fruit makeup. Still big, tannic, over ripe in some regards, but balanced and still has many years left. In 5 more years I can see this getting better, but had …

2014 vintage

It took two hours of decanting for the wine to refine and reach cruising speed. Nose of crushed raspberry layered with cocoa and rosemary. A powerful wine on the palate, yet perfectly balanced at 15.9%. Grainy wine that immerses us in aromas of raspberry, kirsch, pomegranate, and rosemary. The garrigue is not far away, but chocolate dominates the second half of the palate. Yet it is perfectly savory thanks to the genius of Manfred Krankl. A grand, warm finish oscillating …

2014 vintage

Wedding Weekend of Wine; 10/3/2025-10/5/2025 (Napa Valley CA) : Small glass, brief note. Black plum aromas and flavors with both sweet and savory spice. Very impressive depth almost despite the overt richness. A great wine in its style.

2014 vintage

Needed a long decant. Much better the second day and then approached my first note of 100 points. Really amazing the second day.

2014 vintage

Decanted and aired out for 2.5 hrs. Medium sediment. Nose: very nice 8/10. Perfumy. Flowers. Palate: 8/10. Medium body. Medium acidity balanced with red fruits. Silky tannins. Herbs and spices. Hints of tobacco. Finish: 9/10. Price: 6/10 ($290 in a 2022 auction). Enjoyment: 8/10. Drink now: sure. Would buy again: no. Second Sine Qua Non. Great wine, but not highly impressive.

2014 vintage

Anniversary wine. Since it was a Monday, we stayed in and made nachos. Decanted and drank over 4+ hours. Wax seal was a pain and the cork crumbled. Needed a Durand to remove the cork, thankfully none fell into the wine itself. Initially rather tannic and high acidity, but mellowed out over time in the decanter. I will say the first taste was still strong and complex, but it got even better. Notes of raspberry candy, rosemary, and dark chocolate. …

2014 vintage

A showstopper that went perfectly with Venison in a honey port sauce.

2014 vintage

A great testament to Grenache...decanted for about an hour and consumed over the next three. Deep berry flavors, kirsch, with a bit of pomegranate seed. This continues to impress and evolve with each and every sip... Just a great bottle of wine...unfortunately my last one.

2014 vintage

Just unbelievable - it is an amazing wine. Hard to describe. I opened 5 hours in advance put the cork back in and went to a restaurant with good friends to celebrate the Mothers Day Weekend. The nose is just fantastic heralding the greatness that will come on the palate. Dark Cherry, Red plums, raspberry, currants, hints of fig I could just go on and on and on. The finish was just lush and full, long and lingering. I have …

2014 vintage

Outstanding. Luxurios mouthfeel and velvet finish. Not a hard edge one.

2014 vintage

love these older SQN wines with a bit of age on them. fantastic wine, pitch black color, wonderful aromatics. dark red fruits, plum. black pepper. very well integrated on the palate, softening up a bit, with very smooth tannins. love it.

2014 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours. Drank with beef Burgundy that I made following Julia Child's recipe, except I soaked the beef brisket overnight in a bottle of Bordeaux (something cheap from Trader Joe's). The SQN was purple and smelled heavenly. It smelled like something from France. My best friend Andy came over for dinner and we enjoyed this stuff, savored it. The wine was nice and dry. The flavor was unmistakable blue fruits. A true pleasure to enjoy something so rare …

2014 vintage

Velvety goodness. Unreal.

2014 vintage

A bit disappointing to be honest. 93 is a decent score from me but I was expecting more based on all the hype. It’s obvious that great care was taken in the making, it had a polished mouthfeel and the high alcohol was quite well hidden, but it was monolithic on the nose and in taste. We enjoyed it, just no wow factor. Perhaps it was in a closed phase because we just couldn’t coax any complexity out of it.

2014 vintage

100 POINT WINE Deep purple in color with a short reddish rim. Pretty nose of black fruits with cedar, herbs and barnyard. Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Showing blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, light earth, herbs, tobacco leaf, vegetables, espresso, cola and peppercorn. Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries. This is a delicious Grenache from California. Elegant and robust. Rich and fruit forward. Big …

2014 vintage

This wine was opened at home. It was very deep purple in colour and clear. The wine had a nose of blackberries and a heathy amount of tobacco. In the glass was a wine whose flavours were predominately dark cherries and these were mixed with some blackberries and a bit of grapefruit. The acidity and tannins were perfect for my preference was they were noticeable but not overly strong. This bottle was spectacular this tasting.

2014 vintage

This was poured with 45 minutes decanting. The wine was clear and deep red in colour and had a strong nose of dark cherries. In the glass were those same dark cherries mixed with some blueberries, and a bit of caramel. The acidity was at a mid level and the tannins were quite strong.

2014 vintage

Stunning wine. Deep dark opaque color. Expansive nose with floral accents, everything grenache in spades, light touch of oak, smooth mouthfeel, resolved sweet tannins, long, long finish. Remarkable even for a SQN. Graceful for such a big wine. The real deal.

2014 vintage

Not nearly as memorable as other SQN's, which is by far my favorite wine producer. No signs of the elegance and beauty of other wines. This just seemed a bit off balance and overly ripe. In fact, I saved a half glass for a day 2 try and it was a complete mess. Based on the previous note, perhaps just going through a dumb phase?

2014 vintage

Huge gooey mess, although not so much as the 2015 Eleven Confessions. Not my thing, although the Syrah was not bad. Addendum to the DD Rose Champagnes blind at Grand Harbor.

2014 vintage

88% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah and 2% Touriga Nacional...in need of air, as it was tight as a drum with some weird funk on the nose. Splash decant and an hour of air did the trick! A more "subdued" SQN, with brightness and explosive expressiveness...totally kirsch liquor and white pepper...killer dryness of red licorice and dried bing cherries...yet SO oozing in grape extracted concentration...exotic, yet amazingly balanced with elegance! Still youthful with dusty grippy tannins and slight alc …

2014 vintage

Decanted 2 hours, really excellent and complex. Will probably try to decant longer next bottle.

2014 vintage

Stood out on the list of Teatergrillen, Stockholm abs we took a leap of faith. Decanted as well albeit at this stage not really much impact. Classic SQN grenache of the top order albeit young at this stage and would benefit from a few more years in bottle. Bright and full on energetic, proper core of fruit and an almost (!) effortless 15.9% alc that in a way goes unnoticed va the other elements of the wine. Nose is the …

2014 vintage

Kleur: Diep donkerrood Aroma / bouquet: Prachtig bouquet, rijk, donker fruit, kruidkoek. Smaak / Afdronk: Beperkte fraicheur maar met een bizar mooie vulling, fruitgedreven, smaakexplosie, boterzacht. Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 99/100 Colour: Deep dark red Aroma / bouquet: Beautiful bouquet, rich, dark fruit, gingerbread. Taste / Aftertaste: Limited freshness but with a bizarrely beautiful filling, fruit-driven, taste explosion, buttery soft. General …

2014 vintage

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Sine Qua Non Grenache Shakti

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