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  • Country ranking ?

    315
  • Producer ranking ?

    26
  • Decanting time

    8h
  • When to drink

    now to 2050
  • Food Pairing

    Garlic Roasted Pork Shoulder

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story


100 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The recently released 2004 Poker Face (96% Syrah, 2.5% Mourvedre, and 1.5% Viognier) comes from the Eleven Confessions, White Hawk, Alban, Bien Nacido, and Alta Mesa vineyards. Boasting classic blackberry, creme de cassis, charcoal, acacia flower, and subtle background toasty oak notes, it possesses a fabulous texture, beautiful richness and purity, and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. It is a ...

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Wine Information

Poker Face - Sine Qua Non

Sine Qua Non is a small winery which was established back in 1994 by Manfred and Elaine Krankl. Manfred Krankl, the managing partner at Campanile restaurant, feels strongly that each year, each vintage, is a completely unique wine and therefore he gives each wine a unique name. Sine Qua Non is quite well known for its wines names, label artwork and heavy, irregularly shaped bottles. Manfred also creates the artwork...

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Vintage 2004

Early bud break led to one of the earliest harvests in memory

In 2004, bud break occurred earlier than many vintners could remember, and the trend carried forward throughout the growing season. Heat spikes happened in June and at scattered intervals throughout the summer season. Grapes completed veraison early and ripeness with well-developed sugars in all varieties was realized early. Growers held on as acid balance eventually caught up. T...

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Tasting note

color

Deep

ending

Long, Lingering and Spicy

flavors

Vanilla, Toasty and Tobacco

nose

Open, Rich, Fresh and Opulent

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, Balanced, Multi-dimensional, Complex, Youthful, Round, Focused, Toasty and Silky tannins

Verdict

Fine and Transparent

Written Notes

Poker Face - 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 unquestionably regarded as a "California Cult" wine producer. The proprietors, the husband-and-wife team of Manfred and Elaine Krankl, are both very involved in the creation of their wines. In the early 1990's Manfred Krankl became interested in backyard winemaking. He used the facilities at the Babcock Winery and produced a small, 200 case lot of Chardonnay with the assistance of winemaker Bryan Babcock. The first wine was named The Thief. The Krankl's first serious commercial undertaking was a Syrah called Black and Blue, which was produced in 1992 at the Havens winery in Napa. It was followed by an assortment of oddly named wines – Queen of Spades, Red Handed, The Other Hand, The Bride, and more recently Twisted and Bent, Imposter McCoy and Veiled. All the wines have a distinctive, funky label, that are all reproductions of Manfred's artwork. In 1997 the Krankls got their own winemaking facilities, and their goal now is to own a vineyard and grow grapes, as all their wines up untill now have been produced from purchased grapes. Almost all the grapes have come from the Santa Barbara region, except the Pinot Noir, which groe in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
  • 93p
In this warm vintage, 96 percent of the blend was Syrah, a third of that from the cooler Eleven Confession Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills and the rest from Whitehawk Vineyard, Bien Nacido Vineyard and Alban Vineyard. The 2.5 percent of Mourvèdre that added spiciness in the blend was sourced from Alta Mesa Vineyard, and the rest is 1.5 percent of Viognier. As always, all varieties and all vineyard blocks were vinified and kept separately throughout the 27 months of ageing in almost 90 percent new French oak (this vintage, 17 barrels made the cut into Poker Face). Alcohol level is 15.5 percent. As the other young wines, this is almost opaque, unredeemed and massive fruit in a style which, oddly enough, also offers great elegance. Perhaps it is the small nuances of violets that makes the dark sweet cherry fruit so easygoing and, which I like so much, moves the focus from the youthful vanilla and smoky scents from the oak barrels. The nose is really remarkable. The flavor is as concentrated of seductive cherry, sloe and raspberry fruit with the same elegant fragrance of violets and licorice, and both tannins and acidity gives the wine a serious backbone that promises a slowly evolving life that probably extends until 2025, at the very least. However, already today the superlatives are many, especially the remarkable balance between sheer power and seductive flavors, but with time more complexity will rise out of the dense primary fruit. The fresh acidity, which is so well integrated and balanced in the rich fruit, should not be underestimated - it will help giving the wine a long life. Poker Face is a great wine!
  • 99p
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Information

Origin

Ventura, California

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

3h

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