Sine Qua Non, The Hated Hunter, California

Absolutely brilliant - opened and decanted two hours before our fiends arrived for dinner. My friend Michael, who got me into drinking wine a long time ago, said it was one of the best bottles of wine he ever drank.

2017 vintage

Over-the-top wine. Not my style. Very masculine and fruit forward with aromas and tastes of blackberries and currents. To me out of balance with heavy alcohol, fruit, and tannins. I did not taste any pepper and I would not have guessed Syrah, My guess would have been Cali red blend.

2017 vintage

Simply an outstanding wine. Easily has another 5 years left or more. Decanted 90 minutes and paired with brisket. Gave the brisket everything it could handle. Crowd favorite.

2017 vintage

4 hour slo ox enjoyed over 2 nights. Another full bodied elixir I never get tired of. Paired well with Prime Roast Beef.

2017 vintage

Great nose of dark fruit. On the palate, this is just big and brutish. The finish is as long as I’ve experienced in a while. If this is your style, you will likely enjoy it. For me, it was too much and the alcohol burn finish put me off. Just not my type of wine.

2017 vintage

Medium to full bodied. Blackberry compote, anise.

2017 vintage

First time drinking a SQN - and first time drinking a wine like this. So thick and lush and full of flavors. The nose was amazing and the heavy mouthfeel made the subsequent wines seem underwhelming. Decanted in bottle for a whole day and then in decanter for an hour.

2017 vintage

Nice wine. Opened with an hour to decant. Should have let it decant longer. Very enjoyable wine.

2017 vintage

Amazing purity. Initially lots of smoked meats on the nose and palate. After an hour decanting it turns more dark fruits with hints of meats and pepper. Very rich, with no hard edges. This wine has lots of time. Still very primary but absolutely a pleasure to drink now.

2017 vintage

Just outstanding

2017 vintage

Spectacular - about as good as california syrah can get

2017 vintage

Deserves a good 3h decant. Very intense and powerful, great length. Nose still quite not fully developed but what a punch on the palate

2017 vintage

Absolutely excellent. Blackberry, plum, oak, vanilla, blackberry jam and hints of chocolate. Long complex finish. Delicious!

2017 vintage

What a spectacular wine!! I truly loved this wine. Wow!! Magic. Fantastic fruit. A beautiful wine. Opened for a family birthday party tonight, and my friend Jim and I, and my Dad, drank the entire bottle and we did not share with anyone else. This wine could be addictive. Truly magnificent.

2017 vintage

Full throttle black nose. Massively concentrated black fruit and black olive palate. Nicely balanced for such power. Not the most superlative SQN I’ve had but still really good and my WOTN. 95

2017 vintage

Decanted almost 3 hours. Aromas of boysenberry, black cherry, iron, flowers and just a touch of heat. No sign of bacon fat though. Flavors of black cherry, plum, Turkish coffee, iron and touch of game. Ends with a big mouth coating finish of 40+ seconds with coffee and iron notes. Certainly a big wine but lacking that next level you find in the special SQN bottles. Perhaps this is too young or not open long enough?

2017 vintage

Still amazing. More bbq meat than last time. Happy to have a few more.

2017 vintage

SQN is something special! I am amazed by the boldness and the lightness within the same wine. Licorice, pepper, blood, wet stone and gentle power.

2017 vintage

Spectacular. Deep, complex, rich and smooth. Decanted for 2 hours and it delivered for the rest of the evening!

2017 vintage

Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, huckleberry, black plum, bramble, spice, anise and vanilla. Blackberry, blueberry, anise, toasted oak, bramble, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. A very long, layered finish with excellent depth. Full bodied. Served with reverse seared zabuton steak with yakiniku sauce.

2017 vintage

Picked up at a local grocer, had been hunting a bottle of SQN for a couple of weeks after a good experience at a pairing at Meadowood. Decanted 4 hours at cellar temp and tasted over 3 hours letting it warm to room temp. Definitely improved over the night as secondary notes got stronger and tertiary notes began to appear. Rich red fruit with blackberry upon open. Notes of leather, loam, shiitake emerged soon after. Began absolutely huge and mellowed …

2017 vintage

Made a huge meal for my husband’s birthday; beef tenderloin was the star. I was thinking perhaps we could have a Clape to go along with the beef and all the heavy accompaniments. But it’s his birthday, and he said he wanted something, “Huge and with stank.” Now, a Clape can fit this bill, but, really, just, really: If this wasn’t a Sine Qua Non request, then I don’t know what is. Decanted 3+ hours. I wish we would have …

2017 vintage

A very generous offering from Chris P.: 15.9% alcohol, so almost like wine soup, but the alcohol doesn't show up on the palate. Very dark and dense, with flavors of chocolate and cherry, but enough acidity that it is never cloying.

2017 vintage

I thought this wine was pretty nice. Drinking SQN is an exercise in bias. I signed up in 2014 to buy and nearly a decade later, lack the privilege. This bottle was shared through a friends allocation and stored in good conditions since. PnP, notes of kirsch liqueur predominate. Sandalwood but somewhat relaxed oak. High viscosity, high extraction, and high alcohol. It’s all dialed up to 11. certainly a lot of chemistry going on here but doesn’t feel inauthentic, just …

2017 vintage

Never does this fail , even on a warm Athens night at the excellent Oinoscent this just soared above it all. Intense , rich and muscular almost 16% but still with a completeness that carried it with no issues of being heavy or tiring. Expressive of course , elevated nose , energy on the palate and special. An easy 95 and with many summers ahead of it.

2017 vintage

Are you sure?

Sine Qua Non, The Hated Hunter, California

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews