Sine Qua Non, This Is Not An Exit, Sta. Rita Hills

my last bottle. incredible. still young and vibrant, big dark fruit, anise, allspice, savory, white pepper, decanted for 3 hours which seemed about right.

2009 vintage

Great

2009 vintage

Classic SQN, raspberry and red currant central. Very modern, fruit hasn't faded at all no bricking. At peak for me. Isn’t going anywhere for the next decade. 2025-2035 Fearrington House Menu 19OCT25: First Course Red Cabbage Soup with Sauerkraut & Spaetzle Caraway, Grain Mustard, Pumpernickel Chip Second Course Braised Beef Cheek with Rapini & Risotto Milanese Black Garlic, Red Wine Reduction Third Course Kale & Ricotta Gnudi with Pumpkin Butter (Kristen) Pumpkin Seed, Pumpkin Seed Oil Spice Crusted Lamb Loin …

2009 vintage

2 hr decant. In a great spot right now.

2009 vintage

Elegant ripe berries in the bouquet. On the palate very juicy and round ripe fruits like blackberries and cassis. Enormous length, good acidity and a mouth full of great wine.

2009 vintage

This wine was bangin' tonight. In a great spot.

2009 vintage

WOTN. Rich, delicious, complex and in a beautiful place right now. All the fruit is still there in abundance, but it is light on its feet. Wish I had more ....

2009 vintage

Nose: smoked bacon, blackcurrant, cinnamon, baked biscuit, clove, star anise, roasted tomato Notes: 15.6% ABV. The SQN is a bulky and serious Syrah that punches you in the face. Drank after opening for 2.5 hours. Very fruit jam like texture with lots of cured meat and bacon aroma. Although I must confess that it doesn't feel very much like a 15.6% wine but in essence it is really powerful and probably a bit too strong for my palate. Although I …

2009 vintage

Biggish black plum, liqueuer, full, oaky, round, intense. The alcohol isn't overpowering here, as is sometimes the case with the other SQNs. on show.

2009 vintage

California Wine Weekend; 12/1/2023-12/3/2023 (Mos Eisley Cantina & Waterhouse Restaurant) : Ripe Plum, fresh berries, bacon, vanilla, cola and licorice notes. Not really showing markers of syrah yet, but the coiled tannin suggests there is more to come. Difficult to judge today, but the abv seemed in check.

2009 vintage

Great depth of dark fruit, mollified with floral aromatics from white wine blending. Strong, yet tempered, smooth with gentle tannins. Balanced, nuanced, long finish and delightful to drink and enjoy.

2009 vintage

A massive wine that after a couple hours barely budged. Syrah is so thick, rich and smooth it reminds me of some Velvet Gloves. Not my favorite SQN Syrah, but a wonderful wine nonetheless and it might be better years from now.

2009 vintage

Fun to taste the SQN 09,10,11 in a flight. Close call and only the Stockholm Syndrome had a point advantage of the others. So balanced to drink now but will improve even further - all three

2009 vintage

WIML96 Tasted non blind. Decanted for about 90 minutes before serving. Followed over 3 hours. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of smoke, currants, black berries and black cherries. Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and plums. Bright acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. I do not recommend popping and pouring this wine right now. Decant or hold.

2009 vintage

Kleur: Opvallend paarsig-rood. Aroma / bouquet: Kenmerkend bouquet voor SQN… Een explosie van vooral donker fruit. Bramen, zwarte bessen en vooral (de meer lactische zoetigheid van bramen). Smaak / Afdronk: Gekoeld tot 15 graden: Een beknopte frisheid. Mondvullend en extreem geconcentreerd, fluwelige tannines. Boordevol donker fruit, verfijnd hout, een hint van caramel Een fijne rondeur en een serieus lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkende SQN-Syrah, maar zeker niet de meest complexe die ik geproef hebt…. Desondanks: elke keer weer een …

2009 vintage

Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL) : Expressive nose displaying very ripe black fruit, blackberry jam, fruitcake, dark caramel, sweet spices and earth. Exceptional concentration, packed concentrated black fruit, rich and chewy, good acidity and mineral, and a long ripe black fruit driven finish. There is a hint of heat at the end.

2009 vintage

DC/Chicago Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL) : Ultra rich throughout with sweet spice and impressive concentration. Less complex notes coming through than I expected, but overall good balance and depth.

2009 vintage

it was fairly balanced and very enjoyable. I was concerned that it would be more massive and glad i was wrong.

2009 vintage

Popped and poured. This is a dark purple wine. There is marked sediment in the bottle, which is matched only by the teeth-staining capacity of the wine. On the nose, I get blackberries, blueberries, meat, espresso, and ash. In the mouth, this is rich, thick, and fully-loaded, leaving a long finish trimmed by fully-ripe black fruit. Overall, this is friendlier than the last time I had the wine (in March 2019), but it is still a slight slog through the …

2009 vintage

You expect something different with an SQN and this one does not disappoint in that regard. 3 hr decant. Very heady blast of vanilla, cherry, red currant, clove, white pepper on the nose. Blueberry and kirsch on the palate. When you recover from the initial onslaught intriguing scents of fresh cut grass, nutmeg, and cola appear. I found the finish to be noticeably long. The high alcohol makes it a bit of a bruiser. No fear of cracking up. A …

2009 vintage

Very closed down when opened but really started singing after about 2 hours in the decanter. Stunning texture, incredibly long. Perfectly ripe but not over ripe. Oak is incredibly well integrated. Rockstar stuff!!

2009 vintage

This was poured with minimal decanting at a local Italian restaurant. Clear and garnet red in colour with quite a peppery nose. The wine had flavours of dark berries, blueberries, and a mixture of white and black pepper. The tannins and acidity on this bottle were quite pronounced and it did not have a particularly long finish.

2009 vintage

This is a very good wine but I am not sure it's worth the dough.

2009 vintage

Zurich Supper Club in London (W/CVA and Andrew)- great start to Summer '19 (HIDE Restaurant - London, UK) : Last wine of the evening, had been open 2+ hours by the time we got to it. One of my contributions, had to include a Syrah when drinking with Andrew. Dark, vivid ruby color. Nose had some Northern Rhone characteristics when first drinking (earth and savory), evolving into cherry, blueberry, floral/violet, smoke. Rich palate of dark berries, cherry/chocolate, licorice, spices, vanilla …

2009 vintage

Acker Auction - May 2019 (Zuma in NYC) : Part III of the rocket fuel series. This is again quite intense. Amazing to think it's 10 years old - you can't tell the age here at all. It's got darker fruits and spice and a lot of intensity. Here again I hope that with some time it will start to mellow out a bit and then all of the crazy flavors that make it so interesting will be a bit …

2009 vintage

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Sine Qua Non, This Is Not An Exit, Sta. Rita Hills

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