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  • Country ranking ?

    336
  • Producer ranking ?

    28
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035

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Wine Information

Sine Qua Non

Sine Qua Non is a small winery in the city of Ventura, two hours north of Los Angeles. The winery's name Sine Qua Non is Latin for "absolutely indispensible", or literally "without which not". It was founded in 1994 by Manfred and Elaine Krankl. The winery has risen to be one of the top Syrah producers in USA, and due to the tiny quantities of wine made and the recent 98-100 point scores by Parker, Sine Qua Non is now unquestio...

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Vintage 1996

Napa Valley 1996 / An unseasonably warm winter with substantial rainfall launched the 1996 growing season with an early bud break. A cool spring was followed by intermittent rain during the May bloom period, causing shatter in many vineyards and reducing the potential crop size. A relatively warm summer with several heat spells speeded veraison and ripening, while a cooling trend in September allowed grape flavors to catch up with sugars, brin...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

”This was a very tuff year for us, we really felt we were pushed against the wall, hence the name of this wine”, Manfred says. It is a blend of 92 percent Syrah from Alban Vineyard, Bien Nacido Vineyard and Stolpman Vineyard, and eight percent Grenache from Stolpman Vineyard. After fermentation, as always with the indigenous yeast, the wine was racked into new French and (some) American oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and ageing for 19 months. Alcohol level is 14.5 percent. The production this year was 3 576 bottles. The color reveals a slight nuance of maturity, still it is quite dense and yet with a deep, almost purple core. The nose is equally intense, developed in a way that many wine tasters usually describe as Bordeaux like, but there is still a sufficient power and youthful intensity in the fruit, which is both dark and a bit primary sweetish. This leads to the conclusion that this vintage has more to offer in the coming years. Nuances of fennel and licorice adds some complexity. Tannins are vital but mature and almost silky, thanks to the quite rich and slightly sweet fruit flavors and lively acidity, the aftertaste lingers for a minute or so, contributing to finesse. This is an extremely elegant wine which initially felt almost grenache like in its seductive fruit flavors, but with aeration it develops into a greater finesse. Although a very good wine indeed, I don't believe it will evolve into something much more complex with further ageing.
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Ventura, California

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