Sine Qua Non, In Flagrante, California

decanted 2 hours after opening and served another 2 hours later. This was sooo rich, sooo sweet on the nose. After 45 minutes in glass the wine showed some burnt rubber. Second pour nearly 5 hours after opening, this was sooo jammy and I love it.

2000 vintage

After pulling a 2007 Cayuse flying pig that was a bit past its prime, I was wondering how a 2000 SQN would be doing. In Flagrante was a winner. Brooding, deep opaque purple with a magenta tinged edge. Peppery with dark plum and lifted black cherries. Lengthy finish. Very enjoyable I do love SqN. Highly recommended

2000 vintage

Boy’s HK trip May 2023: Top 3 wines of the trip for me - Mouton 1961, La Mouline 1983 and SQN In Flagrante 2000. Soft, strawberries, flowers - so unexpected; hedonistic. Bravo

2000 vintage

Not past its prime at all. Superb flavor

2000 vintage

Great wine but not as powerful as I’d expected - in fact surprisingly soft and floral. Hint of oxidation. Probably past its best. Enjoyed with some delicious wagyu steak. Wonderful, intoxicating aroma of ripe raspberries, sweet spices and flowers. Medium+ acidity gives it a lot of freshness. Very, very soft but present tannins. Medium+ body and fairly long finish. Flavors match the aroma + some bread and a little stewed plums, tiny bit of oxidative flavor.

2000 vintage

Sometimes, the most gratifying experiences are those that live up to lofty expectations. Such was the case with this wine. It's been in my cellar since 2002 and I've waited patiently to open it. Over the years, the price per bottle has skyrocketed. Justified? Probably not, but the proof is in the pudding, or the glass, in this case. And this wine did not disappoint. If anything, it overdelivered! It was sweet and floral and minerally and spicy (what was …

2000 vintage

Sometimes, the most gratifying experiences are those that live up to lofty expectations. Such was the case with this wine. It's been in my cellar since 2002 and I've waited patiently to open it. Over the years, the price per bottle has skyrocketed. Justified? Probably not, but the proof is in the pudding, or the glass, in this case. And this wine did not disappoint. If anything, it overdelivered! It was sweet and floral and minerally and spicy (what was …

2000 vintage

Found this leaking a couple months ago...so, oldest daughter turns 22...pop the crumbly cork...and here we go! 88% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 2% Viognier...sourced from Alban/Stolpman/White Hawk/Bien Nacido vineyards...14.9abv...pretty dark garnet, pink orange rim color...GORGEOUS nose of Alban tar, olive tapenade, crushed berries, smoked bacon, dusty oak barrel, menthol tobacco leaf...blind nose I'd guess Alban right here...in the mouth...THIS is where you go elsewhere...SMOOTH and quite silky for such richness...the crushed liqueured berry fruit has lightened and polished up...showing an elegance …

2000 vintage

A gorgeous, deep purple colour with only the faintest sign of copper on the edge. Lush, lush, lush with a heady nose of tar, spice, smoked meat, lilacs and minerals. Incredibly smooth in the mouth, velvety and in perfect balance. Black fruit, more smoke, pepper and flowers. The finish just goes on and on. At 22 years old, this wine has hit its stride but it can keep that pace going for several more years. A real delight!

2000 vintage

Hitting on all cylinders. Very well integrated, big mouthful and long finish. Wished there was more.

2000 vintage

Starting drinking 1 hour after decanting. Very, very fragrant nose, with a little burnt rubber, lots of forest and pine needles, and a little smoky. Surprisingly lean on the palate, soft and smooth, but not much fruit or sweetness on the palate. After two hours in the decanter, the nose really opened up and became really fragrant. Almost 3 hours in this got even beter, with really beautiful cedar notes, almost elegant and not quite floral. Still lively even after …

2000 vintage

SQN & BBQ (The Krengels - Bannockburn IL) : Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots and lots of great stuff here, but a little too much volatile acidity coming through.

2000 vintage

SQN summer tasting. Decanted for an hr and really needed it to allow all the subtle flavors to come thru. Wow. Great deep berry color, still has time and yes I have one more Btl.

2000 vintage

Wow what an awesome wine. This is the only Sine Qua Non I've had the pleasure of drinking so I might be a little biased. Cork was a little soaked so slow ox'd for over an hour then decanted for two and drank over the next couple hours. Opened with a strong wave of lovely dark fruits that you could smell across the room. Beautiful dark black cherry color and flavor along with dark fruit smoke a bit of mocha. …

2000 vintage

Sine Qua Non (SQN) Magnum Extravaganza + Bevan, Mike Smith, Sparkling/Champagne, and others (Calistoga) : From magnum. Cherry, brick/terra cotta, prime rib, soil, and some wood. A decent attack on the front end energy-wise; medium weight mid palate, with the flavors watering-out to a more lithe and short finish. A bit clipped and bitter on the back end. After about 5+ hours of decanting, the bitterness had dissipated some, but the intensity and depth of flavor were pretty washed out. …

2000 vintage

Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago - Burgs, old Bordeauxs, Cult Cabs and SQN (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL) : Very similar to Imposter McCoy from three night before. Still very youthful expressive nose displaying intense black fruit, blackberry, a hint of cherry, cherry liqueur, ink, smoke, tapenade, dark caramel and sweet spices. Excellent concentration, packed black fruit, warm and round, good acidity and mineral and a long sweet black fruit driven finish. Excellent showing.

2000 vintage

I want to say this is my last bottle . The nose on this wine is completely over the top , red and blue fruits. Generally the taste here has become less special over the years , I can say that likely has gone to the other side of the hill .That said , still a special wine .

2000 vintage

Wine Dinner Extravaganza; 4/21/2017-4/22/2017 (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL) : Open 5 hours before serving in SQN flight. Dark, powerful and very alluring. Lots of flavors and complexity kept unfolding during its time in glass. Seemed ever-so-slightly warmer on finish than Imposter McCoy 1997 in the next glass, or vs what I'd prefer.

2000 vintage

Annual gathering with Chicago winos in Chicago - Burgs, old Bordeauxs and SQNs (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL) : This is rounder and warmer, i.e. a bit more evolved, than the 97 Imposter. Expressive nose displaying intense jammy red fruit, raspberry, cherry, charred rare steak, baking spices and earth. Excellent concentration, warm and round, good acidity, fully integrated tannins and a long jammy red fruit driven finish. Nice showing.

2000 vintage

The "Fregosi Emerald" bottle - inside joke. Quite a stunning bottle of wine. While slightly muted on the nose, the palate was loaded with red fruits such as cherries, red plums and even pomegranate. Yes, I said red fruits instead of the expected black fruit spectrum. Elegant in a way no other US Syrah achieves. Aging as if it was a Chave but more fruit forward instead of the stony and mine rally Chave. Glad I still have more. 50+13+14+9+9=95

2000 vintage

US Wine Dinner with Friends (Paris Club - Chicago IL) : Dense black fruit aromas and flavors with modest level of maturity I find engaging. Baking spice hints throughout. At a very good place now, aging slowly and elegantly.

2000 vintage

massive , cali berry syrah nose , dark color, after an hour more pedestrian than earlier , excellent wine , i will likely drink up my last

2000 vintage

Sunday Night Sine Qua Non Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL) : Open, decanted approx 90 minutes before serving. Lots of black fruit with hints of starting to mature, well supported with great savory spice and floral charms. Very powerful but with exceptional balance. Another taste from decanter was just as good 3 hours later.

2000 vintage

Dinner at Fearrington with Dick & Amy. Dark purple in color, this old favorite of ours had a very tough act to follow ( '57 Huet Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec that was firing on all cylinders ) but managed to hold its' own quite well. Would have definitely benefited from some decanting time. Full of fruit but also still has a strong tannic structure. 50+14+14+9+9=96

2000 vintage

Classic SQN nose, great extraction, complexity and balance. I liked others in the flight better, but damn good!

2000 vintage

Are you sure?

Sine Qua Non, In Flagrante, California

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews