Sine Qua Non, Stock, California

Beautiful wine that continually changed over time. Decanted about 4 hours before dinner happenings began. The wine smelled of black and blue fruit, violets, some grilled meat and black pepper. On the palate, the wine tasted of juicy blue and black fruit, dried herbs and black pepper, with fine powdery tannins that faded after ~8 hours in the decanter.

2012 vintage

Big and ripe nose with dark fruit and chocolate notes. The alcohol is surprisingly not THAT noticeable on the palate but the flavors are again ripe with some tannic structure, cocoa, dark cherries, and plums. Good finish. It's not my thing, but also not horrible either. Certainly would never have guessed Syrah...

2012 vintage

2.5 hour double decant. Was even better after an hour in the glass.

2012 vintage

Sine Qua Non is one of those producers I always enjoy, but something I could only drink occasionally, because they're such bold and powerful wines. This one is no exception. Gave it a two hour decant before starting, then enjoyed it over the following hour. To no surprise, last sip was the best. Initially, just all tannins, but got tons of blue fruit, blueberry, dark plums, nice spice with cloves, black pepper, maybe some pink peppercorns as well. Not jammy …

2012 vintage

This needed 30 Minutes of air before coming together. Still intensely fruit and berry forward this had a good tension and structure for a long life ahead. I would wait another 2-3 years before opening.

2012 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours and wished I waited longer. Beautiful wine.

2012 vintage

There are few punchy syrahs that one can serve to an Aussie Shiraz Loving Palate and make them go wow. And this SQN was one. Big and muscular and not for the faint of heart, but also has an elegance to its power similar to a method in the madness of a great artist. Granted some find these too bokou but for us there have their place and much like this day was a perfect fit to our long lunch. …

2012 vintage

So so

2012 vintage

Decanted for 5+ hours. Still a freight train of a wine. Initially I felt highly over extracted, extra ripe fruit, fat, jammy, a body that makes the Rock look like a wimp. Give it about 30 minutes in a proper 30oz+ 750ml+ Bordeaux glass and the vanilla, fruit, oak and spice start peeking out. After about 45 minutes , the wine finally begins to tame down, and start showing its balance to its power. After a hour the pepper starts …

2012 vintage

Excellent now

2012 vintage

Fantastic wine. Iron fist in velvet glove. Dark cherry, spice, licorice and herbs.

2012 vintage

Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Omdat dit SQN is, noteer ik 'halfgesloten', bij elke andere wijn zou er nog steeds sprake zijn van een bovengemiddelde expressiviteit ;-). Donker fruit, bramen, zwarte bessen. En nog steeds een hint van rozen(olie). Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad met een hint van karnemelk. Mondvullend, krachtig en tegelijkertijd verleidelijk en krachtig. Lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooie SQN maar minder expressief en complex dan gebruikelijk… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 …

2012 vintage

needs 3 + hours of air. olive oil, blueberries, currants....dark and brooding...long finish.

2012 vintage

Full bodied. Cassis. Black fruit, licorice.

2012 vintage

Very dark red. Incredibly perfumed of red and black berries. Large scaled and balanced. A delicious, young wine.

2012 vintage

Dark ruby rose color. Full bodied, noticeable legs. Opened up after a 2 hour decant. Medium tannins, soft and noticeable. Black currant and tart.

2012 vintage

From a corovin glass. Blackberry, black cherry, olive, spices. Dense ripe fruit, full bodied, but at the same time maintaining a nice lifted element from the acidity. Long finish. For a single glass, this is fantastic, with surprising precision and balance.

2012 vintage

Needed air ! After 4 h in the big decanter it blossomed. Nose was crazy full and hedonistic. Palate became more and more structure and herbal backbone. A joy to drink. No hurry at all.

2012 vintage

Kleur: Opaak donkerrood, Aroma / bouquet: Halfgesloten. Boordevol donker fruit, bramen, zwarte bessen. Bloemig…. Rozen! Een vleugje mint, Smaak / Afdronk: SQN in elk opzicht, dik-sappig, zachte en subtiel lactische zuurgraad, fris donker fruit. Boterzachte tannines, Verleidelijke wijn. Zacht en kracht in één glas. Lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooi, krachtig en in alles een SQN. Maar toch net minder overtuigend dan ik zou verwachten. Wellicht in een te vroeg stadium geopend? 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: …

2012 vintage

Getting better with age! Amazing nose just jumps out of the glass. Still inky dark, no sign of color fading at all in the glass. Fruit forward, dark red fruits on the palate, but with well integrated leather/smoky notes. Still high octane, but smooth and never seemed overly hot. Paired surprisingly well with duck, and I preferred this SQN with age over the younger ones.

2012 vintage

Solid. Had along side many other wines, including a SQN 2014 Grenache. The nose on that wine was amazing, but everyone loved this wine more. Smelled and tasted like a Syrah, with just a little “extra” on the nose, mouth feel, and finish. For fans of modern Syrah, there isn’t much better.

2012 vintage

WIML94 Tasted non blind. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of roasted meat, flowers, currants and raspberries. Flavors of plums, boysenberries, raspberries and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink with air or hold.

2012 vintage

$100 wine event (Liz's House) : I'D RATHER BE DRINKING WINE's bottle. This had the classic SQN profile. Tons of flavor, bacon, leather, spice and earth. As good as it was, just a touch heavy or less lively (even for SQN).

2012 vintage

$100 Plus Tasting Year 2 (Minneapolis, MN) : Well my first official tasting note on a SQN. Had a few at an informal event with no notes. Not sure what the hype is all about but drink what you like. I am a huge Syrah fan but this is not doing it for me. This is not Northern Rhone, Rocks or even Santa Barbara. HOT wine with spices, cinnamon, dark fruits and earth. Not getting the pepper I so love …

2012 vintage

Love SQN with a little age! This wine was decanted for 4 hours in the cellar, then put back in the bottle for another three hours, then drank another 3 hours after that. For those keeping score, that is 4 hours in the decanter and six hours additional slo-O in the bottle. N - Perfumed with dark fruit, purple flowers, with notes of smoked meat, new leather and some spice and cedar. P - Blackberry and cassis, with chocolate, spice, …

2012 vintage

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Sine Qua Non, Stock, California

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