Sine Qua Non, Ode To E Grenache, Sta. Rita Hills

Dense but so so elegant. Definitely closer to full body. Black cherry and blackberry dominate. Winter spices lurk in the background. Oak present but very subtle. Gentle smokiness/earthiness with a peppery kick on the finish. Unbelievably pure and smooth.

2004 vintage

A cauldron of simmering raspberries, soft and slow. Aromas that take the sinuses hostage — gently, inevitably. A finish without end. More Syrah in soul than Grenache in name. Still astonishingly young

2004 vintage

Drank after 45 minutes of decanting, this clear and deep red in colour wine had a nose and flavours dominated by blackberries and some liquorice. The acidity was a bit lighter than expected and the tannins were at a medium level. The finish on each sip lasted a long time. This wine is in an amazing place right now.

2004 vintage

Ready to drink and silky smooth well balanced beauty

2004 vintage

Ojai Food + Wine Festival 2023; 10/26/2023-10/29/2023 (Ojai Valley Inn) : Wow!!! This is in a great place right now.

2004 vintage

so perfect and ready to go... stood up to our wonderful garlic filled flank steak with chimichurri... soft but ample fruit balanced perfectly with the tannins.

2004 vintage

Served around 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Lots of coconut butter, a little metallic, some dried herbs. Really beautiful and still going strong more than 3 hours after opening.

2004 vintage

This clear wine was decanted for 4 hours prior to drinking. It was mid deep garnet red in colour with a nose of dark berries. When tasted, I found flavours of dark berries, black currant and some sour cherries at the end. The tannins ver still very strong while the acidity was at a medium level. This was good but not great tonight and a slight sour aftertaste at the end of each sip did not help.

2004 vintage

drank right after the Ode to E Syrah which outshone a bit.. tho I must say this was the most refined expression of Grenache I have ever experienced.

2004 vintage

I let it decant 2 hours. This was a good idea. Blackberries and cinnamon and then a strong finish with pepper and spice. Well balanced, an amazing wine; what we come to expect from SQN.

2004 vintage

Decanted at 4pm and consumed around 7pm. I think this wine benefits greatly from air. Brings out the incredible nuances and allows the subtly of the texture to really shine. Mostly Grenache, this wine has amazing complexity and is big yet balanced which is a signature trademark of SQN. Another fantastic bottle from Manfred.

2004 vintage

WCW Seventeen: From a magnum. Deep purple with blue hues. Expressive and lifted bouquet of Grenache fruit...dark berries, berry liqueurs, pepper, fig cake, warm stones, etc....with beams of peat, smoke, gaminess, and umami. Massive fruit and a good deal of heat, expansive and palate-coating. The wine achieves an all elements amped to high decibels kind of balance. The acid, and it is medium plus or higher, frames the wine well, keeping it from drinking like a club of a wine. …

2004 vintage

Remains impressively vibrant and beautiful. Rich aromas of red cherries, saddle leather, dark chocolate, espresso, and black earth. Wow! Sleek and rich in wonderful harmony. Perhaps the pinnacle of California Grenache. A real beauty for the depth of fruit, spice, and integration. Wonderful acid streak give lift and keeps this on the fresh young side. Can this even get better?

2004 vintage

Small Sine Qua Non Dinner (Echo & Rig - Las Vegas NV) : This had been open 6+ hours before serving, several in decanter. Black fruit with excellent concentration, with firm structure to provide support and balance. Powerful start-to-finish, but the real highlight is the balance. I'm confident this wine will continue to improve, and there is zero risk in the next decade of it declining with lackluster energy. New World fruit with an Old World spine.

2004 vintage

First dinner of the L.A. wine trip (The Bazaar at SLS, Beverly Hills, California) : Started out really concentrated and perhaps overpowering, but mellowed out to reveal a superb wine. Lots of dark fruits, black licorice, truffle, Asian spices, and chocolate. Precise and focused, this wine had really nice balance for being such a powerful wine. A very long, impressive finish.

2004 vintage

Utterly amazing. 40 tasting notes on this site w an average score of 97. Pretty much says it all. Big, powerful, brooding. Yet harmonious, balanced, refined and absolutely delicious. Power and elegance in a glass. Not even close to slowing down. Manfred at his best. 97+

2004 vintage

Definitely a Wow! wine, as others have said. Amazing nose - lots of sweet caramel, maple, chocolate, along with deep dark fruit (prune, blackberry, black cherry), pepper, curry, menthol, cured meat. Full bodied (obviously...), high alcohol (15.5%) that shows through some, medium acidity and tannins. Long luscious finish. Evolved over time in the glass. How do they do this with grenache???

2004 vintage

Wow wine. Nice ruby color, maybe a tad dark for Grenache. Nose: well, my first comment was "Holy ...." Lavender, violet...true 'bouquet'! Great silky mouth of dark cherry, blackberry, currant and maybe a little sliver of something menthol. So so good.

2004 vintage

Familiar nose, fellow SQN lovers know it well. Dark like espresso, palate feel is as smooth as it gets. Has that edge to it that lets the flavors file by in clean clear fashion. Yumm, brisk leather, hint of dark cherry followed by the drippings from a fire roasted pig. Yes this wine is beyond great, special wine, special date.

2004 vintage

Classic. Big, lush, balanced, complex. Decanted about 90 minutes but this wine would benefit from 2-3 hours. Charcoal, maple, dark fruit on the nose. Deep color. A very very good bottle and still going strong 10 yrs out.

2004 vintage

Drank at birthday dinner at Via Alloro along with a '97 Guigal La Landonne. Did not decant. Nonetheless, nose like walking through a flower shop which you could smell from the bottle when just sitting back in your seat. On the palate, jammy fruits with tons of spices which were almost over the top at first and then settled perfectly after about 30 minutes in the glass (hard to keep it in the glass w/o drinking that long). Great stuff.

2004 vintage

Another Casual Burgundy Dinner...Followed by Sine Qua Non (Paris Club - Chicago IL) : Tasted late, brief note. Even better than I recall from a few years ago when last tasted. Powerful fruit with lush mouth feel and liqueur hints, but retaining great balance and persistence through long finish that really highlights a spicebox that includes clove, anise and black pepper.

2004 vintage

Chock full of good stuff. Smokey fruit. Concentrated with terrific acidity. Really struck by density of fruit and solid core. Only nit here is that the heat is there. The alcohol is not completely hidden by the fruit. You can sense the port-like character. It is a very solid wine. That said, I'm not the biggest SQN fan. This may appeal to some but it is not my choice. I could have a glass of it but it is tough …

2004 vintage

Based on a discussion with Manfred Krankl earlier in the day, this bottle was decanted for 4 hours and it was spectacular. Absolutely no edges on it whatsoever as everything about it was in balance. So smooth with just the right amount of alcohol to it. Not overly deep in colour with tons of assorted berries to it. This bottle is right up there in contention for my wine of the year (so far).

2004 vintage

Obscenely amazing. Smooooooth, incredibly long finish. Enjoyed with Tom + Lola pizza during his visit with Jack.

2004 vintage

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Sine Qua Non, Ode To E Grenache, Sta. Rita Hills

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