Sine Qua Non, Atlantis Fe2O3 2Abc Grenache, California

decanted around 1½ hours after opening, and started drinking more than an hour after decanting. A bit smoky on the nose, and there was almost a hint of brett. Savory and a bit stinky on the nose. Pretty smooth and drinking well, but this was one of the least SQN reds I remember drinking. Totally lacking the typical punchy character and jammy fruit, and leaning more towards a French syrah.

2005 vintage

Very nice robust and well made example of new world syrah. Lost out however to the 2005 Colgin version served blind as was not as nuanced and a bit heavy handed perhaps. More yummy, but perhaps a bit less sophisticated in terms of nuances.

2005 vintage

Santé smakk (Eyjarslóð 9) : Í lokin á smakkinu var þessi opnuð. Í nefi: Plómur, hangikjöt og blautt tóbak. Í munni: Sæta, lakkrís, einiber, þroskaður ávöxtur og smá oxunartónar. Þykkt vín og langt eftirbragð.

2005 vintage

Extremely intense and explosive notes of ribenna, licorice, blackberry jam, plum, smoked / cured meat. Right in-your-face sweetness. Never a big fan of new world cult wine, but I will make a rare exception for this.

2005 vintage

Red and earthy at first, with some funk blowing off with air, this was a decent showing, but lacking some focus and flavor direction along the palate. Leather and cedar make an appearance, behaving almost like a Cabernet from the late 70’s. Still, the typical SQN power kept the intensity train chuggin along enough to hold it all together. This was a fine wine, but one that was not without a few hiccups throughout consumption. Re-sampled throughout the evening with …

2005 vintage

Seesaw. Back to pleasant experience. Seems great bottle variation.

2005 vintage

Love to switch for a Northern Rhone....

2005 vintage

Another Wine gathering at RJ’s; 4/4/2024-4/7/2024 (Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina) : Expressive nose displaying concentrated sweet red fruit, chocolate dipped cherry, strawberry jam, a hint of blackberry liqueur, light caramel, licorice, beef blood, sweet spices and earth. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of opulent red fruit, rich yet silky and fluid, bright acidity, medium mineral, and a long concentrated red fruit driven finish. Although super concentrated, this seems light compare to the Ode to E.

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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, …

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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!!

2005 vintage

TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND : If you had told me this was a 2005, I’d say you were a couple cans short of a six pack. I would’ve called this thing as ten years younger easy. I know that SQNs typically need more time than I usually afford them, but this displayed just as much power and energy as the 2020 and 2019 Syrahs served next to it. Candied red fruit, spice, and some earth are kicked around with a …

2005 vintage

Best of the World Wine Night (ex-Italy) (The csimm_M Estate) : Well, here’s what I agree with my fellow tasters and CTers about on this wine. The fruit is so giant, so untamed and so intense that I’d have bet and lost my title to my house that this wasn’t almost 18 years old, so much so that, agreeing in conclusion if not tenor with IRBDW, I struggled to place this as a grenache (I think I made a comment …

2005 vintage

Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Saturday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor) : What can I say....the fruit whore in me surfaces every time I taste a SQN! So, for those following my notes, I made reference to this wine and a 2020 SQN in my note about the 2019 Cheval Blanc....so here is the story.... Chris, being the ever so gracious host, wanted to pop open a SQN from his cellar. Of course, all he had were wines still …

2005 vintage

Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 1 of 2 : big boy wine still. Holy crap. Would not have guessed 05 at all. Maybe 2018? LOL. Super rich, concentrated. I mistook this for Syrah due to a spicy note that I typically get from Syrah. Although, come to think of it, I wasn’t getting a ton of smoked meats like I normally do from California Syrah. Or…maybe I am just totally confused because Napa Syrah and …

2005 vintage

Memorial Day Weekend, Day 1: Inglourious Basterds : Big aromas of rich and huge dark black and red fruits. Noticing bits of age showing through with some gentle plum notes as well. Flavors of brooding rich fruits, gentle but deep and dark earth. A touch of heat but it gets suppressed from the big fruits. HUGE fruits (still, even after 18 years?!) just lobbing more gobs of brooding fruits in your face. I'm not sure how this will go from …

2005 vintage

SQN Dinner (Jordan's Place - Chicago IL) : Certainly very enjoyable, just not at the level of previous bottles that have thrilled me. Or not as good as Papa 2003 in the next glass. Ripe and fleshy black and blue fruit, this is powerful and enchanting, just slightly sweeter than I can ever recall from before.

2005 vintage

A whole decade has passed since we had this last ( Papies 96) and we put aside our fears of longevity of Grenache and went for it. The wine needs a bit of time to open up and albeit its impressive from the start it’s only after a good 30 minutes that it reached its apogee. Very much an SQN, big and bold but also well aged and well mannered. The nose at 18yrs of age is as every bit …

2005 vintage

Still fabulous. Full on fruit and very rich. For sure this is peaking and I suspect it will last at this heighted point for the next 3-5 years. Sadly, this was my last of 4 bottles.

2005 vintage

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!

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

Defective bottle from secondary oxidation

2005 vintage

Slow-ox for 2 hours this is in a perfect spot.. whole tasting group said high end Rhone producer..

2005 vintage

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!

2005 vintage

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.

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

Three Tastings and a Meal in Paso Robles; 8/11/2022-8/13/2022 (Paso Robles, California) : This was the 2b. Incredibly deep, primary purple color. Headspinningly ripe, peppery fruit. Rich and dense but it doesn't taste overly alcoholic. Fascinating spicy licorice drop complements the fruit. It forces you to say "wow" but is much too much for me as a table wine.

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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.

2005 vintage

This was the 2a. Beautiful and voluptuous, actually was thinking I’d opened a Syrah then looked at bottle and saw it was the Grenache. Medium ruby. Big nose. Lots of red berry and definitely nice acidity on the finish. Balanced. Drinking well, guessing it’s on a peak that will last a bit.

2005 vintage

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.

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

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 …

2005 vintage

The single best bottle of SQN I can recall enjoying. Very well evolved but without any sign of tiredness. In fact, the wine exuded energy even after 16 years of careful cellaring. Dense, dark red fruit, menthol and orange peel notes, plenty of pepper and some charcoal. Intense minerality. Balanced despite the 15.3% ABV.

2005 vintage

Decanted for one hour. Nose of black raspberry, black cherry, red licorice, milk chocolate, cedar and baking spice. Black and red fruit, chocolate, cedar, spice and fine tannins on the palate. Very long finish with excellent depth and waves of flavor. Full bodied. Served with hickory smoked, reverse seared strip steaks and chimichurri.

2005 vintage

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.

2005 vintage

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.

2005 vintage

A dear SQN fan brought this to dinner his only bottle accessible during Covid. It was a knockout. Perfumed bouquet of savory notes, dark jam, earth, charcoal, and a powerful palette of complex flavors with a long and elegant finish that was secsuctigely smooth. You could quaff this even at 15.3%, albeit with some meat to hold it down. Multi-textured roast game, tar, cassis, herbaceous mushrooms, super fine tannins. Likely to stay prime drinking for 5 years or longer. Three …

2005 vintage

This was an amazing combination of oak, red berries and chocolate. It was a lot heavier than most Grenache wines. We did slow ox in the bottle for 2 hours followed by another 2 hours in the decanter. It was truly memorable. I wish I had more!!!

2005 vintage

PnP, consumed over 5 hours. This bottle felt like it never quite came together, a bit disjointed throughout. Adjusted serving temperature throughout the evening to see if that would help, but it didn't. Perhaps it needed more time, but not really sure.

2005 vintage

Informal dinner, no notes taken. This was wonderful with a broad array of seductive red berries, a strong mineral component, herbs and luxurious and well-integrated oak. The highlight is the laser focus, the luxurious structure and perfect harmony. I clearly prefer the Grenache bottlings over the Syrah as they have this extra Grenache weightlessness which goes well with the level of ripeness and extraction of the wines. The complete package. This was not decanted and good from the go.

2005 vintage

Slightly more secondary than primary, at first; ageing quite nicely. Med+/full body at this stage with a new world nose, and a palate that displays a good+ amount of old world sensibility/balance. Cool black fruits, plenty of fresh acidity, and very fine tannins. This probably has another very good decade yet ahead if this bottle is representative; long, elegant finish. Nothing OTT or gratuitous in this well-aged wine. 15,3% abv. Not particularly exciting, and certainly not worth today's asking price, …

2005 vintage

Consistent with prior bottles, and true pleasure. Notes of baked red berries, some smoke and orange peel. Evident minerality. This wine wears its oak as well as any I can recall. Concentrated and powerful, with no signs of fading at age 15.

2005 vintage

Très grand!

2005 vintage

Absolutely stunning and excellent depth.

2005 vintage

Fabulous wine. Drinking well right now.

2005 vintage

Opened 2 hours before serving, Really sweet nose, with lots of metallic notes and plenty of oak. Beautiful.

2005 vintage

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Sine Qua Non, Atlantis Fe2O3 2Abc Grenache, California

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