Sine Qua Non

This is a single-vineyard Grenache-dominated, barrel-selection blend coming from the Eleven Confessions Estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. It bears Elaine Krankl's initial and a portrait Manfred made of Elaine on the label.... Read More

This is a single-vineyard Syrah-dominant blend coming from the Eleven Confessions Estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. It bears Manfred Krankl's initial and a provocative self-portrait on the label. The blend is 90.6% Syrah,... Read More

Sine Qua Non has produced some spectacular Syrahs, buying fruit from the best sources in Santa Barbara - the Alban, Stolpman, and Bien Nacido vineyards. The 1996 Against The Wall Syrah is cut from the same mold as the 1997. The... Read More

The only 2005 Grenache I tasted is the 2005 Atlantis Fe 203-2a, a blend of 93% Grenache and 7% Syrah. About 50% of this cuvee was produced from whole clusters, and nearly all of it came from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard. Approximately... Read More

The 2014 Syrah Capo dei Putti saw an amazing 38 months in fully 94% new oak, and it was showing superbly when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with brooding aromas of blackberry preserve, cherries, bay leaf and a remarkably... Read More

The 2014 Syrah Capo dei Putti saw an amazing 38 months in fully 94% new oak, and it was showing superbly when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with brooding aromas of blackberry preserve, cherries, bay leaf and a remarkably... Read More

1999 Icarus: Still fresh and lively, and much younger tasting than the 1998 Antagonists or the 1995 Red Handed, this wine was certainly the biggest of the early vintages from Sine Qua Non's Grenache program. The label says... Read More

The outrageously rich 1999 The Marauder (100% Syrah from the Alban, Stolpman, and Bien Nacido vineyards) is tightly-structured, but crammed with blackberry and cassis fruit infused with subtle notes of camphor and licorice. Full... Read More

The 2006 Syrah Raven Series (93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier) is primarily from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with small quantities from the Bien Nacido and White Hawk vineyards. It will be bottled after spending 22... Read More

2007 Grenache Dangerous Birds: This wine, which is scheduled to be released in several months, is 88% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 2% Viognier (36% whole clusters utilized), all from the 11 Confessions Vineyard. A whopper at 15.6%... Read More

The 2007 Syrah Dangerous Birds, from Eleven Confessions, includes 4.5% Grenache and 2.5% Viognier, all fully destemmed. It is a seamless, show stopper of the highest level. The fruit is decidedly opulent in the 2007, while the... Read More

The 2011 Grenache Dark Blossom is probably the best Grenache-based blend in the vintage. A blend of 75% Grenache, 12.5% Syrah, 11.5% Mourvedre and a splash of Roussanne (fermented with 11% whole clusters), it has a perfumed, complex... Read More

The 2011 Syrah Dark Blossom showed even better from bottle than barrel. A blend of 84% Syrah, 8% Grenache, 4% Petite Sirah and the rest Roussanne and Petite Manseng, this beauty was fermented with 17% whole clusters and aged in... Read More

The 2013 Grenache Jusqu' a l'os was produced from 79% Grenache from the 11 Confessions Vineyard along with 18% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, produced using 89% whole cluster and aged for around 38 months in 51% used oak,... Read More

The recently released 2007 Syrah Labels (89% Syrah, 7% Grenache, and 4% Viognier) comes from the 11 Confessions Estate Vineyard (57%), a small amount from the home estate vineyard in Oak View called Cumulus, and the rest from... Read More

Like with the 2013 Grenache, I was thrilled to be able to taste the 2013 Syrah Male again (twist my arm), and it continues to impress. Giving up fabulous blackberry, bouquet garni, peppery herbs and minerality, this full-bodied,... Read More

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... Read More

The very nearly completed (being prepped for bottling in July 2019) 10th installment of this incredible "home" vineyard expression from Sine Qua Non's Cumulus vineyard knocks it out of the park. The Next of Kin 2016 Cumulus... Read More