Sine Qua Non

Vinous (94)

Wine Advocate (97-99)

3x75cl Capo dei Putti Syrah 2014 - 99 points | Jeb Dunnuck

3x75cl Testa dei Cherubini Grenache 2014 - 99 points | Jeb Dunnuck

The Eleven Confessions vineyard is a 33-acre plot located in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, which is widely known to be a cool climate region. True to their spirit of being non-conformists, the Krankls chose to focus primarily on Rhône varietals, dedicating 22 aces to Syrah, Grenache and some Rhône whites - while leaving the remaining 11 acres to Pinot Noir planted by the former ranch owner. The cool climate allows a longer hang-time for the grapes to develop full phenolic ripeness. Also, the Krankls kept yields very low, resulting in the phenomenal concentration that their wines are well-known for.

Made of a blend of approximately 97% Syrah with Roussane and Viognier completing the blend, the 2011 Syrah Patine earned a massive 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 96 pointsfrom Antonio Galloni, delivering “Guigal La Landonne like aromas and flavors of graphite, sweet oak, smoked meats, pepper and black raspberry and cassis-like fruit " (Dunnuck). Galloni finds “mocha, plums, violets, bittersweet chocolate and dark spice” from this “deep, powerful and intense” wine that he thinks will drink well out to 2035.

Vinous (97)

Vinous (98)

Vinous - Josh Raynolds (94)

Wine Advocate (99)

Wine Advocate (100)

Wine Advocate (99)

Sine Qua Non Patine Collector Case 2011 contains:

3x75cl Sine Qua Non Grenache Patine 2011

97 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
Coming all from Manfred's Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and a blend of 77% Grenache, 22% Syrah and 1% Viognier (fermented with 25% whole clusters), the 2011 Grenache Patine spent a full 33 months in almost all neutral oak, with just 11% being new. It offers perfumed and spice-laced notes of white pepper, black raspberry, blackberry and ground herbs that flow to a full-bodied, elegant, nicely concentrated 2011 that has nicely integrated acidity, no hard edges and a terrific finish. It's certainly one of the fresher, more elegant Grenaches from Manfred, yet it still has rocking levels of fruit. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and enjoy bottles over the following decade.

97 points | Vinous (Antonio Galloni)
The 2011 Grenache Patine has turned out beautifully. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and leather meld together in the glass as this savory, beautifully layered wine opens up. Herb, graphite, smoke, sage and tobacco add shades of nuance in a delineated Grenache that captures the best of this cool, late-ripening year. Patine is 77% Grenache, 22% Syra and 1% Viognier, all from Eleven Confessions, done with 25% whole clusters and aged for 33 months in French oak barrels, 11% new.

3x75cl Sine Qua Non Syrah Patine 2011

98 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
A wine that needs to be forgotten in the cellar for 5-6 years, the 2011 Syrah Patine checks in as a blend of roughly 97% Syrah and the balance Roussanne and Viognier. It too comes all from the estate's Eleven Confessions Vineyard and saw 39 months in 63% new French oak. Backward, tight, concentrated and structured, with full-bodied richness and depth, it gives up Guigal La Landonne like aromas and flavors of graphite, sweet oak, smoked meats, pepper and black raspberry and cassis-like fruit. While it shows the vintage's cooler nature, it has a stacked mid-palate and will evolve gracefully for 15-20 years.

96 points | Vinous (Antonio Galloni)
The 2011 Syrah Patine is deep, powerful and intense, with huge fruit and texture, especially within the context of the year. Mocha, plums, violets, bittersweet chocolate and dark spice meld into the deep, voluptuous finish. As good as the 2011 is, it could use another few years to fully meld together. The 2011 is 97% Syrah, 2% Roussanne and 1% Viognier, all from Eleven Confessions, done with 22% whole clusters and aged for 39 months in French oak barrels, 63% new.