Wines Rated 90+
Showing 2017–2025 of 2338 results
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Sine Qua Non 2016 Subir
$599.99California
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Rating
Meaning “Rise” in Spanish, the 2016 Syrah SUBIR is the estate release that's all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. It's 89.7% Syrah with the rest Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Viognier that was 56% destemmed and spent a full 38 months in 82% new French oak. There are few wines that can spend close to four years in barrel and still emerge with freshness and purity, yet this estate seems to produce wines that do it with ease. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a heavenly array of crème de cassis, white chocolate, blackberries, unsmoked tobacco, and peppery spice, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, incredible depth of fruit, and that rare mix of power and elegance that's that hallmark of truly great wines. This was a great vintage for the Central Coast, and this is a true gem of a wine that tops out on my scale. While it's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, it offers incredible pleasure today as well. It will have 20+ years of longevity. R29-2 -
Sine Qua Non 2016 Syrah Ratsel 16
$399.99California
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Rating
The 2016 Syrah Rastel 16 showed incredibly from barrel and it certainly doesn’t disappoint from bottle. Pure perfection in Syrah, this beauty boasts a deep purple hue as well as a stacked bouquet of ripe blackberries, cured meats, scorched earth, white pepper, white chocolate, and bacon fat. Deep, full-bodied, and massively concentrated, it builds incrementally on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won’t quit. I struggle to think of another wine that delivers this level of intensity without any sensation of weight or heaviness. The 2016s, in general, are relatively approachable, but nevertheless, do your best to hide bottles for 3-4 years. R38-5 SP15-2 -
Sine Qua Non 2017 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard
$399.99California
Jeb Dunnuck 99 Rating
The 2017 Grenache Eleven Confessions Vineyard, which will be the name going forward for this wine sourced exclusively form the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, reveals a gorgeous perfume of assorted red and blue fruits as well as iron, ground pepper, Asian spices, and herbes de Provence. Based on 88.7% Grenache, 10.6% Syrah, and the rest Viognier, this full-bodied, ultra-fine, deep, layered Grenache is just about as good as it gets. Drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years. It’s worth pointing out that due to the difficulty in trademarking names today, the longer aged, 100% Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah and Grenache will simply bear the name “Eleven Confessions Vineyard” going forward. R2-2 SP18-1 -
Sine Qua Non 2017 Grenache The Gorgeous Victim
$299.99California
Wine Advocate 98-100 Rating
The 2017 Grenache “No Name As Of Yet” is a finished blend, set to be bottled in August. Composed of 76% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 9% Syrah, 3.8% Petit Sirah and 1.2% Viognier, and the vineyard sources are: 46% Cumulus Estate, 29% Eleven Confessions Estate, 6% Molly Aida Estate, 17% The Third Twin Estate and 2% Bien Nacido Vineyard. It was aged for around 23 months in 23% new French oak, 48% used oak (various sizes) and 29% concrete, and 46% (mainly Grenache) was fermented using whole clusters. SP22-6 -
Sine Qua Non 2017 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard
$499.99California
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Rating
The 2017 Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard is the wine of the vintage, and Syrah simply doesn’t get any better. Even in these more difficult vintages, I’m always amazed at what this estate is able to achieve. Dense purple-hued, with an incredible bouquet of sandalwood, dried flowers, incense, saddle leather, and assorted red and blue fruits, it hits the palate with flawless balance, a deep, full-bodied, concentrated mouthfeel, and a heavenly finish. It shows a more up-front, exuberant, sexy style, yet there’s still ample underlying structure and depth. Reminding me of Guigal’s Côte Rôtie La Mouline (maybe amped up just slightly), drink it over the coming 15-20 years. It’s worth pointing out that due to the difficulty in trademarking names today, the longer aged, 100% Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah and Grenache will simply bear the name “Eleven Confessions Vineyard” going forward. R24-3 -
Sine Qua Non 2017 Syrah The Hated Hunter
$399.99California
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Rating
Named after Manfred’s grandfather, the 2017 Syrah The Hated Hunter is 82.4% Syrah, 7.8% Petite Sirah, 5.2% Mourvèdre, 2% Grenache, and the rest a mix of white varieties that spent just over 23 months in 59% new French oak. A classic 2017, it has an incredible nose of spice red and black fruits, ground pepper, dried flowers, and sandalwood. With full-bodied richness, no hard edges, gorgeous purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit, it has everything you could want from a bottle of wine. This cuvée comes from a mix of the The Twin, Eleven Confession, Cumulus, and Molly Aida vineyards, and was bottled in August of 2019, with 1821 cases produced. R23-2 SP15-6 -
Sine Qua Non 2017 Tectumque
$249.99California
Wine Advocate 97 Rating
Tectumque means “shelter” in Latin. This wine was initially going to be called “Inconnue” (“unknown” in French), but that name had already been trademarked. “Naming wines is becoming impossible,” mentioned Manfred. “Everything has already been taken. Even, 'No Name!'” This is a blend of 38% Roussanne, 31% Petit Manseng, 18% Chardonnay, 9% Viognier and 4% Muscat. The vineyard components are 52% Cumulus Estate, 19% Eleven Confessions Estate, 18% Bien Nacido Vineyard and 11% The Third Twin Estate. It spent around 20 months aging in 9% concrete eggs, 4% amphora, 9% used barrels and 78% new French oak puncheons. R5-2 -
Sine Qua Non 2018 Grenache Profuga
$399.99Central Coast California
Jeb Dunnuck 98-100 Rating
Scheduled to be bottled in August, the 2018 Grenache Profuga is based on 77.5% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 8.3% Syrah, and the rest Petite Sirah and a tiny splash of Viognier. Mostly destemmed (there was 41% stems from the Grenache) and aging in just 37% new French oak, this heavenly beauty has a rare mix of elegance and richness that just begs to be drunk already. Loads of kirsch liqueur, spiced meats, charcuterie, herbes de Provence, and peppery notes define the bouquet, and this full-bodied Grenache is flawlessly balanced, has silky, polished tannins, and a monster of a finish. SP24-10 -
Sine Qua Non 2018 Syrah Ziehharmonika
$399.99Central Coast California
Wine Advocate 100 Rating
Manfred Krankl did point out that the name of this wine is not definitely but probably going to be “Squeezebox.” There are still a bunch of hoops to jump through before the label is signed, sealed and delivered. He shared the artwork for the label with me, again probably final but not yet definite, but which I think fans of are going to love. Who knew Mr. K played the squeezebox?
The vineyard sources for this wine are 51% The Third Twin, 43% Eleven Confessions and 6% Cumulus—all estate-owned vineyards. The 2018 Syrah Squeezebox is composed of 82% Syrah, 6.7% Mourvèdre, 5% Petite Sirah, 2.3% Grenache, 2.7% Viognier and 1.3% Muscat. “I think Muscat is the number one white grape for me to blend with reds,” Manfred said. “It kinda triples the effect of the wine.” SP40-12
