Sine Qua Non
About Sine Qua Non
There really is no winery quite like Sine Qua Non (means “something essential”). Manfred and Elaine Krankl followed in that noblest of Californian winery traditions in 1994, building one of the world's greatest estates from the ground up in Ventura County (Central Coast AVA). Founded from passion for the land and a relentless desire to produce simply the best wines that they could, Antonio Galloni (Vinous) declared that "the sheer drive for perfection and attention to detail at Sine Qua Non is something I have rarely witnessed anywhere else in the world".
Today, Sine Qua Non is probably the quintessential tiny production, cult winemaker, producing just 4,000 cases a year across a number of wines made from different vineyards. The huge global demand is based on the critical acclaim for almost the winery produces. It takes years to get onto the mailing list, and the wines almost never come back onto the market once purchased. Older vintages are occasionally sold at auction for stratospheric prices.
Sine Qua Nons' Wines
Manfred Krankl (an Austrian immigrant in California) and his wines break all the rules. There is no standard label, every wine is named differently (every year). There is no marketing. The wines are sold via mailing list and have grown via word of mouth (and critical acclaim). Even the grapes are different – predominantly Rhône Valley varietals like Syrah and Grenache.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£968.65 |
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|
California | 3 | - |
Inc. VAT
£636.25 |
|||||
|
California | 2 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£891.85 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)The impeccable 2001 Midnight Oil (95.5% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and 1.5% Viognier) is a product of four vineyards, Alban, Stolpman, Bien Nacido, and White Hawk. The good news is there are 950 cases of this compelling effort. With a “midnight” black color, and the viscosity of 10-W-40 oil, its aromas of violet/acacia flowers, melted licorice, camphor, blackberries, creme de cassis, and subtle toasty new oak are accompanied by a wine boasting terrific texture, good underlying acidity, ripe tannin, and a 60-second plus finish. This stunning effort competes with the 2000, and what looks to be Krankl’s greatest Syrah-based wine to date, the 2002. |
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|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,405.05 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,319.29 |
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|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,319.29 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,120.09 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,018.09 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,935.14 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,783.86 |
|||||
Sine Qua Non Patine Collector Case 2011 contains: 3x75cl Sine Qua Non Grenache Patine 2011 97 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
3x75cl Sine Qua Non Syrah Patine 2011 98 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
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|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£5,576.05 |
|||||
|
California | 2 | - |
Inc. VAT
£3,507.01 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£3,576.31 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,923.40 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£5,753.38 |
|||||
Vinous (95)The 2009 Syrah The Thrill Of... impresses for its poise and underlying energy. Dark fruit, spices, licorice and violets sit on a core of firm tannin as this powerful wine opens up in the glass. Today, The Thrill Of...comes across as very, very young. The intensity of the fruit and the oak are dominant today. In another few years the wine should be spectacular. The Thrill of is 90% Syrah, 6% Grenache and 4% Viognier, all destemmed and mostly from estate owned vineyards. |
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|
California | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,860.93 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97+)(The Third Twin Graciano 2014) A blend of 90% Graciano and 10% Mourvèdre, completely destemmed and then aged all in used oak barrels for around 27 months, the 2014 The Third Twin Graciano sports a very deep garnet-purple color and beguiling nose of espresso, tapenade, preserved plums and Indian spices with earth and licorice nuances. The densely packed, full-bodied palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and lovely freshness, with loads of earthy layers and fantastic length, which features buckets of exotic spices. This is the first edition of this single vineyard wine, coming entirely from The Third Twin Vineyard in Los Alamos, showcasing not only the potential of this amazing site but of this grape variety in the region. Manfred Krankl commented, “Of course I realize this is a Spanish variety, but I think God...or someone...made a slight mistake along the way, as the grape very much reminds me of the Rhône.” Positively the finest example of this grape I have ever tasted, move over Spain, Graciano has found a new spiritual home in California’s Central Coast! 65 cases were made. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 30 Sep 2017) (The Third Twin Graciano 2015) Graciano is a low-yielding Spanish variety grown primarily in Rioja, but Krankl contends that its spiritual home is the Rhône Valley: it reminds him of Mourvèdre in so far as it needs to be very ripe to show all its character, he says. And it's certainly a striking addition to his winemaking palate, with a character quite distinct to any of the other red varieties he works with. Offering up aromas of cherry pit and balsamic cherries, subtly framed by creamy new oak, the 2015 The Third Twin Graciano is amazingly saturated in color. On the palate, it's velvety, full-bodied and richly tannic, almost preternaturally concentrated in character, but remarkably supple and expansive despite its formidable levels of extract and structure. It's a singular wine, even by Krankl's standards. (William Kelley, ,23 Aug 2018) |
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|
California | 6 | 88+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£797.05 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (88+)2001 Ventriloquist: This was the only wine in the entire tasting that refused to open and fully reveal itself. It is a blend of 82% Grenache and 18% Syrah, with much of it coming from the Alban Vineyard and the balance from the Stolpman Vineyard and the Shadow Canyon Vineyard further north. I would liked to have had a crack at another bottle, but this wine came across as very tightly knit, with far higher acids, giving the wine a more austere and tart quality. It did possess some nice, attractive black fruits, damp earth, spice box and hints of licorice and pepper, but the austerity of the tannins, which seemed exaggerated by the wine’s acidic framework, made this wine pleasurable but standing out as the weakest effort from Sine Qua Non in the last decade. |
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|
California | 1 | 99 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£2,496.31 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)Checking in as 82% Syrah, 6.7% Mourvèdre, and the rest Petite Sirah and Grenache, the 2018 Syrah Ziehharmonika was largely destemmed and brought up in 51% new French oak. Gorgeous crème de cassis, smoked game, bacon fat, and spring flower notes all soar from the glass of this beauty, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, building tannins, and a rare mix of richness and freshness. Unquestionably made in a more restrained, elegant style compared to a decade ago, it nevertheless is flawlessly balanced, has awesome tannins, and is just another magical wine from this address that's going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. |
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|
California | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£3,860.52 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2018 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo is based on Petite Sirah this year. Rich and ample and explosive, the 2018 is wonderfully exotic, dense and full-throttle. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that literally explode out of the glass. The 2018 was just bottled, but is already dazzling. In the 2018, the wine is far more Petite Sirah-dominant than it has been in the past. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£804.00 |
|||||
|
California | 3 | - |
In Bond
£527.00 |
|||||
|
California | 2 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£740.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)The impeccable 2001 Midnight Oil (95.5% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and 1.5% Viognier) is a product of four vineyards, Alban, Stolpman, Bien Nacido, and White Hawk. The good news is there are 950 cases of this compelling effort. With a “midnight” black color, and the viscosity of 10-W-40 oil, its aromas of violet/acacia flowers, melted licorice, camphor, blackberries, creme de cassis, and subtle toasty new oak are accompanied by a wine boasting terrific texture, good underlying acidity, ripe tannin, and a 60-second plus finish. This stunning effort competes with the 2000, and what looks to be Krankl’s greatest Syrah-based wine to date, the 2002. |
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|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£2,001.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,093.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,093.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£927.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£842.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,603.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£2,300.00 |
|||||
Sine Qua Non Patine Collector Case 2011 contains: 3x75cl Sine Qua Non Grenache Patine 2011 97 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
3x75cl Sine Qua Non Syrah Patine 2011 98 points | Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck)
|
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|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£4,640.00 |
|||||
|
California | 2 | - |
In Bond
£2,909.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£2,960.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,590.00 |
|||||
|
California | 1 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£4,756.00 |
|||||
Vinous (95)The 2009 Syrah The Thrill Of... impresses for its poise and underlying energy. Dark fruit, spices, licorice and violets sit on a core of firm tannin as this powerful wine opens up in the glass. Today, The Thrill Of...comes across as very, very young. The intensity of the fruit and the oak are dominant today. In another few years the wine should be spectacular. The Thrill of is 90% Syrah, 6% Grenache and 4% Viognier, all destemmed and mostly from estate owned vineyards. |
|||||||||
|
California | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
In Bond
£2,370.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97+)(The Third Twin Graciano 2014) A blend of 90% Graciano and 10% Mourvèdre, completely destemmed and then aged all in used oak barrels for around 27 months, the 2014 The Third Twin Graciano sports a very deep garnet-purple color and beguiling nose of espresso, tapenade, preserved plums and Indian spices with earth and licorice nuances. The densely packed, full-bodied palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and lovely freshness, with loads of earthy layers and fantastic length, which features buckets of exotic spices. This is the first edition of this single vineyard wine, coming entirely from The Third Twin Vineyard in Los Alamos, showcasing not only the potential of this amazing site but of this grape variety in the region. Manfred Krankl commented, “Of course I realize this is a Spanish variety, but I think God...or someone...made a slight mistake along the way, as the grape very much reminds me of the Rhône.” Positively the finest example of this grape I have ever tasted, move over Spain, Graciano has found a new spiritual home in California’s Central Coast! 65 cases were made. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 30 Sep 2017) (The Third Twin Graciano 2015) Graciano is a low-yielding Spanish variety grown primarily in Rioja, but Krankl contends that its spiritual home is the Rhône Valley: it reminds him of Mourvèdre in so far as it needs to be very ripe to show all its character, he says. And it's certainly a striking addition to his winemaking palate, with a character quite distinct to any of the other red varieties he works with. Offering up aromas of cherry pit and balsamic cherries, subtly framed by creamy new oak, the 2015 The Third Twin Graciano is amazingly saturated in color. On the palate, it's velvety, full-bodied and richly tannic, almost preternaturally concentrated in character, but remarkably supple and expansive despite its formidable levels of extract and structure. It's a singular wine, even by Krankl's standards. (William Kelley, ,23 Aug 2018) |
|||||||||
|
California | 6 | 88+ (WA) |
In Bond
£661.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (88+)2001 Ventriloquist: This was the only wine in the entire tasting that refused to open and fully reveal itself. It is a blend of 82% Grenache and 18% Syrah, with much of it coming from the Alban Vineyard and the balance from the Stolpman Vineyard and the Shadow Canyon Vineyard further north. I would liked to have had a crack at another bottle, but this wine came across as very tightly knit, with far higher acids, giving the wine a more austere and tart quality. It did possess some nice, attractive black fruits, damp earth, spice box and hints of licorice and pepper, but the austerity of the tannins, which seemed exaggerated by the wine’s acidic framework, made this wine pleasurable but standing out as the weakest effort from Sine Qua Non in the last decade. |
|||||||||
|
California | 1 | 99 (JD) |
In Bond
£2,060.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)Checking in as 82% Syrah, 6.7% Mourvèdre, and the rest Petite Sirah and Grenache, the 2018 Syrah Ziehharmonika was largely destemmed and brought up in 51% new French oak. Gorgeous crème de cassis, smoked game, bacon fat, and spring flower notes all soar from the glass of this beauty, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, building tannins, and a rare mix of richness and freshness. Unquestionably made in a more restrained, elegant style compared to a decade ago, it nevertheless is flawlessly balanced, has awesome tannins, and is just another magical wine from this address that's going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. |
|||||||||
|
California | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
£3,200.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2018 Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo is based on Petite Sirah this year. Rich and ample and explosive, the 2018 is wonderfully exotic, dense and full-throttle. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that literally explode out of the glass. The 2018 was just bottled, but is already dazzling. In the 2018, the wine is far more Petite Sirah-dominant than it has been in the past. |