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Sine Qua Non is one of California's most famous wine producers. Based just north of Los Angeles in Ventura County, and with most of its vineyards in Santa Barbara, it eschews the usual image of top California wine as being only from Napa Valley. That is not the only thing eschewed at Sine Qua Non – the same wine is rarely made more than once, turning the idea of the American icon wine on its head.
The cult winery specializes in Rhône grape varieties, with most of the red wines based on Syrah and Grenache. White wines are typically based on Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier and are also modelled after Rhône wines. While most of Sine Qua Non's vineyards are located in Santa Barbara, the home vineyard (and the winery) is located in Oak View. Many of the wines are labeled under the more generic California and Central Coast AVAs, rather than the specific AVAs the vineyards are located in, giving more freedom when it comes to blending.
Sine Qua Non's first vintage was 1994, as Austrian-born winemaker Manfred Krankl released three barrels of Syrah as "Queen of Spades" with a label he had designed himself. Previously, Krankl had made wines with other winemakers – including the "Black and Blue" wine with Havens Cellars and several wines with John Alban of Alban Vineyards. After releasing Queen of Spades, Krankl sent a bottle to Robert Parker, who promptly gave the wine 95 points – then the highest he'd given any American wine based on a Rhône variety
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Rating | 98 RP |
| Bottle Size | 750 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Rating | 98 RP - 1998 Sine Qua Non E Raised Syrah - 98 Pts! The 1998 Syrah E-Raised is great stuff. The blended Syrah comes from different vineyard sources primarily the Alban Vineyard in San Luis Obispo and Bien Nacido and Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara. These wines are always amusingly named (Black and Blue Against the Wall Imposter McCoy). All the components were tasted and even the least impressive cuvee was tipping my olfactory and sensual charts at 93 and 94 points with the finest cuvees ranging up near perfect 97 or 98 point totals. It is black-colored jammy and super-intense with awesome concentration terrific chewy explosive flavors of blackberries cherries and cassis interfused with creosote pepper and vanillin. All the cuvees are gorgeously pure thick and rich. As they sit in the glass notes of roasted coffee licorice smoke and barbecue spices emerge giving them another dimension of complexity. It is hard to make a prediction at this point given how sensational previous vintages have been but it would not surprise me to see the 1998 Syrah turn out to be the finest yet from Sine Qua Non. RP |
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| Wine Spectator |
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| Burghound |
|---|
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Rating | 98 RP |
| Bottle Size | 750 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Rating | 98 RP |
| Bottle Size | 750 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Varietal | Syrah |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 1998 |
| Rating | 98 RP |
| Barrels |
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| Style |
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| Owners |
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| Region | California |
| Location | |
| Producer | Sine Qua Non |
| Winemaker |
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| Production |
| Robert Parker Rating | 98 RP - 1998 Sine Qua Non E Raised Syrah - 98 Pts! The 1998 Syrah E-Raised is great stuff. The blended Syrah comes from different vineyard sources primarily the Alban Vineyard in San Luis Obispo and Bien Nacido and Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara. These wines are always amusingly named (Black and Blue Against the Wall Imposter McCoy). All the components were tasted and even the least impressive cuvee was tipping my olfactory and sensual charts at 93 and 94 points with the finest cuvees ranging up near perfect 97 or 98 point totals. It is black-colored jammy and super-intense with awesome concentration terrific chewy explosive flavors of blackberries cherries and cassis interfused with creosote pepper and vanillin. All the cuvees are gorgeously pure thick and rich. As they sit in the glass notes of roasted coffee licorice smoke and barbecue spices emerge giving them another dimension of complexity. It is hard to make a prediction at this point given how sensational previous vintages have been but it would not surprise me to see the 1998 Syrah turn out to be the finest yet from Sine Qua Non. RP |
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| Wine Spectator Rating |
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| Burghound Rating |
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