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.
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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.Inc. VAT£2,783.86
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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.In Bond£2,300.00